St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Hosts Annual Basketball Media Day
10/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
QUEENS, N.Y. - With the start of the 2016-17 basketball season just 15 days away, the St. John's men's and women's basketball teams hosted their annual on-campus Media Day on Thursday afternoon, welcoming more than 50 members of the national and local media to Carnesecca Arena.
The afternoon began with an address from St. John's Women's Basketball Head Coach Joe Tartamella, who discussed his team's outlook following the program's first BIG EAST Championship in nearly three decades.
"We're going to have the ability to go nine to 10 deep. Everybody has an opportunity," said Tartamella when talking about his team's bolstered depth. "They have an opportunity every day 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."
After Tartamella finished addressing the crowd, St. John's Men's Basketball Head Coach Chris Mullin stepped to the podium and fielded questions about the team's mindset heading into his second year at the helm of his alma mater.
"The talent level has improved tremendously," commented Mullin when asked the biggest difference so far between his first and second years. "Our focus has been on practice, daily improvement and working together. The biggest advantage has been the guys who returned who [know what we're looking do within our system]. That experience is invaluable."
Following the statements from Tartamella and Mullin, all 28 student-athletes from the men's and women's basketball programs were made available for interviews.
The day's events concluded with a men's team open practice, as media members enjoyed one more up-close look at the Red Storm squad before Monday evening's exhibition opener against Baruch at Carnesecca Arena.
Monday's contest will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets for the exhibition are $25 and can be purchased by visiting http://www.RedStormTix.com or by calling 1-888-GO-STORM. In the spirit of Halloween, those fans dressed in costumes will receive discounted tickets of just $5, while children 12 and under can enjoy one of our trick-or-treating stations located throughout the arena.
