St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes (NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 - Regional Semifinal)
3/23/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 23, 2012
ST. JOHN'S HEAD COACH Kim Barnes Arico
On what making the Sweet 16 means as opposed to the second round :
"The first couple times we had some really tough match-ups. Three years ago, at Florida State we went into overtime and had the shot at the end of the game to win the game and last year we had to go to Stanford and this year we had to go to Oklahoma. So, we feel pretty fortunate to play on the home court of the team we are facing. It has made it a little bit difficult, but I think the difference is our experience for sure. Coming down the stretch of the Oklahoma game we were kind of in the exact same position as the Florida State game, and I felt like Nadirah McKenith, Shenneika Smith, Da'Shena Stevens and Eugeneia McPherson, they had been in those similar positions, whether it had been against Florida State in the NCAA or if it had been this year against Connecticut, Georgetown, Rutgers, and I think just there experience being in those situations and playing against the toughest competition in the country. Having a great schedule this year has really prepared them to finish off the game like they were able to do against Creighton and Oklahoma."
On her career path to St. John's and keeping the team focused:
"My journey, personally, has been incredible. Starting as a high school coach and now being here in the Sweet Sixteen and being able to coach against some Hall of Famers and being in the greatest tournament ever. Personally, it is a dream come true and I think the same could be said for my players. A lot of them were recruited by the top five teams in the country, but they came to St. John's to make a difference and prove to the rest of the world that they could do it. Their determination and perseverance has come through time and time again. We always talk about when you get to the NCAA tournament, anything can happen on any given day. They really truly buy into that and believe that. It's one game at a time. We take it four minutes at a time, until every time-out and we do the best we can during those four minutes. We've had the opportunity to play against Baylor, Connecticut, Notre Dame this year, so I don't think they are intimidated by anybody. Duke is an outstanding basketball program, with a great tradition, but our ladies seem to step up to the challenge when it's presented so I am excited for them. All we talk about is keeping our focus, and keeping our focus. As we've been getting a lot of coverage since the Connecticut team and they have been receiving some awards, but I always tell them to not let any of the stuff make them soft. Don't let it be a distraction, let's keep our focus and keep our eyes on the goal and not really buy into any of the stuff; we can celebrate at the end."
On beginning the season without Da'Shena Stevens:
"Pre-season we were ranked in the top 25 and on August 10, I will never forget the day, Da'Shena, who has been a four-year started for us and the face of our program, went in to have Meniscus surgery which was supposed to be four weeks, and when she came out the doctor called me and said it was going to be four months. I think I started crying at that moment and Da'Shena was crying. It just turned everything different going into the season. I have a great junior class, that has really stepped up and tried to keep things together, but when Da'Shena returned to the floor, there was just this sense of relief and confidence that had everybody back together. There was a period of time when Da'Shena came back and he lost Nadirah, who is our point guard and kind of gets things going and we lost Nadirah when Da'Shena came back and we lost another game during that period of time, but once we got that nucleus back together I think the kids left relief, confident, and said let's go play some basketball. During that stretch you were talking about, we were like oh my goodness, are we going to make it to the NCAA tournament? And then once this team got back together, they just started playing. Late in the season, we sat down as a staff and thought if this is the beginning of the year and we knew we were going to have Da'Shena, would we have ever thought we would have beat Connecticut and Rutgers twice, Louisville twice, Georgetown on the road, West Virginia, we didn't even know if that would happen in the beginning, but to be 5-5 at one point and be able to come back just shows what type of team this is."
On what she learned from St. John's first round game versus Creighton:
"The Creighton game was the first time, for me and anybody involved in the program, had received a three seed and we had never been in that position before. Sometimes kids are funny and they didn't know much about Creighton and I don't know if they thought we were supposed to win so we were just going to show up and win, but that obviously didn't happen. Creighton is a phenomenal team and they run an outstanding motion offense, which is difficult to defend and if you don't practice against that and prepare against that, it becomes even more difficult so I thought they did a great job of keeping the basketball and making shots when they had too. I think our kids had a questionable thing happen, that ended the game, but it was really upsetting for me and I wasn't sure what was happening and they kids came over to me and said, `Coach don't worry,' the other team had two free-throws and the ball with a chance to take the lead with 30 seconds left in the game and she said, `Coach, don't worry, we got this,' and I said Ok, I took a deep breath and set back down. That is how they've been all year. The same thing with the stretch down in Connecticut, we got the ball back 20 seconds and we called a time-out and Shenneika was like `Ok, one play and we have to get a stop.' The kids have had so much experience with me being in their ears, that they are almost coaching the team now. I think they feel like they can play and do it at the end of the game, and that's what they have been able to do. I think the Creighton game was kind of a wake-up call for, I think they were an incredibly disciplined team and difficult to play, but I think that has propelled us and given us some confidence and to not take anybody lightly, or any situation lightly."
