St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes: St. John's vs. Fordham
12/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
On how the team is adjusting without Nurideen Lindsey:
"They're in shape for adjustments because with Coach (Steve) Lavin's illness, they know that we're next-play people. That is kind of how we've reared them and we're moving forward. They have been fantastic actually. The intensity of practice has been high-level, communication is up and they're maturing nicely from the Detroit defeat. We learned some things and I think we've applied ourselves to those things in a most positive way. In particular, Gift's (God'sgift Achiuwa) voice has been really good and Phil (Greene) knows he's going to get a lot of playing time so he's been very vocal. It has been nice to see those two go."
On who's going to step up and running a six-man rotation:
"We'll do that by committee. Jamal (White) will get some paying time, and whomever else that we deem necessary. Obviously, we will try and keep that rotation on the floor as much as possible with Malik (Stith) and that kind of thing."
On if the majority of the minutes will be going to Phil Greene or someone else:
"Yes. D'Angelo (Harrison) can also play that slot and that means he's a scoring point. We always knew that we would have diversification. Let me give you an example... Last season, a lot of people saw (Dwight) Hardy as a two, and we saw him as a one. We brought him along and knew that he was deficient in some areas at the point, but boy did he grow at the position quickly. We think we can do the same thing with D'Angelo."
On how different the team will look tomorrow:
"Until you actually play, we won't know, but the things we've emphasized on offense is that first 15 seconds of the possession. When I looked at some early footage along with the other assistants, we thought in the first three games that we were running better. We've really tried to attack in the first 15 seconds and to get away from the coach speak. Mentally, it's just guys knowing their roles in a clearer way, and I think as each day goes by and each practice goes by, we're able to do that better. Defensively, maybe we won't be out in space as much... meaning that we will have to be more prudent with our 2-2-1 press."
On if this team can be better without Nurideen Lindsey:
"Well, that's hard to say. Let's say we're in an injury and not a transfer situation - our attitude is that there is a certain way for the staff and players to respond. What we say is `with each adversity comes an opportunity', but to get away from the cliché, I think that there will probably be a sense of urgency and guys being smarter about not fouling in situations where you grab your head and say `why did we do that at 93 feet'. Those lessons are a little bit more relevant to them now."
On if there has been any drop in morale:
"I haven't seen one ounce of that. I think the esprit de corps is actually up a peg. I don't think it's so much related to Nuri, as it's related to the fact that these guys are - with another two weeks - maturing rapidly, and that's just what we're supposed to do with fine wine. It's supposed to age nicely and it is. These are young guys who want to win. They're used to a lot of winning and they know the elements of winning. They've glommed on to more of that. There is no excuse good enough not to play hard and get better. That's our motto amongst ourselves, just to keep working hard."
Junior Forward God'sgift Achiuwa
On the impact of a smaller roster:
"Losing one of our players has impacted our team a lot, numbers-wise and talent-wise. We're going to miss him but we're not going to stop, we're going to work hard and try to make the best out of the situation."
On whether the team has improved from last game:
"Knowing that we weren't supposed to lose that game, we were all mad at ourselves, especially on the defensive side of the court. We've been practicing real hard and hopefully in tomorrow's game, we'll play harder than we did against Detroit."
On becoming a vocal leader over the season:
"It's something that the coaches have been talking to me about since I came to St. John's. They said that I had to talk to the guys because I'm older than most of them, and that my voice will be very important to the team. Since we played at Detroit, I've realized that [my voice] is really needed. I just have to step up and talk to my teammates. Being the bigger guy, on the defensive side of the court, I see most things that happen and I have to tell my teammates to play this way or that way."
Freshman Guard Phil Greene
On an increased workload:
"It's a great opportunity. The coaching staff has great confidence in me to perform. They tell me little things that I can do better. My teammates support me, and even though I know it's a big responsibility, I'm ready for it."
On how the offense might change:
"It's going to be pretty much the same style. We still run the same offense and the same defense. We're going to play the same that we always play, and that's Johnnie's basketball. We go even harder now because we have fewer bodies, but with our team and the coaches, everything stays the same. We keep moving forward, and we've got to deal with it."
