St. John's University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: St. John's 64, Monmouth 54
11/23/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery 
November 23, 2013
Head Coach Steve Lavin
Opening statement:
"We give full credit to Monmouth for competing and giving themselves a chance to win. I was not pleased with our effort on the defensive end of the floor. I felt that we were a step slow the entire night. We made enough shots, we made enough free throws late and enough stops to get the win. There are a myriad of areas that we need to improve upon. Monmouth came in and gave a valiant effort on their part, we're not taking anything away from their players who played their heart out. We have to do a better job of things we can control and I thought defensively we were awful tonight."
On the team's performance from behind the 3-point line in the 64-54 win over Monmouth:
"We lose the game without making those threes. There were some shots that we took that I wasn't pleased with, but I thought our players shooting 38-percent from the 3-point line was the critical to our victory. It was a step in the right direction in terms attacking the 3-point line. It was one of the few bright spots tonight."
On the performance of junior guard Phil Greene IV:
"The last two games for Phil have been impressive. He's maneuvering at a speed where he is making excellent decisions. In the first games we played he was in a bit of a hurry. In tonight's game, the mind, legs and feet were working in concert to get great looks at the basket."
Junior Guard Phil Greene IV
On his last 3-pointer of the game:
"I was confident in my game today. I was wide open and I had the choice of shooting the open three."
On coming back from hip surgery:
"A lot of it has to do with your mind and being aggressive. Last year I played on a torn labrum and that affected me a lot. I know what I'm capable of and I feel like I'm confident in myself."
Junior Guard D'Angelo Harrison:
On the 64-54 win over Monmouth:
"Monmouth did a good job with their scouting report and played hard. We came out slow but we shot 59 percent in the second half. If we translate that to two halves, then we'd be up more than that. Credit them, they did a good job."
On whether or not Phil Greene IV is an overlooked player:
"Of course. Phil is capable of doing this every night. We try to tell him to be more selfish and he's finally taking shots. It just makes us even harder to guard."
On his ability to score in close games:
"I think my teammates do a good job of finding me. I live for those kind of moments. I thought I was going to get in earlier but Coach Lavin called my number late and Phil, JaKaar (Sampson) and Orlando (Sanchez) had confidence in me to make those two shots late in the game and I buried them."
Sophomore Forward JaKarr Sampson:
On the lack of energy in the first half:
"We didn't play with enough energy. We didn't get the ball in the paint as we normally do. That's one of our strengths. Coach Lavin was stressing it at halftime. I felt we did a better job on that in the second half but we just have to get the ball in the paint and be more aggressive on the boards."
Monmouth Head Coach King Rice
On outrebounding St. John's:
"I'm proud of my kids. I thought we did a great job on the boards. We were trying to limit them to one chance. Steve Lavin put together a really athletic and talented team. Later in the season, they are going to be better. It feels great to come on their floor, especially with their athleticism and to outrebounded them."
