St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes: St. John's at Virginia
3/22/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 22, 2013
Head Coach Steve Lavin
On what the NIT wins mean to the team:
"As a coach, you hope your team is playing their best basketball in March with the opportunity to do something special. We struggled in terms of wins and losses coming down the stretch, but the team was making strides. Unfortunately when you're not getting the wins, even when you're knocking on the door, it can be difficult. It wasn't until the other night at Saint Joseph's that we were finally able to reap the benefits and experience the joy of winning after a tough stretch. It was important for the team's morale and those things are critical when you are working with young players. The hope is, when we get to next year, we'll be better positioned to win some of those games that we let slip away this year."
On the next game against Virginia:
"Now the challenge is we have to go on the road in another tough environment against a well-coached team in Virginia. They could have very easily been in the NCAA Tournament; when you look at their resume they were probably one of the first four teams out. The matchup will present another opportunity to do something special."
On the goals for the team during the NIT run:
"The goal is to win and compete, but we're still at a point where it's great to get more days of practice and get to test ourselves in another tough environment against a well-coached team. It's also about extending our season and having the opportunity to get back to New York at our home court at the Garden for an NIT Championship. The objective since we got the bid was to win a championship, but we still remain focused on the process and development. We want to keep building because the hope is that, twelve months from now, we're preparing for the second round of the NCAA Tournament."
Freshman Center Chris Obekpa
On What This Postseason Run Means To The Team:
"We're trying to win the whole tournament. We were disappointed that we didn't make the NCAA Tournament, so we're going to try and win this, which will help us as we go into next season."
On How Far The Team Can Go:
"If we play like we're capable of, we can go far and hopefully win."
On playing a major conference team:
"Every game is the same, because we still have to bring the same intensity. We can't say that any team is a little team, we've got to come out, bring our all and give 100 percent every game to win."
On his improving offensive game:
"We've been working on [my offense] every day with the coaches. The coaches have been telling me that I've been holding back. They've told me that if I'm open not to be scared and take the shot."
On getting a buzzer-beating win to snap skid:
"I prefer a regular win, I don't like buzzer beaters, they mess with my heart. It was a good win for us, and if we win the next one it will keep building our confidence. When we're losing, every body was down, but that win helped with our spirit."
