St. John's University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: St. John's 89, South Carolina 65
11/29/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2012
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Head Coach Steve Lavin
Opening Statement:
"There were some stretches where we played good basketball and naturally, some poor play. Big picture, we're making some progress. The numbers indicate some good things; we held them to 36 percent from the field with our change in defense. There was some full court press as well as our man-to-man and our quicksand zone defense. There were stretches where we played well in two gears. The first gear was in transition with our quick-strike offense, then we spread the floor, back-cut and play underneath with our slant cuts and then make good choices once we got the ball in traffic."
"There were some good things, but again because we're young there are some stretches where we don't sustain the level of play that we'd prefer to and someday we hope to get to. As a coach, you're naturally process-oriented and you know it's not going to happen overnight. You have to go through these games and experience the peaks and valleys that youth brings, then hopefully get to a point where for 40 minutes we can execute offensively at the level we're capable of, and defensively be able to sustain the type of energy and solid defensive approach that we need to if we're going to have any success this season."
On the team's rebounding:
"We have some nice pieces and we have some length, we have some skill, we have some speed and we have good depth, so we have to with who we are. We're never going to be a great rebounding team, but I think we can become a better rebounding team than we are and while we address the areas that we need to improve upon and shore those areas up, we also have to keep building on what our strengths are, which is our depth, speed, skill and quickness. We'll have to find creative ways to offset where we're deficient. [Rebounding] is a concern, but as we saw tonight and in other games, we'll have to find a way in spite of some of our inherent limitations."
On the progress of D'Angelo Harrison:
"He's had great confidence and judgement. There's only on thing I could get on him about all game, and that was the gamble at the end of the half. He lunged at the ball and went for an all or nothing steal. I don't mind the pressure, but he ran through and that led to numbers and they got a layup at the buzzer... His floor game and his judgment were excellent and he sustained good choices... D'Angelo set a good example today, and he's been better since that point in the season in terms of a more mature bearing, and being focused on the task at hand and not being distracted by officials, or an opponent or something not going his way. He's a good enough basketball player that when he stays engaged in the moment, good things are going to happen."
On the depth and contributions from everyone:
"D'Angelo's on a run where his numbers have been at a high level from start to finish throughout the season. Last game it was [Sir'Dominic Pointer] that sparked us, and I thought it was Amir Garrett today who was the spark plug. Felix [Balamou] is in the midst of a run that's really impressive. That's pretty much what he does now. He does that every day in practice and that's how he's gone from redshirt to four minutes to 12 to 22 to starter, just because that's what he does all the time. Now we're seeing some of the ball-handling and decision making on the break. He just kind of keeps showing us new dimensions as we go. You put them all together and it's a team that has some impressive stretches of play."
Sophomore guard D'Angelo Harrison
On the team's performance at home this season:
"Coach Lavin always says that we have to take care of our house. He says that if we win all of our home games and split on the road we will be okay. Playing well at home is our main focus. We feel comfortable playing here. Some of the guys have been here for a year now, we practice in Carnesecca so we get used to it."
On his approach to his performance against South Carolina:
"I give a lot of the credit to my teammates. I shot a couple of shots that I should have made but I made some easy layups and got to the free throw line. Amir Garrett, Felix Balamou and Chris Obekpa did a really nice job of passing the ball so it wasn't just me playing well, it was me cutting and them finding me. Anyone could have put up 20 points."
Sophomore guard/forward Amir Garrett
On the team's defensive performance the past couple of games:
"Our defense has gotten better because that's what we've been stressing in practice. I think our man-to-man is pretty good but we're able to play our zone just as well. Our defense today was really good so we didn't know which to choose. When we wanted to take a little breather we went into our zone, but when we wanted to pressure them and rattle them that's when we went into our man-to-man."
On the whether or not there is a difference with freshman guard Felix Balamou in the starting lineup:
"I don't think there has been a difference. Coach Lavin puts people in that he thinks will get the job done and we understand that. Some people play better than others and that decides who gets in the starting lineup for the next game."
University of South Carolina Head Coach Frank Martin
On the health of Brenton Williams:
"I don't know a whole lot at this point. I know what our trainers told me right after the game. He never lost feel in his extremities and had movement throughout. Anytime you're dealing with a neck situation that's God-sent when you get that news. There is some pain in the base of the neck there but that's about all I know."
On dealing with the height of St. John's:
"That's the beauty of shot-blocking. It makes guys not want to come in the paint. We had one guy who tried but our guards wouldn't pass the ball which was just mind-boggling to me. We spoke about trying to exploit the middle of the zone; right in the middle of the lane, and then the guys wouldn't run in there. They would run around, and it was kind of comical. You have to give them credit. The times we had opportunities around the rim, their guys blocked shots and discouraged our guys from going in there. We settled for threes and that's not good when you play a zone that's spread out like that."
On his impressions of St. John's:
"They can score. They've got length, athleticism and numerous guys that are very good with the basketball. If you allow them to get out and attack you like the way they attacked us, they can make it a difficult night for you. They've got that ability. A big part of playing them is not allowing them to get out and get free looks. They have high skills that can make you pay. The thing that was more impressive in person than watching them in film was their willingness to make the next pass. They don't play selfishly. They play as a unit offensively. It's impressive to watch a group of young kids play so unselfishly."
On the play of sophomore guard D'Angelo Harrison:
"I recruited him hard when I was at Kansas State. He's a real good player. I knew that when St. John's got him he'd be a handful. He is one of those guys that has the ability on certain nights to go for a lot of baskets. He's a high level player. I told him after the game `Keep your head on right and keep playing the way you're playing.'"
On the team's play after the injury:
"I can tell you we were disheartened and that's the way we played the rest of the game, but I'm not going to sit here and tell you that injury affected us in a negative way. If it did, shame on us for it. We should be better teammates and better coaches in that we should figure out a way to compete and make him proud that his energy in the second half is what gave us a little life. St. John's made us go away. We went away before the forty minutes expired."
