St. John's University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: St. John's vs Delaware State
St. John’s Head Coach Joe Tartamella, Akina Wellere, and Curteeona Brelove spoke to the media after Thursday’s win over Delaware State, 82-44.
St. John’s Head Coach Joe Tartamella
Opening Statement:
“It was nice to have a home game in the month of November, so we were happy to be here. Certainly having three players with a double-double, 56 rebounds, and being able to score at the rate we did today was fun to watch. We continue to grow and get ready for the next one, but I am really pleased with our effort. Everybody had a chance to contribute, which also is fun, and obviously these two [Wellere and Brelove] had a great game.”
On the team spending time together on the road:
“When you’re on the road, you’re spending more time together than you would when you are home. Having success and winning on the floor helps that bond even more because it gives you some more buy-in to what you are doing and how you are preparing. I thought this was not an easy test for this team. The fun part is that we have players who, may not have major minutes at times, but have made big plays for us. Those swings become huge in the game.”
On Kayla Charles taking a hard fall at the end of the game:
“I think she’s okay, it would take a lot more to hurt her.”
On the road-heavy schedule to open up the season:
“This year was a little different, but next year it comes back to us, which is nice. We only have three home games before the conference schedule. We are challenging ourselves. We have put ourselves in a position that we feel really good about right now. We need to continue that and get ready for Wake Forest.”
On Curteeona Brelove:
“We were really intrigued by her ability to score the ball and what she can do at her size. She can shoot it and is gifted that way. She is working on the other side of the ball. Her ceiling is unlimited and what she gave us today is what we hope for. The sick thing is that Kayla Charles had a double-double in 12 minutes. That’s pretty scary. That’s a huge lift for us obviously. We need both her [Brelove] and Kayla [Charles] to give positive minutes each game.”
Redshirt senior forward Curteeona Brelove
On internal pressure:
“I put a lot of pressure on myself. We have to go into every game thinking, ‘do your best, play your hardest, and go from there.’
On the team’s chemistry:
“We’re pretty close on and off the court. We have time to learn about each other. We laugh, we have fun, but in the end we know that business is business.”
Senior guard/forward Akina Wellere
On the team’s mindset after playing UConn close last week:
“No matter who we are playing, we have to play with the same heart, pride and intensity. The expectations are always high and we expect to compete at the highest level every game.”
On team chemistry:
“Our chemistry on the court stems from being off the court. We spend a lot of time on the road together. We hone in on that by communicating with each other on the road instead of being on our phones. When you know your teammates, you have better chemistry on and off the court.”
Opening Statement:
“It was nice to have a home game in the month of November, so we were happy to be here. Certainly having three players with a double-double, 56 rebounds, and being able to score at the rate we did today was fun to watch. We continue to grow and get ready for the next one, but I am really pleased with our effort. Everybody had a chance to contribute, which also is fun, and obviously these two [Wellere and Brelove] had a great game.”
On the team spending time together on the road:
“When you’re on the road, you’re spending more time together than you would when you are home. Having success and winning on the floor helps that bond even more because it gives you some more buy-in to what you are doing and how you are preparing. I thought this was not an easy test for this team. The fun part is that we have players who, may not have major minutes at times, but have made big plays for us. Those swings become huge in the game.”
On Kayla Charles taking a hard fall at the end of the game:
“I think she’s okay, it would take a lot more to hurt her.”
On the road-heavy schedule to open up the season:
“This year was a little different, but next year it comes back to us, which is nice. We only have three home games before the conference schedule. We are challenging ourselves. We have put ourselves in a position that we feel really good about right now. We need to continue that and get ready for Wake Forest.”
On Curteeona Brelove:
“We were really intrigued by her ability to score the ball and what she can do at her size. She can shoot it and is gifted that way. She is working on the other side of the ball. Her ceiling is unlimited and what she gave us today is what we hope for. The sick thing is that Kayla Charles had a double-double in 12 minutes. That’s pretty scary. That’s a huge lift for us obviously. We need both her [Brelove] and Kayla [Charles] to give positive minutes each game.”
Redshirt senior forward Curteeona Brelove
On internal pressure:
“I put a lot of pressure on myself. We have to go into every game thinking, ‘do your best, play your hardest, and go from there.’
On the team’s chemistry:
“We’re pretty close on and off the court. We have time to learn about each other. We laugh, we have fun, but in the end we know that business is business.”
Senior guard/forward Akina Wellere
On the team’s mindset after playing UConn close last week:
“No matter who we are playing, we have to play with the same heart, pride and intensity. The expectations are always high and we expect to compete at the highest level every game.”
On team chemistry:
“Our chemistry on the court stems from being off the court. We spend a lot of time on the road together. We hone in on that by communicating with each other on the road instead of being on our phones. When you know your teammates, you have better chemistry on and off the court.”