St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes: St. John's vs. Saint Joseph's
3/18/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 18, 2013
Head Coach Steve Lavin
On what he hopes the team gets out of the experience:
"Because this is new territory, it's a valuable experience for us. To be in a postseason is a first for the entire roster. This year would be the first time in my coaching career where not one player had postseason experience. That's why I was very clear from the jump that this would be the most challenging season of my career and it has been. It's a milestone when you have a group that's never been there before and never experienced the postseason. The only way to grow, mature and move down that path is to pick up experience like playing in the BIG EAST Tournament or the NIT. For us it's just another step on the journey to rebuilding our basketball program."
On some keys to beat Saint Joseph's:
"It's going to be important that we get back defensively, because St. Joe's is a very athletic team and they have some spectacular athletes. They're as impressive as anyone we've faced in terms of playing above the rim and alley-oops. They feed off alley-oops and 3-pointers, which really gets their crowd into it and in turn energizes their defense. We have to take care of the basketball, execute offensively and play through the paint which will go a long way to building our transition defense so that we can limit their scoring flurries."
On the emotions after the team got selected to the NIT:
"It was great to see the joy on the player's faces. We were watching the broadcast on ESPNU as part of their NIT bracket coverage. We had a really good practice prior, had some food, gathered up at nine o'clock and were pleased to see our name come up. We talked a little bit about St. Joe's, a little bit about the history of the tournament, St. John's unique place in the history of the NIT, the privilege and honor to participate in a postseason tournament and that our goal was to win the NIT and do something special here in March. Also we talked about this larger picture that it's another step and building block as we move down the line to the 2013-14 season."
On uncertainty about getting in the field:
"I didn't doubt it and really the only time I started to doubt it was when other people started doubting it. Both as a coach and a former analyst, I had a sense - even though we stumbled down the stretch - that we would get in. The committee's said that they don't look at the last 10 as heavily as they used to, they weigh them the same as the first 10 and the middle 10 and look at it as a whole body of work. With our strength of schedule, quality of wins, coming out of the BIG EAST as a young team with a bright future, we were going against top-four NCAA seeds coming down the stretch. Put us in another league and we may have gone 5-2 or 4-3, but you have to factor in who we're playing. I'm pleased with our kids and pleased with our program, because while the goal every year is to make the NCAA, we're now able to play in the postseason. The next step is to have success in the postseason, then the next goal is to make the NCAA tournament, then have a deep run in the NCAA tournament and then get there annually. It's not easy or simple, but it's what we're working towards."
Sophomore forward Amir Garrett
On the chance to play in the NIT:
"It means a lot to the team. We're not going away, and we get to keep playing. It shows our progression. We're very excited. We get to play more games and get the chance to bring back some hardware."
On the quick turnaround to play St. Joseph's:
"We just have to go out and play. They don't have that much time to scout us either. Of course it's going to be hard, but we'll do the best with what we have."
On whether the NIT appearance will help the team's progression:
"It will definitely help us. Going into next season, we're going to have a very good team. It will help motivate us that the year before we made it to the postseason, and next year we will look to go further than this."
Sophomore guard Jamal Branch
On the health of his knee:
"It's getting better. I practiced without my brace for the first time yesterday."
On how the team reacted to earning an NIT appearance:
"We all feel great that we get another chance to make it to a championship. The NIT has a lot of great history with St. John's. It's another great opportunity for us to get some more games under our belt and finish strong."
On expectations for JaKarr Sampson down the stretch:
"We'll be looking for him on the offensive end. He's had a great season and has been improving every day. We will definitely be trying to feed him often."
Sophomore guard/forward Sir'Dominic Pointer
On his reaction to the NIT selection:
"I'm excited to play. Being selected to the NIT is a great honor, and we have our sights set on making it to the final four at Madison Square Garden. "
On the significance of the NIT to St. John's:
"We know St. John's has won the NIT more than any other school in the country. It's a rich heritage and at one point the NIT was bigger than the NCAA Tournament. It's a great opportunity for us, especially after missing out on the postseason last year."
