St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: St. John's vs. No. 3/3 Villanova
1/14/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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St. John's Head Coach Chris Mullin...
On letting this game slip away:
"I don't really feel like things slip away; you go out there and perform. Statistically, the rebounds are what killed us, but more importantly a lot of times we played good defense and they took away opportunities for us to get a little free flow in the open court. Their zone controlled the tempo for the most part. We really talked about getting some clean stops and getting in the open floor and getting a little rhythm. We never got any offensive rhythm because of that...We played pretty good defense, but just couldn't secure rebounds. That takes momentum from us and kind of plays into their hands."
On wanting to spread the ball around more consistently:
"We had 14 assists and they had nine, so ideally yeah. My philosophy in general is to move the ball, move your body and have your shot created by your teammate. For the most part, we did a good job. When were down sometimes we like to attack off the dribble. [We had] 14 assists with 17 turnovers. If we cut some of those turnovers down and get some stops, I don't know what happens. If we rebound and secure the open floor, there is probably more assists out there."
On the lack of experience leading to the recent tough stretch:
"It has a lot to do with it. Historically, you'd probably see that was true. That's why we try and treat each day, whether it be a really good win or tough loss, as a learning experience and something we're going to build on moving forward."
On positive takeaways from this game:
"We're just growing together. We're going to go through growing pains. That's what happens when you grow up...I told the guys that minus the rebounds, the effort was good. We didn't find our offensive rhythm, but that's probably do to not rebounding the ball. Give them credit; their zone slowed us down."
On his thoughts on the play inside:
"A lot of nights we get decent looks when they break down on defense. Tariq had a few good looks early, but didn't finish. Those guys protect the rim for us and on most nights they rebound. You can only play to your skill set. We have some guys that physically have to develop. Overtime that will happen. When it does, I think they'll be able to do some things they're not able to now. They'll improve in those areas."
On the BIG EAST:
"I love the BIG EAST right now. No disrespect to football, but it kind of ruined the original BIG EAST and now it's back to its rightful place as a basketball conference. It's a tremendous conference with built-in rivalries and a home-and-home series. Organically, it will grow. I think the way it's set up now is perfect."
On Malik Ellison's play:
"Malik has been doing a great job. We put him on some of the best forwards in the league and he's really competed well. I'm of the belief that it's a combination of both. I wouldn't say we shut down Kris Jenkins because he went 1-for10, but we concentrated on him and he had an off night. Malik has done a great job on some of the high scoring forwards we put him on."
Sophomore Guard Malik Ellison...
On the potential to win the game:
"We were outrebounded 41-23 and that was a factor. [Villanova] won a lot of 50/50 balls. We fought but we just needed a little bit more."
On the ability to beat a top-5 team such as Villanova:
"[Villanova] is one of the best teams in the country. I have to give credit to them; they are a very good team. We're a very good team as well. We have a lot of young guys, we just have to come together and keep fighting for 40 minutes."
On Villanova winning the 2016 National Championship:
"It's great for the conference. A lot of people say the BIG EAST is not the same as it was back in the day, but the fact that [Villanova] won the national championship is great, they represented for our conference."
On takeaways from today:
"Villanova is one of the best teams in the country and reigning champions, and we played with them today. The fact that we went out there and battled, and that the game was close well into the second half."
Freshman Guard Shamorie Ponds...
On the potential to win the game:
"[Villanova] definitely won the 50/50 battles, so it was tough for us down the stretch. We played well in the first half, but in the second half they attacked us and we backed down."
On getting back in the win column after four-straight losses:
"We've been on the road a lot, which is tough. Three of the last four games we've played ranked teams. We just need to get ready for DePaul on Monday."
Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright...
On today's game:
"I think that was an example of just a young, hungry team playing harder than a veteran team - wanting it a little bit more. They just took it to us. We just had some veteran players and they made plays. But, I'm disappointed in our effort, impressed with St. John's aggressiveness and tenacity. Again, they're just young - they're going to be good. I hope we can learn from this and come back and play. We got about 20 turnovers - that's a tribute to St. John's agressiveness and toughness, and we didn't respond."
On St. John's:
"This team is going to keep getting better. They play hard right to the edge. They were coming off a tough game, you've seen the Syracuse game, you've seen the Butler game - you know what they're capable of. The toughest thing to do in athletics is to be consistent night in, night out. You can see, we've got veteran guys and we're struggling with it. When you have young guys, that's what you struggle with - consistency. But you can see what they're best is and they're going to start to get more consistent at that. They're going to be a hell of a team."
