St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: St. John's vs. Syracuse
12/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Recap | Final Stats | USATSI Gallery 
| Photo Gallery
St. John's Head Coach Chris Mullin...
On how to explain a 33-point win on the road at the Carrier Dome:
"I really can't explain it. Especially, after the game we were coming off ... This was a good experience and it feels good, but last game it didn't feel good, but it was a good experience ... I keep telling [our team] that if they want to be a winning team, that's the process you have to go through."
On being back at Syracuse:
"I haven't been here since 1985. I've had a lot of great experiences here with St. John's and Syracuse. [For] Syracuse and coach Jim Boeheim with the class and great career he has had, and the way he's done it. I've always respected that and I try to emulate him."
On the team's struggles:
"We've struggled at times, but when you have a young team, unfortunately the losses teach them better. In a game like this they can see what we're talking about. Not so much the score, but when you give an effort and [bring] energy and share the ball and do the right things, at some point it works."
On how St. John's won:
"We shot the ball really well, we moved it around and our intensity was better."
On game planning against Syracuse:
"When you play against a team like Syracuse with the 2-3 zone, the best in basketball, you can attack it a lot of different ways, but at some point you have to make shots. We did a better job with that."
On the play of Malik Ellison and Richard Freudenberg:
"We've seen them do that. Malik was playing really well, but then he was out for close to a month with an infection in his elbow. He was working his way back and now he's getting there. Richard has been shooting like that in practice, but he just hasn't done it in a game. He had one [good] game early. He's as good of a shooter as I've seen."
On the unpredictable play:
"One thing I have learned in my short [coaching] stint is that you just never really know with these young guys. In the NBA when you play 82 games, there is going to be a few stinkers; that is for sure ... For our team, it's the youth and experience. We've had some really good games already and we've had some stinkers. They don't go out there and do it on purpose. With experience comes consistency and with inexperience comes erratic play."
On holding Andrew White III to two points:
"He's one of the best shooters I've seen [when] watching him on tape and in warm-ups. He was the focal point for us ... Early on we threw Malik [Ellison] on him."
Sophomore Guard Malik Ellison...
On stopping Andrew White III:
"That was the game plan the whole week. He's a great player and great shooter so I had to chase him the whole game. I did a good job and the rest of the team did a good job [stopping White III].
On the win over Syracuse:
"It was a great team effort. We had a rough game against Penn State last weekend. We all just got together this week in practice and we made it a big emphasis to come out and play hard and play with a lot of energy. And it benefited us."
On sharing the ball:
"Bashir [Ahmed] had a great game and everyone else played very well. The way we shared the ball, we had 27 assists, that's just a fun way of playing."
Freshman Guard Shamorie Ponds...
On how the team was able to bounce back:
"We just stayed together. We never lost focus and we stayed together as a family. We're always there [for each other] in good wins and bad losses."
On the win:
"From our energy and the game [we played], I had a good feeling we were going to win. I give credit to Syracuse and that zone. They are a great program. We found holes [in the zone] and took advantage."
On the team's youth:
"We're one of the youngest teams in the country. We're maturing and getting better day-by-day."
