St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes: St. John's vs. St. Francis
11/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2011
St. John's Head Coach Steve Lavin
On matching up against St. Francis:
"We have to guard their shooters - they come out of the locker room launching. St. Francis had Seton Hall on the ropes and took Hofstra to the wire. They're a scrappy and tenacious team. They're better than Lehigh - and Lehigh had us down by 16 at home. Our schedule is turning out to be a blessing, even though we'd rather be 5-0 instead of 3-2. The fact that we're getting challenged in these games is a positive. We still want to work on getting a more productive start and come out of the gates with a better concerted effort. This St. Francis group does a really good job of coming off of ball screens and freeing up their shooters. They often dribble with penetration, looking to kick the ball out - which is an international style of play. You have to modify and adjust your game plan to that. One of their major strengths is shooting the ball; so our defenders are going to have to stay within an arm's length of their shooters at all times. You have to cramp their space so there isn't daylight. If you look at our team, an area we really struggle in is giving up three-pointers. This is a great opportunity for us to come into a game mindful of that and see if we can be more effective at defending the three-point line based on their personnel."
On God'sgift Achiuwa's performance in the last two games:
"As it usually is, there was a confluence of factors that led to God'sgift Achiuwa being less productive in the last two games comparatively to our first three games. One of them being we played teams that had great depth on their front line. It wasn't just an individual matchup with one player down low on the opposing team - Arizona and Texas A&M were able to rotate fresh big bodies into the game. This year, we don't have equal depth on the front line with most of our opponents. Another factor is our staff and players need to make a concerted effort to give the big fella more touches - he only had six shots against Arizona and one against Texas A&M. It's a two-way street, just as it is with a pitcher and a catcher in baseball and a quarterback and a receiver in football. Our perimeter players have to do a better job of playing 'catch' with Gift. First, we have to look for him in transition because he runs very well. Then once he sets up down low, we need to look for him and then come back to him if he misses a shot. Our team is still growing in something that is as basic as feeding the post. Gift also has to continue to be demonstrative and demand the basketball and his teammates have to make a concerted effort to get him the ball in a position where he can be more effective. That would be a step in the right direction to jumpstart him and get him back into a more productive flow."
On Phil Greene's playing time:
"Our intent at this point is for Phil Greene to start tomorrow night. I was really pleased with his playmaking skills and the pressure defense he brings to the court. He's also very opportunistic on the fast break because of his skill and quickness and he has an eager and earnest attitude towards learning. He's been a real plus. As he becomes more aggressive, his play has improved and he's been more productive. He has the ability to turn up the aggressiveness and still make good decisions. Sometimes you tell a player to be more aggressive and they'll start running people over and throwing balls out of bounds. Phil has been able to be more aggressive, but still be sound with his approach, which shows a certain kind of basketball intelligence."
Freshman Guard Phil Greene
On God'sgift Achiuwa's performance in the last two games:
"You have to give him more touches and get him some easy baskets so he can get his confidence back up. He had been playing well up until these past two games, so I know a breakthrough is going to happen. He played good defense and rebounded against Texas A&M so his offensive game is going to come around - we just have to keep feeding him the ball. The guards are going to look to feed the post next game."
Freshman Guard/Forward Moe Harkless
On God'sgift Achiuwa's attitude towards his most recent performances:
"God'sgift Achiuwa is the type of guy that will want to prove you wrong when you criticize him. He's just going to try and go out there and play hard next game and the games to come. He'll get back on the right track."
