St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes vs. Wagner
11/30/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2010
Head Coach Steve Lavin
On what he found out in Alaska about the team:
"I was impressed with the two games where we had to come back in the second half. We were down six with three minutes left in regulation against Ball State, and came back to win in overtime. And the Arizona State game we were down by double digits in the second half, and in that one we went on that 25-6 run that was jump started by the smaller lineup. What impressed me was the resiliency, the fight that our team exhibited when teams had begun to pull away from us. We saw glimpses of it in the Saint Mary's game, in terms of the final minutes where we closed the gap and made it two possessions after they had been up. In four of our five games, one a loss and three wins, we had to come back in the second half and find a way to win. Ideally, you don't want to have to come from behind, but have a lead and extend on it. But you know over the course of the season that there are going to be times where you're trailing, and it's reassuring to know that we now have a reference point."
On the team's smaller lineup:
"We will continue to look, in stretches, at our smaller, quicker lineup. They are a group that causes some matchup problems and allows us to play at high speeds and extend our pressure defensively up the floor. We have a number of players who can create off the bounce and knock down shots from distance. The smaller lineup gives us a dimension that we can look at in games, depending on matchups and depending on time and score."
On Justin Brownlee's new aggressiveness:
"Brownlee has taken incremental and gradual strides. Right from the start, in the spring, his sense and feel for the game is something that gives him distinction on our team. He had a good run in terms of our strength and conditioning program. We are seeing someone blossom and play with an elevated level of confidence, and the numbers reflect that. Right from the jump, it was clear that he had a diverse skill set, was versatile, had tremendous athleticism and a sense and feel for the game that is special for a player his size."
On the team's depth:
"We are still at a stage where we're learning about our team. Our team is learning about our staff and our expectations and the style of play we're implementing. It will be about feel with this group, and that may be something for the entire year that we go with. Against Arizona State, we were really stymied offensively in the first half. That's what led to exploring and tinkering and searching for a combination of players that could jump start us. It happened to be the smaller group this game, but there are other times where, like in the Ball State game, it was D.J. Kennedy that stepped up. As a coach, it's challenging when you're not sure, game to game, who's going to step up. The positive is that there is a number of players who are capable of putting up double digits. It gives us some depth and flexibility in combinations. We have to be mindful of that as we move forward and see who has the hot hand on that particular night. Nine players is pushing the limit. I've had teams where I only played six or seven players. As we build our full-court pressure and impose our preferred style of play on opponents, which is relentless pace, we need to explore extending that rotation to keep the level of intensity up over the course of the game."
On his impressions of Malik Stith now versus his initial thoughts:
"In the spring, you could see that he had some potential. I wouldn't have guessed after his first weeks of practice that he would have this degree of a breakthrough in his sophomore year. He is playing with great poise, producing, and has great confidence. He seems comfortable on the floor. He only had one turnover in three games. I don't remember any player over the course of my career having that sort of stretch. When you're playing at high speeds and playing that many minutes, it is quite impressive."
Sophomore Guard Malik Stith
On how this year's team is more prepared to come back and win games late:
"For me, it was just being in the same situation last year and just trying not to go the same route. Coach says before every game that it's a game of runs. So when teams make runs on us and he calls a timeout, he tells us to stick together and we have 10 seniors. He's like, `We've been in this situation before, just settle down and fight through it.' Usually we try to get three stops in a row and that's what we did to in the first game to force overtime."
On the confidence that Coach Lavin brings to the team in pressure situations:
"As a coach, just point blank, period - his background. He's been in many different situations, so it's all eyes on him during those situations. At the end of the day, it's our job to go out there and execute. I think that it's just his confidence that's helping us through it."
On his improvement from freshman to sophomore year:
"I think I've improved drastically. More off the court, I think my whole attitude has changed around. Last year, I think I was kind of selfish because of the change from high school, being the best player and then learning how to work into a system and be a leader as a point guard. So I think, just off the court was my biggest change from freshman to sophomore year."
On if there was a game in Alaska when the team realized that this year would be different:
"I think the game for us was the championship game against Arizona State. I think to finally to see how it feels to win a tournament, the environment in the locker room was `this is a different year.' We had a hard first game in overtime, then we played our best defensive game against Drake. The third game, to have a big win against a good ballclub, I think that was the sign right there."
On his increased playing time:
"I'm loving it. I think I had a huge offseason and Coach told me the work is starting to pay off. You can see it on the court. And like I said, off the court, just my different attitude. So I think I've just got to keep working and things will work out."
Senior Guard/Forward D.J. Kennedy
On if the team won games in Alaska that it would've lost last year:
"No, it could have gone both ways. I think the key to last year was we played our best basketball early in the season and this season we still haven't played our best basketball. So I feel like that's to our advantage this year. We're still working and you still see our offense isn't really there yet. We're just grinding out games and we won a lot of early games with our defense. I definitely feel like last year, we would've struggled throughout the stretch. In close games, at the end closing games, we're doing a good job of coming back from deficits. Down in one of the games, I definitely felt that that was big."
On how the message in the huddle during key moments has changed:
"I feel like last year, we were all thinking like, `Not again, not again.' This year, it's more like, `We've been in these situations,' so no one really gets overexcited and everybody's really calm and it's just another game and another situation. So everyone's calmer and more confident."
On how the team has gotten calmer and more confident:
"There isn't a situation we haven't been in. We've been here four years and we've almost been in every situation since freshman year. I definitely feel like with experience brings more confidence."
On Coach Lavin in the huddle during a key timeout:
"The crazy thing about Lavin is that he's calm. During runs he never panics. When he comes to the huddle, it's just really calm. He really doesn't holler at us too much during the runs. It's really when we're up and he wants us to execute most. I definitely feel like that's one of the key things with Coach Lav. He definitely keeps cool and collected under pressure. He doesn't panic and I think that's key. To the players, we get the message. If our coach is not pressuring, why should we panic? So I feel like that's been helping us up lately, definitely in Alaska."
Senior Forward Justin Burrell
On how the message in the huddle during key moments has changed:
"Honestly, it's changed a lot. Now it's more like us talking to each other. Coach Lav will say what he wants us to run and at the end of the day it's really us in the huddle telling each other that we can do it and maybe little critiques like, `Get your hands up.' It's really us talking. We've been around so long and know each other so well, I mean basketball's basketball. No matter how many times you draw up X's and O's, at the end of the day you have to execute and play hard."
On if the team won games in Alaska that it would've lost last year:
"Maybe one of them. I don't know exactly which one it would've been. I really don't know if we would've come back and won them both."
On why the team can win those close games late this year:
"I want to say the mentality that our coaching staff has instilled in us. The way of winning that they're teaching us - no matter what happens, the game is never over. In our past, we kind of grew accustomed to not knowing really the way to win at this college level. Coach Lavin and his staff have really changed our mindsets."
