St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes: NIT First Round
3/16/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 16, 2014
Head Coach Steve Lavin
Opening Statement:
"My father played in the NIT back in the 50s so I have an appreciation for the rich tradition and heritage of what this tournament represents when it comes to college basketball history. We're fired up because it's about playing more games. We have a term we use, which is 'next play.' So we have to turn our attention now to Robert Morris."
On playing in the postseason:
"Anytime you get postseason experience, whether it is the NCAA or the NIT, it gives your younger players a chance to develop. We start three underclassmen and we saw the development of this team as we went along over the course of the season. In particular freshman Rysheed Jordan began to blossom, so this is a great opportunity to move our program forward."
On playing at home as the No. 1 seed:
"Our team is looking forward to participating in the NIT because it gives us the opportunity to extend our season and play more games. Being a No. 1 seed is an honor because we get to play on our home court in front of our own fans in New York City."
On Robert Morris:
"Robert Morris is a conference champion that is no stranger to postseason success. They play an aggressive zone defense. They shoot the ball well so we know we have a challenge. Any time you play a team that has won a conference championship, they have established a culture of winning so as a result we have to be on our A-game if we expect to have success in this tournament."​
Junior Guard D'Angelo Harrison
On getting the No. 1 seed:
"It's disappointing of course to not be in the NCAA Tournament, but we have to have short term memory. We're glad we got the No. 1 seed so that we can play at home and we're going to try and win out. It's all home games for us so that's a big advantage and we're looking forward to it."
On playing Robert Morris:
"They beat Kentucky last year and won their league this year. They're well coached and are going to be a tough team to play. We have to come ready to play. We'll be ready."
On the team's mindset heading into the NIT:
"We still have basketball left. Our group is committed and we're going to play until we can't play anymore. We have a chance to play on our home court, so we're going to take advantage."
