St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: St. John's vs. Marquette
1/24/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
St. John's Head Coach Chris Mullin...
On his thoughts about the game:
"I thought it was a great effort. The first half was pretty sluggish both ways. We came out like zombies to start the second half, but we didn't give up. I was proud of the way they played in the second half. It just shows if you play with energy and just lay it out there, good things can happen."
On Kassoum Yakwe's effect on the game:
"Kassoum has been great for us. His approach or energy doesn't vary. Tonight he had eight rebounds and seven blocks. He's been tremendous."
On being surprised about not giving up:
"I'm not surprised because I've watched them each and every day comeback. They understand that they're close. They're working hard. They do the right things to succeed, but the process is the process and you have to honor that."
On the team's play today:
"[Looking at] tonight, 13 turnovers is fine. Playing small for the most part I thought we rebounded pretty well. We took 17 more shots so I thought we were aggressive. We have to make some [shots]. 35 percent for the game, most times that's not good enough."
On taking a lot of shots:
"I'll live with missed shots, that's part of the game. Mental focus, energy and effort have to be a constant. Missed shots, missed free throws, we keep working on them every day and they'll get better."
Graduate Student Guard/Forward Durand Johnson...
On closing the gap in the second half:
"The second half we came out not ready to go. They got off to a good start, up about 20 points and from there we had to press because we were desperate. So we had to play tough, we had to play with energy and that energy created turnovers and steals, which built our confidence."
On the team's confidence:
"Everyone wants to win, no one wants to lose. We're going to keep working and keep pushing because our coaches believe in us and as players we believe in each other. That's why we never got down on each other and kept fighting until the end."
Freshman Guard Federico Mussini...
On the team's play in the second half:
"It was just about effort. We tried to give everything we had in the last 20 minutes and we played good, but because of the first half it wasn't enough. I know I have to always be aggressive so I was trying to stay focused and help my teammates win the game."
On the last play:
"I was just trying to hit the 3-point shot because obviously we were down by three. I thought it was about to go in. From what I saw it was straight on, but it didn't go in. So that was it."
Marquette Head Coach Steve Wojciechowski...
On the St. John's full-court press:
"We thought that they would press us most of the game, especially them being at home. Doing it against our scout team and doing it against their athletes is a completely different story. I thought [the press] stood us up and we weren't strong with the ball and didn't provide enough outlets for the guy being trapped. Fortunately we were able to hang on."
On Chris Mullin's first year:
"I think Chris is doing a great job with his team. It's not easy. I did it last year when you take over a program and you have a lot of new faces. This conference is a bear. When I watch St. John's, they play their butts off every game. I think that's a great foundation. I have a lot of respect for what Chris is doing and how hard their kids play."
On the St. John's freshmen class:
"[Federico Mussini] and [Kassoum Yakwe], those two kids in particular, have really bright futures. I think they are getting better all the time. Chris will have St. John's rolling in no time. I think he's a terrific person. I think he's a great coach and they are going to be really good."
