St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: St. John’s vs. DePaul
St. John’s Head Coach Chris Mullin, Shamorie Ponds, and Justin Simon spoke to the media after Wednesday’s win over DePaul in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament, 82-74.
St. John’s Head Coach Chris Mullin:
On Justin Simon's energy…
“Obviously, being named Defensive Player of the Year yesterday, we rely on him tremendously to set the tone. I thought tonight he did that. And as important as that was having his teammates behind him. Shamorie did a great job. We had a little bit different game plan. He executed to perfection. There was a total team effort. But these two guys here set the tone for everything we do. Like most teams, the guards set the table, offensively and defensively. Tonight they led the way.”
On shutting down Max Strus…
“From my standpoint, it was to get Justin [Simon] in the game. I just told him last game he had seven at halftime. Justin picked up a few fouls. When he came out, the guy got going. He's that type player, it only takes a little bit for him to catch fire, and that's what happened.”
“I just thought again tonight Justin was instrumental in setting the tone, and then Shamorie [Ponds] and the rest of our team did a good job. When he did catch, he was looking at two, three, four bodies.”
On Shamorie Ponds’ development this season…
“First and foremost, you're looking at one of the most, for three years as a St. John's player, maybe the best across the board. Each and every year, he's gotten much better. He's got a lot of God-given instincts and ability, but he works hard at his game. I think his defense has improved. I know for sure his playmaking and his ability to affect the game not just by scoring. I was always told good players do for themselves and great ones do for others. He's making players around him better, which is a compliment to him and his teammates are feeding off of him.”
On the team’s “clean slate” mentality coming into the tournament…
“I felt good about that. We actually have done that. Look at some of our losses, we didn't play 40 minutes of bad basketball. It was stretches that things happen in different times of those games that affected that particular game. So I think we've done a good job.
I always preach to these guys, and I know it sounds kind of silly, but just our daily habits. That's what it's all about. … These guys have been with me three years, they've done a really good job of not only mentally but physically taking care of their daily schedule.
That's what I always tell them, you can only take care of what's in front of you. They get that text every day of their daily schedule. Stick to that, and we'll come back tomorrow and do it again.
So, yeah, we made some adjustments, but to me just having the season end and coming to the BIG EAST Tournament, my biggest message to them is to come back mentally and physically fresh. It's a new season. That should reenergize us. I thought they did a good job tonight on doing that.”
On Shamorie Ponds’ second half performance…
“Yeah, I think that he made a huge impact, and that's usually our game plan. I also thought the second half we did a little bit better job on the open floor. We got some stops and got some run-outs. We got a few 50-50 balls and turned them into baskets. I felt that was going to be the key, where at halftime before, I thought we should have been up a little bit more. There's a few offensive rebounds we didn't get and a few loose balls that just kept them going their way. So I just thought we did a better job in the hustle areas and capitalizing in the open floor.”
Junior guard Shamorie Ponds:
On looking forward to playing another BIG EAST Tournament…
“Definitely important for us. I felt like with this group we could do something special. We are definitely, definitely looking forward to each and every game. We packed for four days, so we're looking forward to it.”
On being a scorer and a playmaker…
“I mean, well, my teammates, they give me great confidence. I feel like, with them guys backing me up, there's like no pressure on me. The guys, they come on and play hard every night.”
On the benefit of beating Marquette twice in the regular-season…
“I mean, it definitely shows that we can beat them. We've just got to have the same game plan that we beat them guys at their home and our home. So looking forward to the game.”
On the challenge of beating great players three times in one season…
“It's definitely an extra challenge, but I feel like it's more confidence. I feel like those guys are going to bring their all, so I feel like we can't lay down.”
Junior guard Justin Simon:
On shutting down Max Strus…
“Like Coach said, it's a team effort. Strus is a great player. He can get hot. Just like our guys, they were extending the floor, I was running off the line just trying to make him uncomfortable. I thought it was a great team effort out there, and we played hard.”
On Justin Simon's energy…
“Obviously, being named Defensive Player of the Year yesterday, we rely on him tremendously to set the tone. I thought tonight he did that. And as important as that was having his teammates behind him. Shamorie did a great job. We had a little bit different game plan. He executed to perfection. There was a total team effort. But these two guys here set the tone for everything we do. Like most teams, the guards set the table, offensively and defensively. Tonight they led the way.”
On shutting down Max Strus…
“From my standpoint, it was to get Justin [Simon] in the game. I just told him last game he had seven at halftime. Justin picked up a few fouls. When he came out, the guy got going. He's that type player, it only takes a little bit for him to catch fire, and that's what happened.”
“I just thought again tonight Justin was instrumental in setting the tone, and then Shamorie [Ponds] and the rest of our team did a good job. When he did catch, he was looking at two, three, four bodies.”
On Shamorie Ponds’ development this season…
“First and foremost, you're looking at one of the most, for three years as a St. John's player, maybe the best across the board. Each and every year, he's gotten much better. He's got a lot of God-given instincts and ability, but he works hard at his game. I think his defense has improved. I know for sure his playmaking and his ability to affect the game not just by scoring. I was always told good players do for themselves and great ones do for others. He's making players around him better, which is a compliment to him and his teammates are feeding off of him.”
On the team’s “clean slate” mentality coming into the tournament…
“I felt good about that. We actually have done that. Look at some of our losses, we didn't play 40 minutes of bad basketball. It was stretches that things happen in different times of those games that affected that particular game. So I think we've done a good job.
I always preach to these guys, and I know it sounds kind of silly, but just our daily habits. That's what it's all about. … These guys have been with me three years, they've done a really good job of not only mentally but physically taking care of their daily schedule.
That's what I always tell them, you can only take care of what's in front of you. They get that text every day of their daily schedule. Stick to that, and we'll come back tomorrow and do it again.
So, yeah, we made some adjustments, but to me just having the season end and coming to the BIG EAST Tournament, my biggest message to them is to come back mentally and physically fresh. It's a new season. That should reenergize us. I thought they did a good job tonight on doing that.”
On Shamorie Ponds’ second half performance…
“Yeah, I think that he made a huge impact, and that's usually our game plan. I also thought the second half we did a little bit better job on the open floor. We got some stops and got some run-outs. We got a few 50-50 balls and turned them into baskets. I felt that was going to be the key, where at halftime before, I thought we should have been up a little bit more. There's a few offensive rebounds we didn't get and a few loose balls that just kept them going their way. So I just thought we did a better job in the hustle areas and capitalizing in the open floor.”
Junior guard Shamorie Ponds:
On looking forward to playing another BIG EAST Tournament…
“Definitely important for us. I felt like with this group we could do something special. We are definitely, definitely looking forward to each and every game. We packed for four days, so we're looking forward to it.”
On being a scorer and a playmaker…
“I mean, well, my teammates, they give me great confidence. I feel like, with them guys backing me up, there's like no pressure on me. The guys, they come on and play hard every night.”
On the benefit of beating Marquette twice in the regular-season…
“I mean, it definitely shows that we can beat them. We've just got to have the same game plan that we beat them guys at their home and our home. So looking forward to the game.”
On the challenge of beating great players three times in one season…
“It's definitely an extra challenge, but I feel like it's more confidence. I feel like those guys are going to bring their all, so I feel like we can't lay down.”
Junior guard Justin Simon:
On shutting down Max Strus…
“Like Coach said, it's a team effort. Strus is a great player. He can get hot. Just like our guys, they were extending the floor, I was running off the line just trying to make him uncomfortable. I thought it was a great team effort out there, and we played hard.”