St. John's University Athletics
QUOTES: 2015 St. John's Basketball Media Day
10/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Head Coach Joe Tartamella...
On his team so far:
"This time of year, you have some good days and some bad ones as you start practice, but I will tell you that I've really enjoyed the consistency that we've shown every single day. We've shown a lot of growth, not only as individual players, but as a team. Every day they've come in and they've worked extremely hard, as we prepare to get ready for the tough non-conference schedule we'll play that'll get us ready for our BIG EAST opponents.... I'm really looking forward to watching this team progress throughout the year."
On legendary St. John's player Da'Shena Stevens returning to campus as an assistant coach:
"I think anytime you have someone who is a former player, especially someone who has been as successful as [Da'Shena] they understand what you're looking to get accomplished in the program. She's also been through the experience. She's a great role model for these young ladies, as someone who went through exactly what they are going through. She played on the Sweet 16 team, she's been a big part of our winning tradition, so she brings instant credibility to our program, instant validity when she's talking to recruits, and I'm sure these young ladies have already found how beneficial she can be when just talking to her about the game."
On what separates BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year Aliyyah Handford:
"I think when you look at players, certain things separate them, whether it's how competitive they are, how hard they work, what their IQ is, what their athleticism can be. She's probably one of the most athletic kids I've had as far as her ability to be quick off the ground, quick off the first step. Her midrange game has steadily improved and is probably one of her biggest assets. I also think she plays extremely hard. When she was a freshman, there was not a kid on the floor that played harder than her every day in practice. As you get older as a player, certainly you've been through a couple more battles and been through some things that may not allow you to go as hard every day, but she hasn't stopped. So when you can win practice consistently every day for three years, that makes you pretty special."
On Handford's preseason accolades:
"To be in the position she's in today is obviously a point of pride for her individually and for our program, but I think also she knows she needs her teammates and she knows that she wants to win. And our goal becomes one thing, as much as the individual accolades for her are a good thing, we want to win a BIG EAST Championship and so that's the most important thing to her and to the rest of her teammates."
On the team's leadership this season:
"We've been grooming Danaejah [Grant], Aliyyah [Handford] and Sandra [Udobi] and those that are coming behind them to all take part in a leadership role. I think over time we've watched other people step up and become leaders on the floor whether it was by example or by being vocal. I think their play helps them a lot as leaders. Because when you watch Aliyyah [Handford] play and you watch how hard she plays, I think that speaks for itself. She's one that's been a little more internal than others as far as her voice is concerned, so she's worked on that since she was a freshman, but she's really grown. I think Danaejah provides a certain toughness level, especially from the mental side. Her ability to speak to her teammates is pretty profound, and she can kind of push the buttons when she needs to. But I think the biggest thing is, as a group, they understand each other. This will be my fourth year. I've been in the game here for 13 years. I've been with a number of different groups over that time, and the one thing I really do like about this group is that these guys really like each other. You can see it on the floor. You can see how they work every day. As a coach going into practice, you feed off that, and the energy level has been really great to see so early in the year."
SR Guard Aliyyah Handford...
On being named St. John's first preseason conference player of the year:
I don't think of it as any added pressure because no matter what the situation is, I am going to go out there and perform. I want to come out and play as strong and as best as I possibly can. A lot of this honor has been because of my teammates and how they have helped me reach this point. I'm very thankful of my teammates.
On the gap between St. John's and DePaul in the BIG EAST:
I don't see a ton of differences between DePaul and us. Honestly we are both two very good teams in the conference and it's important to remember that on any given night any team could beat another team in this conference. It's also important to come out and play strong and make sure we are the best team every day in practice and every time we step on the court.
SR Guard Danaejah Grant...
On the best thing about playing with Aliyyah Handford:
The best part about playing with her is that every single night I know she is going to come out hard and give it her all. She gives her 100% in practice, in games, when working out, whenever. Also when's she's not playing well I know I can help her out, as can everyone else on the team, and the same goes with me if I am not playing my best.
JR Guard Aaliyah Lewis...
On what the team is working on going into the season:
The most important thing for us to do is work on our weaknesses so we can make those improvements during the season. We want to get our rebounding up, especially with the loss of such a talented player in Amber Thompson, and work on our free throws, and in general work on the little things to make us the best team we possibly can be.
JR Forward Jade Walker...
On what it means to play with the preseason BIG EAST player of the year:
It's great to play with her. Her energy definitely radiates throughout the rest of the team and she's definitely one of the good leaders on the team. She helps people pick up things they aren't used to, and she's overall just a great athlete and even better person. It's been great playing with her the past three years.
SO Guard Tamesha "Sox" Alexander...
On what she is most looking forward to this season:
We're looking forward to being able to contribute more this season, especially growing older and becoming a more experienced member of this squad. We are just preparing ourselves for this upcoming season and I really want to get on the court and play with this team.
On playing with Handford:
She's so good. She's one of those players that when you play with her, it's a lot of fun and when you play against her, it's going to be a long game. She's one of those players that helps me and the rest of the team elevate their game.
SO Guard Crystal Simmons...
On being a sophomore mentor to the freshmen on the team:
We try to give them confidence, that's the biggest thing. We want to make sure they know if they make mistakes, it's ok because we all make them and especially how to get over those mistakes and keep playing well afterwards. On playing with Handford:
Her energy helps the whole team every single day. She has a lot of confidence and instills that confidence in us. When we practice and play with her, we all want to play the best we can and accomplish more and it helps elevate all of our games.
FR Forward Jordan Agustus...
On how her time has been at St. John's so far, and what she's looking forward to this season:
It's been great so far, that's the best way to describe it. As far as looking forward to this season, I'm just excited to get out on the court, especially with my team around me and all of us playing together. It's exciting to be in college now.
FR Guard/Forward Akina Wellere...
On the transition from high school to college:
The biggest thing to get used to in college compared to high school is transitioning the pace of the game. We have to be in spectacular shape in order to keep up with that. D. Grant and Handford have been terrific in helping us take that next step. They have helped us learn in-game situations and make quick adjustments so we can be ready for the season come game one.
