St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: St. John's vs. Bethune-Cookman
11/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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St. John's Head Coach Chris Mullin...
On his thoughts on the game:
"After the game, I told them the thing I liked best was 21 assists on 33 made baskets. Overall, our defense was what made things happen. It was a good game. We shared the ball and when you play like that all your teammates can be involved which is nice."
On the starting lineup:
"We really haven't had a starting lineup. I've been trying to mix and match almost all different combinations I want to use. At some point, everyone is going to get their minutes. I want these guys getting comfortable playing with each other."
On Marcus LoVett's debut:
"He had a great game. He had total command when he was out there and made good decisions. His explosiveness and speed is very valuable. I think he generated the unselfishness and he probably had a lot to do with the 21 assists on 33 baskets."
On what Tariq Owens' adds to the team:
"[Tariq] is very versatile. He's one of those guys that's going to let me throw different lineups out there. His skill set, athleticism and wing span are very valuable, but the other thing is his IQ. We can move him around almost anywhere and he understands that position."
Sophomore Guard Marcus LoVett...
On the feelings of the first game:
"It was fun playing with my brothers out here, just having fun out there. These guys are just ready to work and ready to play hard. Each and every day we come into the gym and we work hard and that's what we need."
On making his debut:
"It was great to put on the red and white and it felt so good out there. To be able to play with my teammates and be out there with the fans is great. The fans bring this team a lot of energy."
On coming off the bench:
"[Coach Mullin] and I talked about it yesterday. At the end of the day it doesn't matter about starting or coming off the bench, when I come in I need to bring a lot of energy. However long I get to play, I have to step up and help this team whatever way I can."
Sophomore Guard Federico Mussini...
On this year's squad:
"This team definitely feels different. I really like this team. I really like the new guys. All of the guys from last year have improved. I think this team is really unselfish and we truly enjoy playing with each other. That's the best part about it."
On learning from last year:
"This year we have more confidence because we know we have more talent. We have more players in our rotation and we feel pretty confident about that. The most important thing is to react from last season. To show we want to get back and we can be a good team. Last season was not good and we have to show we are different now."
On the depth at the guard position:
"It feels good. [Shamorie Ponds] and [Marcus LoVett] are both great passers and have the ability to find me or anyone else on this team for open shots. They are really unselfish, as are a lot of guys on this team. Everybody is willing to make an extra pass or do whatever is needed to help."
Redshirt Sophomore Forward Tariq Owens...
On Darien William's late slam-dunk:
"That moment was pretty cool. Everybody got a chance to get into the game and play tonight. Darien, as you've seen, is one of our goofier players on this team. When he gets in and he scores, it's fun. We really enjoy playing with each other. This is a real family and we really love playing with each other."
On playing without defined roles:
"I don't think anybody on our team necessarily thinks about that. It's all about what each of us does with however many minutes we play each night. If one guy has a great night, your minutes might decrease a little but it doesn't matter. We are a family and we are a team. If somebody else is playing well, it's not the time to sit and think about ourselves. It's about the team succeeding. We are succeeding. It's St. John's as a whole."
Bethune-Cookman Head Coach Gravelle Craig...
On St. Johns successes tonight:
"They made shots and they made plays. We couldn't score the ball in the second half. We have a lot of new guys and a lot of work to do. This was a tough opening game, almost a welcome to Division I. You just try to learn from it and get ready for the next game."
On takeaways from the game:
"There are some things we tried to explain in practice, that happen in Division I basketball, that a lot of these guys don't quite understand yet until they get into a contest and see it for themselves. [St. John's] is a BIG EAST school that is full of talent and athletes. They have a bunch of guards that can flat-out play. It's an introduction and we know what we have to work with. Anytime you get your butt whooped like that, it should be a wake up call to everybody."
