St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes: St. John's vs. Texas-Pan American
12/20/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2011
St. John's Junior Forward God'sgift Achiuwa
On how it feels to be back on the winning track:
"It feels good coming back from a three-game losing streak and bouncing back in The Garden. That was our first win in The Garden so it was a great feeling after the game."
On playing at home in New York City:
"We have tough losses on the road against Kentucky and Detroit, so it feels good to come home and get a win."
On the differences when Coach (Steve) Lavin is at practice:
"Coach Lavin is a very motivating person. He talks you up all the time, he's a teacher and tells you your mistakes and the things that you need to work on. He came to practice today and we were surprised to see him - none of us knew he was coming - but he really elevated the spirit in practice today and it went well this morning."
On coach's message at practice:
"He was emphasizing defense and not to relax on the fact that we won against Fordham, but to come out tomorrow and play."
On where the team is at:
"As a team we've developed a lot, because we're all new. The five or six guys are all new to Division I basketball. Coach (Gene) Keady always says something silly... `The game actually begins in the second half'. Knowing that this is the second half of the season, we know that this is where we really have to fight because of the competition level. We have to come out ready to play every game."
On where he's at individually:
"I think I've really developed. I have more responsibilities now as a player than I did when I was starting the season. I'm looking forward to being the leader that my coaches have been asking me to be and playing better come the BIG EAST games."
Freshman Swingman Sir'Dominic Pointer
On improved numbers as of late:
"I've been attacking the boards more, getting more offensive rebounds. My teammates are just looking for me more and getting the ball in my hands."
On increased rebounding:
"It's coming with more experience. The big men on our team are realizing that we have to get more rebounds and that they have to step up because we are an undersized team and we have to attack the boards hard."
On different defensive looks:
"We're stepping up more, stopping penetration, and not letting people get to the rim as much. We're definitely listening to what coach said, that we'll live and die by the three."
On team conditioning:
"In practice we play game situations, so we know that we have a short bench, we know that we're going to play a lot of minutes and we know that we have to stay in shape, get up and down a lot, so we've been doing that."
On avoiding letdown:
"We don't think about what's ahead of us, we just think about the game and worry about the other stuff after that game, and that will help us avoid that kind of situation."
