March 19, 2012
St. John's Head Coach Kim Barnes Arico
Opening Statement:
"We are really excited to be here for another day. We are happy to get past the first round and have an opportunity to play Oklahoma tomorrow. They are a great team. We are just excited to still be here."
On if she is stressing defense for her players tomorrow:
"We really pride ourselves on our defense It's been the strength and the staple of our team all year long. Yesterday I felt like we were really exposed and that's in large part due to the team that we played. They were really tough to defend. When they play that style of play and make shots the way they do it becomes even more difficult. Hopefully it was a combination of feeling a little tight, the travel, being here the first round and playing a team that really moved the basketball extremely well. Hopefully we get back to our normal defensive style tomorrow."
On if there is a different type of pressure being a three seed compared to a lower seed:
"It's funny because you see how has the program changed since Da'Shena Stevens has been here. If you traditionally look where we have come from and where we are today is significantly different. That young lady didn't speak to it too much but she has been the face of our program for four years. She came in and was BIG EAST Freshman of the year. BIG EAST First Team All-Conference and we came from the bottom. We were always trying to get to those places. We were always trying to make the tournament whether it's the WNIT or the NCAA Tournament. My little boy used to say, "Momma maybe someday we can make the big dance, we go to the little dance." That was the WNIT when I first got here. Now we're three straight years and we are a three seed. We had some great wins in our league. We played one the most difficult schedules in the country. These young ladies have never been here. It's a little bit of an adjustment for them. It's a little bit of an adjustment for me. We can't look at the big picture because that can be a little bit overwhelming. What I have voiced to them all year is that it's just one game at a time. Let's just look at four minutes at a time. Never overlook our opponent. Let's just play four minutes at a time. That's been our style."
On facing Oklahoma:
"Their guards are terrific. They are great. (Aaryn) Ellenberg, her quickness and her speed and her ability to score from the outside and off the bounce is incredible. Whitney Hand, I am sure everyone wishes they had a leader like her. She does everything for their team. She is a coach out there on the floor, plus she is a capable scorer from outside, from inside. She rebounds the basketball. She makes things happen down the stretch. She can make a play when you need a play. The other kid that's running the point (Morgan Hook) for them is doing a great job. They have great size. They are a tough team. They are a good program. They are young and I think they continue to improve as the season progresses. You know their coach (Sherri Coale) is outstanding. She is outstanding. She has down a terrific job. They are playing at a really high level. I am sure they are playing with a lot of confidence after yesterday. It will be a difficult match-up for us."
St. John's junior guard Eugeneia McPherson
On nervousness and preparation for Oklahoma:
"We got that (nervousness) out of the way. Thankfully we pulled off the win even with all the nerves. We're past that and ready to play good St. John's team basketball."
On style of St. John's team play:
"We're an up-tempo team and we run a lot. Our league prepared us a lot for this tournament, especially with all the physicality. Our defense could be way better--it will be way better."
On expectations and atmosphere for tomorrow night's game:
"Oklahoma fans were definitely rooting against us yesterday, so I know they'll be out to get us (tomorrow). I think that's what we come for. For me and for this team as well, it makes us want to play harder. The only way to shut them up is to just win."
St. John's Senior Forward Da'Shena Stevens
On defensive struggles during the game against Creighton:
"We know at this point teams are going to make shots, but we want to make every shot as difficult as possible. Yesterday, (Creighton) got a lot of open shots and we want to really try to limit some of their shots and contest as many as we can. I think we just need to communicate more as a team. We get caught on screens, when we should have someone switched out. At this point, knowing what we know, we'll try to do our best."
On BIG EAST opponents and preparation for this tournament:
"We've played against 6'5" and 6' 4" opponents a lot in our league and the quickness of all the teams. I feel we've prepared all around for different types of teams. Oklahoma is different from Creighton and coming into Tuesday's game, we're going to have to play a whole different style of defense."
On expectations and atmosphere for tomorrow night's game:
"I expect it to be loud in here and expect it to be a really good atmosphere. But, this is what we've looked forward to and we're used to it. Those are the best teams, with all the excitement of their fans. These are the types of games you want to play at this time and we want to come out here and do our best."
