St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes: St. John's at DePaul
1/30/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
St. John's Assistant Coach Mike Dunlap
On this being a "trap" game:
"I think they're all trap games for us. Coach K [Krzyzewski] talked about energy levels of teams and his team listened to his press conference carefully. We have to manufacture the same type of energy we've had over the last three games. Our energy level has been good. Any game that was schedule after Duke - it could be DePaul, Cincinnati, Louisville - that Wednesday game is a tough one, because of national TV for Duke and Cameron [Indoor Stadium]. There are a lot of circumstances that make Wednesday a game where you've got to try to marshal their energy and make sure they're on point. We started that as soon as the game was over at Cameron."
On the things Moe Harkless has improved on the most:
"Mentally, he's beginning to understand what game day is all about and being prepared so he can come in a play his best. I don't think he had a lot of regard for that early. It's not his fault, it was just a reference point. Also, the fact that that he can play physical above the rim; he's not gifted with a lot of weight, he's a young man who's going to fill out as he matures, but I think what he's figured out is that he can compete up top. When [God'sgift Achiuwa] is not playing, he's our resistance at the rim, and he's getting better at rotating and blocking shots. His rebounds say that he can get into a tough crowd and pull down a rebound and keep it. Offensively, when we isolate him, he's more bold and goes after it more aggressively than he did before."
On any change in Harkless' personality over the last few games:
"We've had some speaker come in, which is something that all coaches do, and we had a speaker address the fact that he needed to show more emotion. He showed emotion on his face, and an intensity and a joy. We want him to enjoy this and all of that came out in the Duke game. There's a maturity that going on. It's hard to measure, but as we try to indicate to Moe `You've got to duplicate those performances. You can't just have one great on and then one average one. When you've got special talent, you've got to live up to that talent.' So accountability at the highest level is what we're trying to create with him. It's okay for him to isolate a player and go ahead and take a bad shot, then own it because that's what we do. I think all of that is part of the development of the better players on teams across the country. He and [D'Angelo Harrison] are cut from a special cloth."
Freshman Swingman Moe Harkless:
On being named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week:
"It's a great honor and evidence of how much we are growing as a team. As we continue throughout the season we see our team improving more and more each game. We hope that awards like this are just the beginning, and that more wins come and with them, more honors for all of us."
Freshman Guard Phil Greene
On watching DePaul games as a kid:
"I went to a couple of DePaul games my sophomore and junior years, because I knew some of the players on DePaul and I know some of the ones there now. I used to go and watch DePaul play when Mac Koshwal was playing. On the team now, I know [freshman forward] Jamee Crockett and [senior guard] Jeremiah Kelly. Jeremiah went to the same high school I went to in Chicago and he used to always come back, and I know Jamee from playing against him, he played for Mac Irvin Fire (AAU) and I played with him in a couple of all-star games."
On what changes when Moe Harkless gets intense in the huddle:
"It gets me going. It's rare you see Moe kind of aggressive; he's usually laid back and makes it look easy. Once he's aggressive, the whole mood of the game changes. Moe's just going to keep playing his game, trying to get buckets and rebounds, defend and plug holes the best that he can so we can win the game."
On this possibly being a trap game:
"Coach Dunlap told us to stay focused, be up and aggressive against DePaul. We can't have a letdown; we've got to go in and play well Wednesday so we can be on a high-note for Syracuse."
Freshman Swingman Sir'Dominic Pointer
On what was different about Moe Harkless during the Duke game:
"He just came ready to play. It was just in his eyes, he played how he should play every game. He made shots, he made big plays for the team. He could do it every night so we'll keep looking for him or whoever's going to score the ball, but if he keeps playing like that, we'll win a lot of games."
On the dynamic of many former high school stars differing late in the game:
"It took some adjusting at the beginning of the season, but as the season has gone on we're just getting more mature because I don't even care about [getting a lot of shots], I just care about winning. I know that my role on the team is to get a couple of buckets here-and-there just to keep the defense honest. Everybody is coming into their role really well, and I have no problem with Moe or [D'Angelo Harrison] taking the last shot if they have the mismatch or the advantage."
