St. John's University Athletics
QUOTES: St. John's Women's Basketball Media Day
10/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Head Coach Joe Tartamella...
On the losses of Aliyyah Handford and Danaejah Grant to graduation:
"I don't think you ever make up for two players of their caliber. [Aliyyah Handford] was, on paper, the best player who ever played here. What Danaejah did in two-and-a-half years is extremely impressive. Our players understand there is no 50-point basket. Our players understand they have to fill those roles as a group and we have to lean on the players who have been here, such as Jade Walker, Sandra Udobi and Aaliyah Lewis who have been here and battled throughout and played in championships and NCAA Tournament Games. Their roles shift a little bit to be more aggressive offensively, but that's also why we recruit the players that we did. The competitiveness in practice has shown and we've ended up jumping some steps in our learning curve and learning process."
On the importance of Aaliyah Lewis:
"I've probably been as hard on Aaliyah Lewis as I have been any other player that's stepped onto this campus. She has taken it in stride and has improved tremendously throughout her time. When you see what she does, she squats 300 pounds, she squats three-times her weight, she benches two-times her weight, and she's an incredible athlete. She never gets tired. It's an incredible thing what she can do on the floor. She's the point of attack at both ends of the floor and the one that we feed off of. This team looks to her for guidance and leadership and I look to her for poise and for her being able to effectively distribute the ball, score, and effectively execute our game plan. I'm amazed by her day in and day out. She never complains and she wants to show, across the country, she can compete as one of the top point guards there is."
On the newcomers:
"We have so many newcomers. We lost Tiana England late to injury, but we picked up Alisha Kebbe late in recruiting. I think she can end up becoming a very good player. For a kid who hasn't gone through our summer regimen, she's been impressive in that aspect because she didn't have a head start like the others. Maya Singleton is an unbelievable athlete, a tremendous rebounder who is all over the floor. She can guard multiple positions. Andrayah Adams has impressed us with her ability to shoot from the outside. She's probably one of the best shooters we've had in a long time. This whole group has raised each other's play. They compete every single day."
On the depth of the team:
"We're going to have the ability to go nine to 10 deep, depending if the opponent calls for it, or injuries, etc. Everybody has an opportunity. They have an opportunity everyday in practice to show us what they can do. They will have an opportunity in games to show us what they can do. It comes down ultimately to them being able to perform and they know that. You come to practice and we have two teams going after each other, and we've never had that. This team will have opportunity. It's exciting to have that. Everyone has to been ready on every single day."
On the preseason BIG EAST coaches' poll:
"I mean we've been picked to finish second, to finish fourth, third, second. The preseason poll is obviously and indicator but that's all we look at it as. We have standards that we keep each and every year. Whether it becomes a motivator, whether it becomes something you can use as bulliten board material is really up to us. I don't put a lot of stock into it. Certainly it's an indicator, but it's something that really matters at the end. We are worried about where we finish. We are worried about how we grow as a team. I know if we do the things we are capable of doing, with what I see right now in practice, we will certainly be in a different spot than where we were picked."
On the non-conference schedule:
"Scheduling is always difficult and one of the hardest things to try and forecast as a coach. This is a more difficult schedule than I had anticipated us going to. When you look at the teams, eight of 11 went to the postseason. When you talk about names like Miami, Arizona State, Virginia, Albany, James Madison, Fordham, these are all teams that are always 18-plus wins a year, vying for a conference championship. It gives us an opportunity to benchmark ourselves early. My hope is to go through that process as well and win games early. Our RPI should be in a great position if we do what we need to do in that non-conference schedule. We will be challenged. We still feel the BIG EAST is one of the best conferences in the nation and that's why we chose our non-conference schedule like we did."
On the roles of his seniors on and off the court:
"Sandra has been here the longest. She's seen a lot in her time and been around a lot of different players and personalities. She is an unbelievable human being. She helps out back home in Nigeria with trying to provide clothing and shoes and basketball camps. She's been doing that for the last four years. She's battled injuries. She's a great motivator but also kind of like the "mom" a little bit, but she's an old soul. She has all these different qualities that help her and help our team. Her energy is big for us because she is probably one of the smartest players we have as far as IQ. She really does a great job of trying to help during practice, whether she's on the floor or not, in helping engage our younger players. Her voice is really important. Jade and Aaliyah are so different. Jade's personality is something that can be a big benefit for her. She has grown tremendously since she was a freshman. Her ability and leadership comes with how she plays. She plays with emotion and she has great skill. Her leadership, same as Aaliyah, will be by example. Aaliyah has improved as a vocal leader. She's the energizer bunny. We feed off where she is. She keeps us going with how she plays. Her energy translates and trickles down to the rest of the team. This group has handled these new roles really well and they are ready for it and prepared."
On what he's learned as a coach/team from the BIG EAST Championship:
"As much as you may not be the No. 1 seed, you still think you can win the tournament. Watching those players understand the message, communicate with one another, but also what we try to communicate to them as a staff, was truly special. Those three days were everything a coach wants their team to be. What I mean by that is that everyone played their role. Everyone had each other's backs. The trust, the accountability, that you see and that we talk about as a program everyday was there. What I learned is what we were doing in that moment was right. They knew it was right and that propelled us to win those three games. We take those experiences with our team and always come back to our foundation and the pillars that we talk about. That's accountability, loyalty, communication and trust. That's what showed up in those three days. It was also there throughout the season. To watch those faces when they won, that pure joy, you cannot write it better. Those players that were there can talk about it forever. That bonds them for life. That banner is there for life."
Redshirt Senior Forward Sandra Udobi...
On the team and each player's different roles:
"Roles are going to be super important on this team, just like every team. If everyone is on the same page about their role, and they play that role successfully, we will be playing really well. This coaching staff is outstanding and I'm confident this team will be on the same page."
Senior Forward Jade Walker...
On how he can help the team win:
"I'm a senior now and everybody before me has instilled the leadership qualities in me, so I'm ready at this point. I'm ready to help everybody stay together and have a great season. I'm really excited for the first game. We've been working really hard in practice and I'm ready for our hard work to pay off.
Senior Guard Aaliyah Lewis...
On her expectations for the team:
"As always my expectations are high. It's my last year so I'm going to step into a leadership role this year. I have to set the tone early because of all the new faces we have this year."
Junior Forward Maya Singleton...
On her expectations:
"I think our team is really talented this year. We have shooters, rebounders, I don't see us having a dropoff from last year."
Junior Guard Tamesha Alexander...
On opening up the floor this year:
"I think the approach [Coach Tartamella] is taking is that he wants us to play together and more freely. He wants us to pass the ball around and find those good, high quality shots."
Junior Guard Crystal Simmons...
On the team as a whole:
"I think we all have something to bring to the table. We have a lot of pieces this year, and we look good right now in practice. I'm excited for this season to start."
