St. John's University Athletics
QUOTES: BIG EAST Men's Basketball Teleconference
1/26/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
St. John's Head Coach Chris Mullin...
On the win over Providence:
"It was a really well played game. Both teams were very efficient offensively. It was a very physical, tough played game. For our young team, it was a nice road win to [help] build their trust and confidence in each other."
On the crowd's impact at home games:
"It's a huge advantage, whether it's at Carnesecca Arena or at the Garden, to have their support. It's huge at every level, but I think when you have a young team, not only do they appreciate it, but [it affects them] emotionally to have the [fan] support."
On his assessment of the program midway through his second season:
"When you approach [the process] with a daily attitude, you don't really assess it until the end of the season because you're too focused on what you need to do today. ... If you stick to your daily routine and you do it with the right discipline and work ethic, improvement will come. If you look back at a year ago where we were 1-17 and now were 4-5 [in BIG EAST play], yeah there's improvement statistically, but to me it's a testament to the young kids working hard every day and [they] believe in not only what they're doing, but what we're doing together."
On Marcus LoVett and his development:
"Marcus is a very gifted player. [He has] tremendous speed, is a great ball handler and he's actually very strong for his size. His individual talent is obvious; he can score the ball and play the pick-and-roll. I think he's really getting a good grasp when to attack as a scorer and when to be a playmaker. At every level, that's what is the key to success for a team."
On the focus moving forward:
"We always focus on individual skill development and improvement so we'll continue with that. Last night, we took a big step as a group dealing with adversity and that comes with experience. We've had games where we got down by six like last night and that would've crushed us; so we're getting better with that ... Together, we're building that trust and confidence in each other and a game like last night helps with that."
On Xavier:
"They're a really good team; very well coached with good guards and good shooters. They are just a well rounded team so it's going to be a tough matchup for us. We'll have a few days of preparation and more importantly, if we play tough and unselfish, I like our chances against anybody."
On his thoughts on the team's improvement:
"I see improvement. Our job is to make sure that continues to happen. We have a long time to go. I'm going to take a page out of Gregg Popovich's book; I'm not really happy, but I understand the work that needs to be done well enough to keep doing it."
