St. John's University Athletics
St. John's NCAA Tournament: Selection Show Quotes
3/13/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 13, 2011
NEW YORK -
St. John's Head Coach Steve Lavin
Opening Statement:
"Today was a special day for our players. And as a coaching staff, to be able to watch up close the experience that our team has had in having the opportunity to participate in the upcoming NCAA Tournament was something I'll never forget. From day one this has been a special group to work with. That doesn't mean there weren't challenging stretches or moments where we had some hardship or adversity... As we did most recently with the injury to D.J. Kennedy. At the end of the day its been a very cohesive, close-knit basketball family that's stayed on track in their single-minded purpose in achieving their goal in paying in the NCAA Tournament. And to see it come to fruition today was really special."
On achieving a six seed in the NCAA Tournament:
"I felt going in having done this as an assistant coach, a head coach, an analyst and now back as a head coach, I felt between a four and a six. If we had gone deeper in the BIG EAST Tournament there was even the opportunity to climb to a three, as we saw some teams do within our league. I never thought we would fall lower than a six. I thought as high as a four and as low as a six, and with the injury to D.J. Kennedy we may have dropped from a five to a six. I thought the committee was spot-on in terms of our seeding."
On if today was a happy day for D.J. (Kennedy):
"D.J. Kennedy's experience today was bittersweet. On one hand, he's proud in knowing that our team wouldn't be in this position to do something special if it wasn't for his contributions to our efforts this season. And yet, he's devastated with the realization that he's not going to be able to participate in the NCAA Tournament and the sport that he loves so much. It's a real bittersweet moment and it will be until our journey is complete. He's handled it with grace and class and if he wasn't emotional then I would be concerned."
On how much his past experience will help this squad in this season's NCAA Tournament:
"I look back at my first year as a head coach at UCLA with no experience as a head coach, and that team went farther in the postseason than any of the teams that I had after. We had some good runs to the Sweet 16 and Elite Eights and our teams did well in the tournament. But with less experience in my rookie season as a head coach our team went deeper than it did in the next six years as a head coach. So at this time of the year we see teams that consistently upset higher-seeded teams or make runs unexpectedly… and that's the beauty of March Madness. The resolve of our group of seniors and the experience they've had throughout their careers bodes well for us as we step into the single-elimination game format of the season. And I have the utmost confidence that our players have the ability to problem-solve, use the ingenuity and resourcefulness and the cohesive brand of basketball we play will put us in position to be a really tough out in the postseason."
On the possible atmosphere at Pepsi Center in Denver:
"Every game in the NCAA Tournament, for different reasons, is very difficult. And that's a given trying to survive and advance from round-to-round. One of the reasons we went out to St. Mary's to open our season and went out for the Alaska Shootout and went back out to play UCLA was to prepare our players for all the different conditions you could possibly face in the postseason. And naturally, we also tested playing a team like Duke on our home floor as well as a rigorous BIG EAST Conference schedule and none of that guarantees success in the NCAA Tournament, but you're just trying to enhance the odds or probabilities of your team being prepared for the adverse conditions that the postseason brings about. Going out to Denver and playing a team that's had as much success as Gonzaga has had over the last decade is a daunting task, but we also understand that we've played a rigorous schedule and bring some things to the table that they have to be concerned with as well."
On 11 BIG EAST teams making the NCAA Tournament:
"I mentioned to the kids the other day after the tough loss to Syracuse that to finish in third place in the BIG EAST any year is special, but to finished tied for 3rd place in a year where 11 teams are going to go to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the history of our conference and the unprecedented history of college basketball is something they should feel proud of. There's no guarantee that the BIG EAST will represent well in the NCAA Tournament, because that's the beauty of the postseason and the uncertainty of the single-elimination game format and why so many people enjoy watching this sporting event. But I do think that overall if you train and go against top competition over the arc of a season that will bring out the best in athletes and teams. So no conference is deeper in terms of the volume of quality teams, so we've faced the best night in and night out, which in theory should enhance your chances of being successful in the postseason, but it doesn't guarantee because it's not a best-of-five or best-of-seven series like the NBA, it's a one and done scenario. I do think it's a credit to the coaching, to the players, to the storied programs and the conference to have 11 teams in the NCAA (Tournament)."
