St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes: St. John's vs. Cincinnati
2/7/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
St. John's Assistant Coach Mike Dunlap
On why games against Cincinnati are close:
"We play perimeter basketball and our guards are evenly matched, even though this year's Cincinnati team shoots a lot better than we do from the perimeter. We have similar types of athletes for sure and very similar styles. There's a lot of pressing. They play very hard and we believe we play very hard. Finally, the officials are a key element to the game because we're both trying to get it into the paint if we can. We've got to be more diligent in getting to the paint, because we don't shoot the 3-ball that well."
On talking about the postseason:
"I think Coach [Gene] Keady has done a great job of keeping the dream alive and talking about a one-game season regardless and how everything that we're doing now will pay off at a threshold moment. Coach does a great job of bringing that up to the staff. His perspective is over the course of a lot of years so it's really refreshing for everybody to understand that. Our whole thing is progression and keeping our poise, but also allowing those guys to see the big picture. The BIG EAST Tournament is a special tournament. I think it's as grand as the Final Four. It has a flavor in and of itself and remember that UConn was 9-9 in BIG EAST play last year, if you want perspective. For us to chip away and get that next win is important, but also to point out that what UConn did is a fact. It's not too soon to talk about it and they're young, they need to be reminded of why they're doing what they're doing, because sometimes it can get discouraging."
Junior Forward God'sgift Achiuwa
On making the postseason:
"It's very important to me; it's the reason I came here. It's the same reason that all of my teammates came here, to win in the postseason. We talked about [getting to the postseason] after the Syracuse game. We as a team decided that we still have a big chance at making things happen, but we have start making that turn to get to the tournament."
On junior guard Malik Stith's message to the team:
"[Stith] talks to us about playing harder and making the tournament, and how much fun it is to make the tournament. He tells us because he's had the experience before. He says it's a great feeling, having worked hard all season and the postseason becomes fun, because it's just one game; if you win the game you get to the next game. He says that it's a great experience and that we should play hard to get to that stage."
On what makes every Cincinnati and St. John's matchup so tough:
"Cincinnati is known for being a very hard-nosed team. They play with so much effort and intensity. We just have to match them. In the last game, we knew that's how they were and we were on the road, so we had to play as hard as them and we won the game."
Freshman Swingman Amir Garrett
On his time so far at St. John's:
"It's been fun. As I've been going along, I've been progressing. There have been ups and downs the whole time I've been here, but it's been fun and I'm looking forward to keeping the trip going. I'm just in the beginning stages right now. Getting coached by coach Rico [Hines] coach Dunlap, and everybody on the coaching staff is helping me develop my game, and they always tell me that I haven't even scratched the surface yet. I think by the end of the season, my game is going to progress even more."
On the matchup with Cincinnati:
"We're both aggressive, and Cincinnati's a very hard-nosed team. There not a soft team or a pushover team. When you come out to play them, you've always got to play hard because they're always going to be aggressive. Recent games have come down to the wire because we don't want to lose and they don't want to lose, so it's going to be a tough matchup every time."
On how he's able to keep his cool when the game gets heated:
"You've always got to keep your poise. You can't let the heat of the moment take you out of your game. You've just got to keep your head no matter how aggressive it gets. Coach Dunlap will see if I get fouled hard or something and I'm intense in the game, he'll tell me to keep my head in the game. I'll always look over and give him a nod to tell him `I'm still here'. You can't lose focus."
