St. John's University Athletics
NIT Selection Quotes
3/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 14, 2010
Head Coach Norm Roberts
On his gut reaction about the NIT bid:
"I'm happy for our kids and I'm happy that we are going to continue playing. This is one step for us moving forward in our process of getting better. We have been playing well and we want to keep it going."
On the significance of the NIT bid:
"It holds a lot of significance to St. John's. St. Johns was always a big part of the NIT. It is one step of us moving forward. Every year this team has taken a step and this is another step. Last year we went to the CBI and now we get a chance to hopefully win a couple games and come back home."
On drawing Memphis as an NIT opponent:
"It didn't matter who we were going to play. I know they are playing a terrific program. Some players on that team have seen a lot of success and that team has had a lot of success this season. You know its going to be a tough battle, just like BIG EAST game. They are a high-caliber team and we will have to play hard."
On the evaluation of this season:
"Nothing has been discussed about any of that stuff. We haven't evaluated our whole season until our season is over. When it is over, we will evaluate where the program is. We knew the season wasn't over and we wanted to keep on playing."
On his feeling about a postseason bid:
"I'm concentrating on our team being as good as we can be. These kids have a chance to keep playing. We have showed people in America that we are a pretty good team and now we have a chance to keep playing."
Junior Guard Paris Horne
On earning an NIT bid:
"We are excited that we can continue to play. We're playing for a lot. The NIT is a great tournament and I feel like we could win it. So we are just going to go after it."
On the intensity level of the team since the BIG EAST Tournament:
"We had practice today and the intensity is still there. We still feel like we have the opportunity to play for a lot and we didn't think our season was over yet. We are just ready to play. We are going to just keep playing. That is what we want to do. We're going out there to play and try to win a championship."
On the implications of this game:
"We aren't thinking about that. That isn't our standpoint. Our mindset is to play and going out and trying to win. We really wanted this chance for this tournament. We feel like we are a great team and we just want to show everybody that we are. It's out of our control. Every game counts. No matter what or who we play or whatever the circumstance is, I feel like it's an important game. We will continue to work hard and play hard for our coaches and the program. "We are going to try to go as far as we can with this tournament."
On the effects of an NIT bid on next season:
"It carries over and gives us a lot more confidence about our situation. We will be seniors and we know we can play and we know we can win. "This will just help us as a learning experience. Last year we were in the CBI, this year we are in the NIT. We learned from the CBI and we will learn from this and next year we could go further to the NCAA Tournament."
On the CBI's effects on the 2009-10 season:
"It gave us another postseason tournament and helped us see a different atmosphere. It left a bitter taste in our mouths. We thought we should've won and we didn't. This year, we came back and had a good season, but we lost a few games we shouldn't have. We had some slip ups, but we learned from that and we were able to make NIT. We have to come in with a great focus and be hungry to try to get this win."
