St. John's University Athletics
QUOTES: 2020 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Media Day
St. John's Head Coach Joe Tartamella spoke with the media virtually on Thursday
St. John’s Head Coach Joe Tartamella
On UConn rejoining The BIG EAST and how it will impact the competition level…
“Obviously, you are talking to someone who has spent time from the age of 22 to 41 in this league. It has always been a pleasure to be a part of it and to be a young coach growing up in it. Now, being able to be a part of our new look in adding UConn back I think we have only strengthened what I think was already a strong and underrated conference in the country. So, to me, and to a lot of our coaches in the league, we are really excited about the opportunity and what our future holds, and I think everyone is going to see that as we start the year.”
On Qadashah Hoppie…
“I have watched Q [Qadashah] probably since she was in the seventh grade, so to watch her development has probably been the most exciting part. Having the opportunity to coach her over the last three years during her college career and obviously into her senior year, she is just so humble. I think her leadership is now really shining, and she shows that every day in practice with the energy that she brings, the communication that she brings to our younger players, and obviously really happy that she is being recognized in the preseason. She knows she needs to perform during the season to finish on that team as well. I think when you look at her scoring ability and how she has improved her game in all areas, she has really tried to become a better defender over her time here. If you look at her numbers, I saw something today where she is the active leading scorer in the BIG EAST as it stands. As good as she is on the court, she is even better off the court in leading our team. She is someone I can rely on, someone I can talk to, and we have had some great conversations over the years, so I am really excited about her senior year.”
On dealing with the uncertainty of COVID-19…
“I think it’s a constant communication each day in maintaining the protocols that we need to. I am proud of our University and how we have been able to handle the protocols and the things that we have in place to do the best job that we can to stay safe. We preach as much as we can as to staying safe when they leave our building and I think our staff has done a great job and our University has done a great job putting those protocols in place. Certainly, we try to make it as normal as possible in how we practice and how we operate from day-to-day. We have to be the most flexible that we have ever been in how we do things.”
On playing a tough non-conference schedule…
“You have to put your team in positions that may be uncomfortable in places where it may be hard to play and be in that situation, whether it comes during the regular season or in the postseason at the tournament. If you don’t schedule that way, you are giving your team and your players less of an opportunity to have some signature wins, to be able to get the RPI up of not just your own program, but the league. I think that is a big part just for the league in general. It is a big part of what we do because we are beating each other up during the conference schedule, and it is really important that we come into that conference schedule with some robust RPI so that we are not hurting each other as we are trying to be able to get to the postseason. If you’re lucky enough like we were in 2012 and you have a chance to beat UCONN that helps you a lot, but even playing them helps you push yourself up in that RPI. I think we have been underrated as a league without UCONN, so to add them helps us out but it doesn’t change the way you should schedule in my mind at least because we have always prided ourselves on challenging and preparing ourselves so that our players are ready for the conference season.”
On Leilani Correa…
“Obviously Leilani had a special year, especially as a player who wasn’t really with us over the summer. So, to do what she did especially towards the end of the year, we are certainly pleased with how she performed. For her, you look at the way she was able to score last year whether it be in the league or out of the league, with three 30-point games, but as a younger player you’re still talking about consistency and how you show up and prepare yourself. I think she has got a better idea of all of those things now coming into the year. The way she was able to perform in the BIG EAST Tournament for us and earn All-Tournament player as a freshman, I don’t think we have ever had that. So, to see her perform in those big moments was really important, to see for her growth as she got through the year, she is someone, honestly, who probably could have started every game. She was very modest and wanted to do what was best for her team in being able to come off the bench and earn the Sixth Player of the Year. [She is] a kid who is selfless in many ways, and to watch her in building up her body and mental approach to the game, I am really excited to see what she is going to do. She has been terrific out there to start and will certainly be a big piece to what we are going to be able to do during the year.”
On who will be running the floor this season…
“Obviously we have a hole with the loss of Tiana [England], but I think we have got some younger players. Between Unique Drake and Camree Clegg, we are hoping that those two will fill the void in some manner, and they have done well. They are both a little different type of player than Tiana [England] was, but certainly the next person has got to step up and be able to do it, and I am pretty pleased with where they are as well and where we stand.”
On whether or not a bubble should be considered…
“We hope to be put into the best situation possible to be safe and be able to play. We are not doctors, and we have to defer to them at times, but a team having to stop play is very difficult to recover from in many ways if you cannot test out. We want to be safe and be able to play in whatever manner.”
On the advantage of the team’s height…
“We feel we have a little more depth there, certainly size doesn’t always equate in certain matchups, but we feel like we have some more ability now with some more back-to-the-basket players and some more versatility to now have girls in some ways as stretch-fours and finesse post players, but also girls who now can power. We have been pleased with the development of those that were here, and certainly we added two players that we feel can help us a lot, and so we are excited about seeing them as well. But a lot will go into that as we develop as a team and get through our matchups throughout the year.”
On how the team has been supportive of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice issues…
“I think especially now we are in a moment in time where athletes are using all of their levels as a platform to speak out on the issues of social injustice and it’s nothing different here. I think when you look at the league as a unifier in being able to wear the ‘BLM’ Patch that is going to be able to support our athletes as they call for those sweeping changes in the country. I think that is something as a league that we have done and we can be proud of. I think that as a University we have provided resources, including speakers. We have a rich history here including Joe Lapchick, one of our most famous coaches, who integrated the NBA. Also, his son, Richard Lapchick, is a huge speaker on social injustice and has been for years. To have those resources of people who have lived it be able to talk to our players, the conversations that they have are so much more in-depth and unifying in many ways.”
