St. John's University Athletics
PREGAME QUOTES: St. John's vs. Sacred Heart
12/1/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
St. John's Head Coach Chris Mullin…
On the overall performance at the AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando:
"Overall, we played pretty well. I thought our defense was consistent, but our offense was a bit inconsistent. I'd rather have it that way because the offense will come along. The main thing is that our defense gave us a chance to win."
On having a break prior to Saturday's game:
"Time off is always good, as long as you use it the right way. It's good to get some rest and recovery, catch up on school work, and also just get away from each other for a few days."
On starting the season with a 6-1 record:
"Our preparation has been good, our practices have been really sharp and crisp, so I think we feel good about our start. I am more encouraged that our players are realizing that we have a long way to go and a lot of things that we can improve on."
On how the defense has been progressing this season:
"Defensively, I think we have gotten a lot better. We're doing a better job individually controlling the basketball and I think our team defense and concepts are starting to sink in. I think we are starting to use our athleticism, length, and quickness."
On what needs to be focused on before heading into BIG EAST play:
"We really don't look too far ahead. We try to have good practice sessions on a day like today, and then focus on Sacred Heart tomorrow. It's kind of what we do. We really don't look at three-game sets, road trips, or things like that. We try to have good practice sessions. We always try to tell our guys that we don't rise to the occasion; we fall back on our training. So, no matter whom we play, what time, or where it is, we train, we practice, and prepare for that next game."
On Shamorie Ponds fighting through his shooting slump:
"It's part of the game. Part of the game is making and missing shots. As a player or a coach, you just want them to be good shots. If you are generating good shots and missing them, that's fine because it's a part of the game. The good thing is that I don't think it took away from our defensive effort. That was encouraging."
On Ponds overall performance through the first seven games:
"He's had a great summer and fall. He's put a lot of time in and I think he's gotten stronger. Obviously, he's more experienced. He had a great freshman year, but he came in during the summer and worked hard. You are starting to see all the improvements across the board."
On maintaining the defensive effort despite offensive troubles:
"That's the essence of the game, to play through it. Everyone is going to be high-fiving and happy when the shots are going in and that's great, you should celebrate. However, you have to play when the shots are not falling and that's when you have to really compete. That's why we always stress to our guys that we don't rise to the occasion and we prepare, practice, and go perform."
On whether the expectations have adjusted following 6-1 start this season:
"I'm a little out of touch with the expectations and really not in-tune with that. We are just focused on preparing our guys and coming out and performing during the game. I've never really been in-tune with [expectations], never really understood it, so I'm not really sure what to say about it."
On getting the new players adjusted to St. John's:
"We are seven games into a long season, and we were bringing in some new players. It's going to be an ongoing process throughout the year."
Redshirt junior forward Tariq Owens …
On performance in Orlando at the AdvoCare Invitational:
"Our team played well, it was a huge turnaround from the holiday tournament last year. Those aren't your traditional away games but they are away games and I felt that we handled the pressure really well. We weren't fortunate enough to take away all three wins, but in the games we played we battled a bit of adversity. It was a learning experience, so we are going to try and carry what we learned over into Sacred Heart. We need to carry that toughness from Florida over to our home court."
On the defensive play:
"What we have worked on since everyone arrived in the summer has been our defense, which has been the main point of emphasis all year. It is good to see our team has matured enough to stay locked in on the defensive end when shots are not falling. Defense wins games."
On key to success moving forward:
"We just have to get locked in earlier. Our team is very talented, we believe in ourselves and we believe in everything we can do. We just have to come out with that mindset that we have to prove for 40 minutes every time we step on the court that we are as good as we think we are."
Senior guard/forward Bashir Ahmed…
On trip to Orlando:
"The trip was good, it was a good experience. It was a very competitive tournament with some good teams and I felt like we came out and competed."
On team performance thus far:
"I feel pretty good about the season; we got off to a good start. It all comes from hard work, I feel that my team and I have really just worked hard and built up that team chemistry, and it is paying off."
Sophomore Guard Shamorie Ponds …
On what is important for this team:
"The little things are most important for this team. I feel that on any given day anybody can fill up a stat sheet and score the most points, most rebounds or most assists but I feel that it takes everybody contributing little things for us to win."
On the team's start thus far:
"We are off to a 6-1 start and I feel that we are only going to get better from here. We have more that we want to do."
