St. John's University Athletics
PREGAME QUOTES: St. John’s vs. Xavier
Head Coach Chris Mullin, LJ Figueroa, and Marvin Clark II spoke with the media in advance of Thursday’s contest against Xavier.
St. John’s Head Coach Chris Mullin…
On Mustapha Heron’s injury:
“He missed practice today. He’s dealing with tendonitis. He’s day-to-day.”
On who will get most of the minutes if Heron can’t play tomorrow:
“That will be determined during the game.”
On Xavier:
“They’re the hottest team in the conference. They’re probably the most athletic, most physical team. Top to bottom [in the BIG EAST], they’re all good teams. … [Xavier] lost a few close games. To me it’s their roster. They’ve got a lot of good players. It’s going to be a really tough game.”
On what he’s learned from playing other physical teams in the conference:
“Disposition. It’s about the team’s disposition on the game from the jump ball on and being physical, matching the physicality of the opponent, and then just playing our basketball game. I think it’s important to front the post. I think we have to get some over-the-backs, take charges. That’s part of our makeup. That’s how we have to play defensively. When we do that, we’re really good. We get out on the open floor and when we don’t we let the physicality dictate the game. We give up fouls and free throws and it becomes the other team’s game.”
On forcing a front-court team to play up-tempo basketball:
“It’s how you’re playing the game from the start. It’s how you dictate the tempo of the game. That’s how it is every game.”
On the increased home attendance:
“There’s more appreciation and support. They’ve helped us win games and make the players feel good. That’s always a nice feeling. I think we’ve made steady progress this year and we try to get better each day.”
St. John’s Forward LJ Figueroa…
On facing Xavier for the first time…
“Every game is a learning experience. We haven’t played Xavier yet. ... We have a good game plan. We had a great couple of practices to get ready for them.”
On the game plan for Xavier…
“The whole team has to come in and be ready, be physical, box out, and rebound. Be tough.”
On the fan support at home games…
“It’s been a crowd like no other. I have never played in front of fans like Carnesescca Arena and Madison Square Garden. It’s been an unbelievable season.”
On if he envisioned his first season would be like this when he committed to St. John’s…
“Yes sir. I knew it was going to be like this. I knew the crowd was going to be crazy. The fans, the coaches are great, my teammates, it has all around been a great experience.”
St. John’s Forward Marvin Clark II
On facing Xavier…
“We still look at it the same, I have said it before, our league is really good, really deep, and really talented. Regardless of what the records may say, Xavier figured it out. They strung some wins together. It’s not going to be an easy feat. Really no game this season has been an easy feat. We know what we are getting ourselves into, we know what to expect.”
On the approach against a Xavier team with size…
“Really just trying to keep them off the glass. Gang rebounding is key when we are playing bigger teams. At the same time, they have to guard us on the other end, you know that is where we have our matchup. If we are playing fast, gang rebounding, and get out in transition, we are going to be fine.”
On Mustapha Heron’s injury:
“He missed practice today. He’s dealing with tendonitis. He’s day-to-day.”
On who will get most of the minutes if Heron can’t play tomorrow:
“That will be determined during the game.”
On Xavier:
“They’re the hottest team in the conference. They’re probably the most athletic, most physical team. Top to bottom [in the BIG EAST], they’re all good teams. … [Xavier] lost a few close games. To me it’s their roster. They’ve got a lot of good players. It’s going to be a really tough game.”
On what he’s learned from playing other physical teams in the conference:
“Disposition. It’s about the team’s disposition on the game from the jump ball on and being physical, matching the physicality of the opponent, and then just playing our basketball game. I think it’s important to front the post. I think we have to get some over-the-backs, take charges. That’s part of our makeup. That’s how we have to play defensively. When we do that, we’re really good. We get out on the open floor and when we don’t we let the physicality dictate the game. We give up fouls and free throws and it becomes the other team’s game.”
On forcing a front-court team to play up-tempo basketball:
“It’s how you’re playing the game from the start. It’s how you dictate the tempo of the game. That’s how it is every game.”
On the increased home attendance:
“There’s more appreciation and support. They’ve helped us win games and make the players feel good. That’s always a nice feeling. I think we’ve made steady progress this year and we try to get better each day.”
St. John’s Forward LJ Figueroa…
On facing Xavier for the first time…
“Every game is a learning experience. We haven’t played Xavier yet. ... We have a good game plan. We had a great couple of practices to get ready for them.”
On the game plan for Xavier…
“The whole team has to come in and be ready, be physical, box out, and rebound. Be tough.”
On the fan support at home games…
“It’s been a crowd like no other. I have never played in front of fans like Carnesescca Arena and Madison Square Garden. It’s been an unbelievable season.”
On if he envisioned his first season would be like this when he committed to St. John’s…
“Yes sir. I knew it was going to be like this. I knew the crowd was going to be crazy. The fans, the coaches are great, my teammates, it has all around been a great experience.”
St. John’s Forward Marvin Clark II
On facing Xavier…
“We still look at it the same, I have said it before, our league is really good, really deep, and really talented. Regardless of what the records may say, Xavier figured it out. They strung some wins together. It’s not going to be an easy feat. Really no game this season has been an easy feat. We know what we are getting ourselves into, we know what to expect.”
On the approach against a Xavier team with size…
“Really just trying to keep them off the glass. Gang rebounding is key when we are playing bigger teams. At the same time, they have to guard us on the other end, you know that is where we have our matchup. If we are playing fast, gang rebounding, and get out in transition, we are going to be fine.”