St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes vs. Fordham
12/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 10, 2010
Senior Guard/Forward D.J. Kennedy
On bouncing back from the loss to St. Bonaventure:
"We've just got to learn from the last game, regroup, stay focused and keep thinking about that. We've just got to move on and learn from last game and move on."
On having a bounce-back game after scoring just six against St. Bonaventure:
"I'll try to stay out of foul trouble in the first half. I feel like those two fouls were a major setback for, not just me, but for the team also. We started the game on like 17-4 run and then a few players got a few fouls and it was able to get them right back into it. So definitely, just try to stay out of foul trouble and be on the court first half for the team."
On if the loss to St. Bonaventure affected the team's confidence:
"It definitely took a little hit, anytime you lose a game like that, especially a game you felt like you won. That was a good team, take nothing away from them. They had a few good players. No. 44 was a great player, made big shots. Anytime you let a team like that hang around, anything's possible. That's what happened."
On why the team failed to close out the St. Bonaventure game for a win:
"I think in this game, what really hurt us a lot was the foul trouble. First and second half, we put them in the bonus early and they were making their free throws and we were 10-for-20 from the free throw line. That's the game right there: the free throw line. They made their free throws when they counted most and we missed a lot when we needed them."
On whether it is possible to improve shooting percentages in a short period of time:
"Definitely. It's just better looks and more confidence. We shoot a lot of shots, so definitely that's correctable. It's just any given night, you've got to be confident. Get better looks at the basket and know when to get this shot and when to turn it down. I definitely feel like that's correctable."
On the importance of reasserting St. John's as the top team in the five New York boroughs heading into the Fordham game:
"Definitely. Any time it's a big school, St. John's is a powerhouse and it's a name as far as it's in the BIG EAST. If you look at any of the other boroughs it's kind of smaller conferences. I feel like (other teams) feel like they go into the game with the notion that they want to win this game to show people they've got a lot to prove and show that they can play with anyone. So I definitely feel like anytime you play a team from the five boroughs, they would really look forward to the game."
On the importance of getting a win against Fordham:
"Every game is important. But we definitely feel like we don't want to go on that two-game losing streak and go that that road. We really need this to just reestablish ourselves and get our confidence back coming off this loss from Tuesday night."
On getting 29 steals over the past two games and what Coach Steve Lavin has said about taking transition possessions to the rim:
"That's actually the big thing about it all. We actually did a lot of good things. We still improved from the last game even though we lost, we did a lot of great things in that game it feels like. So it isn't that big of a step back. It came down to the shooting, things that you can't really correct. That's just percentages and making shots. So I definitely feel like we did a lot of good things from that game. We're still on that road and we feel like we're going in the right direction."
Senior Guard Dwight Hardy
On how he will carry momentum over from his career-high 24 points against St. Bonaventure:
"I'm just staying focused and staying positive and doing all the things which led to me having a great night, just keeping my follow-thru on my shot and taking my time on the offensive end."
On his return to the Bronx as a St. John's player:
"Right now I'm at about like 20 people (as guests). It's going to more by the end of the night. But I'm not going to let that affect my game. It's just another game and we're coming off a loss, so my main focus is getting back on a winning track."
On shaking off the St. Bonaventure loss to get back on track:
"We're going to dominate our next opponent: no close games, play hard for 40 minutes, execute on both ends of the floor and make a statement. Basically, this is a statement game. We thought we should've won the last game and we're all angry and upset. So we're just going to come out with a lot of emotion and get a big win."
Senior Guard Paris Horne
On if the team is motivated after losing to St. Bonaventure:
"Oh definitely. We gave up one at home and that kind of hurt us. When we were on the road we had a five-game win streak. We're just eager to go after Fordham now."
On how much the St. Bonaventure loss affected the Red Storm:
"It was a big deal. Our goal is to win every game and we knew St. Bonaventure was going to come in here and fight to the end, just like we did last year up there. So we knew they kind of had a chip on their shoulder to get that game. It was a really big deal for us. But like they say, you can't win them all. So we just got back to the drawing board and worked hard in practice yesterday and we're back at practice today to work hard to get better."
On having pride being the shutdown defender coming off the bench:
"I take pride in guarding whoever I play. That's just how I am. I don't like people scoring on me and I don't like people scoring on my team. I'll do whatever it takes to get the ball. That's what I'm going to try to do."