St. John's Senior Forward Justin Burrell
On his emotions during the show:
"When they started off the bracket, we were extremely nervous. We started to count down BIG EAST teams. I think the first bracket had four. There were several in the next bracket and we started going, 'where are we at?' By the third bracket, we started wondering if they were going to give us a phone call and say, 'sorry, we made a mistake and couldn't get you guys in.' To see our names called in the last part of the fourth bracket made us really excited. For guys who have been here for so long, we were kind of in shock, but we're so excited."
On if having to wait until the end make the experience better:
"The anticipation and buildup was like a long drum roll. We didn't think it was ever going to end. Finally, when we saw our names we all lost it. We were excited, screaming and jumping around. They only showed us for a couple of seconds, but we were in there cheering and standing on tables. For three years before this and watching it and knowing that your name won't be called was the best build up for this. Of course, I would have preferred to have been in it for the other three years, but since we weren't, I couldn't enjoy it any better than this."
On having 11 BIG EAST teams in the Tournament:
"That's tremendous. It shows that our conference is so strong. We actually heard Charles Barkley say that UConn winning our conference tournament meant that we weren't that strong, but I totally disagree. We have so many different teams that do so many different things. We have a wide array of styles of basketball through the BIG EAST. To have 11 teams is tremendous because it gets to show our talent throughout the conference."
On playing out in Denver:
"We love playing road games. I'm a sightseer. I like to see the sights. I've never been to Denver so I'm excited about that. Our schedule sets us up for stuff like this. We've played at Duke, we've played at Syracuse. Those are some of the toughest places to play. Villanova was really tough this year, and Providence was too."
On if today was a happy or sad day for D.J. Kennedy:
"Throughout this whole thing, I've thought about D.J. and wondered how he would feel. To see him today being his lively self and excited for us and himself, because he's still very much a part of this team, made me excited to see that he was lively and excited. D.J. is one of our leaders. From the day that we came into St. John's and stepped foot on campus, he's been one of our leaders. We knew right away that we'd be able to lean on him in our time of need. So for him to be around and step back and coach us, we will definitely listen to him. We can learn a lot from him."
St. John's Senior Forward Sean Evans
On getting to the NCAA Tournament:
"It was better than I had ever dreamed. You can't really picture how you're going to feel and the reaction you're going to get when they finally call your name, or when you find out where you're going and who you're playing. Today was a day full of butterflies, jitters and overall excitement for me and my teammates."
On waiting until the end of the show to see St. John's called:
"Definitely, every time they went to the commercials my stomach was turning a little bit faster and I was getting nervous. Seeing all those other teams being called made me nervous but it doesn't matter now. They could have called us first or last, as long as they called us."
On D.J. Kennedy's reaction:
"I think he had a little bit of mixed feelings. I think he's happy for the team and happy that he helped us get to this position, but he is also sad knowing that he's not going to be able play. Not only is it sad for him but it is sad for us as well."
On the second round matchup against Gonzaga in Denver, Colorado:
"It is what it is. I'm happy to go and play anyone anywhere. I'm just happy we get this opportunity."
On the environment in the room during the selection show:
"I think it was normal at first because I don't think what we were there for had set in. It was a regular dinner at first but when we saw the cameras, lights and Coach Lavin going on air to talk to Charles Barkley it set in a little more. As the show went on more it set in that we did it, we're here and we're ready to see our names get called."
On his role going forward into the NCAA Tournament:
"The last couple games, as I'm getting more time and opportunities, I was just trying to step up because I know my team needed it. I'm just waiting for that chance and I think I got it now. I'm looking to keep at it and play as hard as I can and do as much as I can for the team. With D.J. down we're going to need somebody to step up and I know I can do that now."
St. John's Senior Guard Dwight Hardy
On making waiting until the end of the show to see St. John's called:
"I was nervous but we knew our name was going to get called at some point because of the year we had … once we saw our names on that screen there was nothing but joy in the room. The first person I looked at was D.J. because he's not going to have the opportunity to play in this game or any other game we may play as we advance but we're there for him."
On the matchup against Gonzaga and the site:
"I don't care where the site is as long as we're playing. As far as the matchup, it should be a good matchup. Gonzaga is a great team and they've been in the tournament plenty of times in recent years. It will be two great teams facing off and trying their best to get to the next round."
On how having D.J. around the team will help:
"It helps us. When we see him at dinner he's joyful around us it lets us know that he cares about us and he wants us to lay it all out on the floor for him. When you see a player go down you kind of get down yourself. Even though he's not playing with us we still need to compete at a high level into the NCAA Tournament."
