St. John's University Athletics
QUOTES: BIG EAST Men's Basketball Teleconference
2/9/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
St. John's Head Coach Chris Mullin...
On Seton Hall:
"It's a big rivalry game. A lot of those kids are from the New York area. [We're] at The Garden so we're looking for a high-intensity, high-energy game. Seton Hall won in overtime last night and they have a lot of experience. It's a big game for both teams."
On Shamorie Ponds and how he's handled his freshman year:
"Shamorie has played really well. I think the way he plays is the way he is off the court; very calm and collected. He's a quiet kid who just goes about his business. He doesn't get too high or too low. He's got a really good demeanor and he's just trying to improve every day. I don't know if it's because [the freshmen are] exposed a lot more, but you kind of forget how young they are because they've handled the big stage pretty well."
On the youth and gaining experience:
"They're gaining that experience and learning from it, more importantly. You're going to have tough losses no matter what kind of team you have, but when it's a young team you can really use [the tough losses] to learn from and try to carry it over to the next game. They're starting to do that a little bit better and more importantly, they're starting to gain trust and confidence in each other. The next step is when they believe in themselves and in each other, and I think we're starting to get that a little bit."
On the St. John's-Seton Hall rivalry:
"Throughout the BIG EAST there are some rivalries developing and that comes with hard fought games. ... Obviously, with Seton Hall being one of the original teams there is a lot of history and respect. I think it's good for the league and good for the schools."