On UConn rejoining The BIG EAST and how it will impact the competition level…
“Obviously, you are talking to someone who has spent time from the age of 22 to 41 in this league. It has always been a pleasure to be a part of it and to be a young coach growing up in it. Now, being able to be a part of our new look in adding UConn back I think we have only strengthened what I think was already a strong and underrated conference in the country. So, to me, and to a lot of our coaches in the league, we are really excited about the opportunity and what our future holds, and I think everyone is going to see that as we start the year.”
On Qadashah Hoppie…
“I have watched Q [Qadashah] probably since she was in the seventh grade, so to watch her development has probably been the most exciting part. Having the opportunity to coach her over the last three years during her college career and obviously into her senior year, she is just so humble. I think her leadership is now really shining, and she shows that every day in practice with the energy that she brings, the communication that she brings to our younger players, and obviously really happy that she is being recognized in the preseason. She knows she needs to perform during the season to finish on that team as well. I think when you look at her scoring ability and how she has improved her game in all areas, she has really tried to become a better defender over her time here. If you look at her numbers, I saw something today where she is the active leading scorer in the BIG EAST as it stands. As good as she is on the court, she is even better off the court in leading our team. She is someone I can rely on, someone I can talk to, and we have had some great conversations over the years, so I am really excited about her senior year.”
On dealing with the uncertainty of COVID-19…
“I think it’s a constant communication each day in maintaining the protocols that we need to. I am proud of our University and how we have been able to handle the protocols and the things that we have in place to do the best job that we can to stay safe. We preach as much as we can as to staying safe when they leave our building and I think our staff has done a great job and our University has done a great job putting those protocols in place. Certainly, we try to make it as normal as possible in how we practice and how we operate from day-to-day. We have to be the most flexible that we have ever been in how we do things.”
On playing a tough non-conference schedule…
“You have to put your team in positions that may be uncomfortable in places where it may be hard to play and be in that situation, whether it comes during the regular season or in the postseason at the tournament. If you don’t schedule that way, you are giving your team and your players less of an opportunity to have some signature wins, to be able to get the RPI up of not just your own program, but the league. I think that is a big part just for the league in general. It is a big part of what we do because we are beating each other up during the conference schedule, and it is really important that we come into that conference schedule with some robust RPI so that we are not hurting each other as we are trying to be able to get to the postseason. If you’re lucky enough like we were in 2012 and you have a chance to beat UCONN that helps you a lot, but even playing them helps you push yourself up in that RPI. I think we have been underrated as a league without UCONN, so to add them helps us out but it doesn’t change the way you should schedule in my mind at least because we have always prided ourselves on challenging and preparing ourselves so that our players are ready for the conference season.”
On Leilani Correa…
“Obviously Leilani had a special year, especially as a player who wasn’t really with us over the summer. So, to do what she did especially towards the end of the year, we are certainly pleased with how she performed. For her, you look at the way she was able to score last year whether it be in the league or out of the league, with three 30-point games, but as a younger player you’re still talking about consistency and how you show up and prepare yourself. I think she has got a better idea of all of those things now coming into the year. The way she was able to perform in the BIG EAST Tournament for us and earn All-Tournament player as a freshman, I don’t think we have ever had that. So, to see her perform in those big moments was really important, to see for her growth as she got through the year, she is someone, honestly, who probably could have started every game. She was very modest and wanted to do what was best for her team in being able to come off the bench and earn the Sixth Player of the Year. [She is] a kid who is selfless in many ways, and to watch her in building up her body and mental approach to the game, I am really excited to see what she is going to do. She has been terrific out there to start and will certainly be a big piece to what we are going to be able to do during the year.”
On who will be running the floor this season…
“Obviously we have a hole with the loss of Tiana [England], but I think we have got some younger players. Between Unique Drake and Camree Clegg, we are hoping that those two will fill the void in some manner, and they have done well. They are both a little different type of player than Tiana [England] was, but certainly the next person has got to step up and be able to do it, and I am pretty pleased with where they are as well and where we stand.”
On whether or not a bubble should be considered…
“We hope to be put into the best situation possible to be safe and be able to play. We are not doctors, and we have to defer to them at times, but a team having to stop play is very difficult to recover from in many ways if you cannot test out. We want to be safe and be able to play in whatever manner.”
On the advantage of the team’s height…
“We feel we have a little more depth there, certainly size doesn’t always equate in certain matchups, but we feel like we have some more ability now with some more back-to-the-basket players and some more versatility to now have girls in some ways as stretch-fours and finesse post players, but also girls who now can power. We have been pleased with the development of those that were here, and certainly we added two players that we feel can help us a lot, and so we are excited about seeing them as well. But a lot will go into that as we develop as a team and get through our matchups throughout the year.”
On how the team has been supportive of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice issues…
“I think especially now we are in a moment in time where athletes are using all of their levels as a platform to speak out on the issues of social injustice and it’s nothing different here. I think when you look at the league as a unifier in being able to wear the ‘BLM’ Patch that is going to be able to support our athletes as they call for those sweeping changes in the country. I think that is something as a league that we have done and we can be proud of. I think that as a University we have provided resources, including speakers. We have a rich history here including Joe Lapchick, one of our most famous coaches, who integrated the NBA. Also, his son, Richard Lapchick, is a huge speaker on social injustice and has been for years. To have those resources of people who have lived it be able to talk to our players, the conversations that they have are so much more in-depth and unifying in many ways.”