ST. JOHN'S FORWARD Da'Shena Stevens
On what she thinks of California:
"I think of nice weather and palm trees. It's been nice back at home too though, everyone has been calling us telling us about it back home, but we have definitely seen all of the beautiful scenery and have enjoyed the nice weather out here so far."
On the momentum carried over from St. John's first round win over Creighton:
"The excitement and everything that was going on during that game does prepare you to play the next opponent because you have your adrenaline running and your just ready to get back out there and play. It brought us together as a team because it was so close to the end and Nadirah's great shot at the end gave us momentum to come into the Oklahoma game where it was their home court. They had a lot of fans and a whole bunch of excitement and we just carried that over from the previous game because it was so close."
On missing time in the beginning of the season after meniscus surgery:
"I went in and I was only supposed to sit out for a month, then I woke up and they told me I was going to be out for four months. The only thing I could do was cry at the time and feel sorry. After a while I realized I had a long season and I was only out until December, so I couldn't sulk for long and I just had to sit on the sidelines and watch my teammates play the first half of the season without me. I learned a lot because I was so used to always playing I was able to get a different perspective, I was able to learn the different things my teammates could do without me on the court. I learned as a player how to do things without being on the court."
On if her injury improved her game:
"Probably mentally, I don't know about physically because I missed the whole preseason and all the training in the summer. Mentally its changed because I am just so grateful to be out there playing and to have the season that I am having with these ladies sitting beside me, it makes me more humble and appreciative of this whole situation to be able to get to the Sweet Sixteen."
On St. John's victory at UConn:
"It was a really good moment because it was such a great moment for the program. Just from showing how where they came from to becoming a powerhouse like UConn, says a lot about our program and being a part of that something so special not very many people can say that. It was neat because coach said we deserved it and wanted us to just enjoy the moment because it is rare. They're a really good team and to go out there and shock everyone was really good for us."
ST. JOHN'S GUARD Nadirah McKenith
On St. John's victory at UConn:
"It felt great and it meant a lot to us to beat UConn at UConn and to see the excitement on Da'Shena's face. Da'Shena played great and we just went out there and played hard. We knew that if we go out there and play as a team that we could beat UConn, and not too many teams can say that they beat UConn at UConn, and to snap their home game winning streak. It felt great for us, we were celebrating in the locker room as if we had just won a national championship."
ST. JOHN'S GUARD Shenneika Smith
On this year's NCAA tournament experience compared to previous years:
"Our freshman year we lost by one and then last year we lost again. The only difference is winning. Winning is everything, the feeling is great and so is making history by being in a program that hasn't been to the Sweet Sixteen until now. We've come so far, it's just amazing."
On any doubting the team's potential this season:
"There were definitely times when we had doubts. When we lost to Harvard it was tough for us becuase we didn't really play well. We look at that and ask how can we be such an athletic team and lose that bad? So there were times when we thought we weren't going to make it. Throughout everything we just had to come together and we pulled through and this is the result that we got."
On the balance between celebrating making the Sweet 16 and not getting content:
"We celebrate, but at the same time coach tells us "Don't get soft on us". We're here to take care of business, we came out here to California to win. We have fun, but at the sometime we know in the back of our minds what we're here to do."
ST. JOHN'S GUARD Keylantra Langley
On what St. John's needs to do to beat Duke:
"We just need to come out and play our game, play St. Johns basketball. We need to come out with great intensity and energy and play great defense."
On what she's looking forward to most about tomorrow's game:
"I'm very excited to be here because it's our first time being out here ever in Fresno. Most importantly, I'm just excited about playing the game and trying to get the win."
