St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: St. John’s at DePaul
St. John’s Head Coach Mike Anderson and junior Vince Cole spoke with the media following Wednesday’s 81-68 win over DePaul
St. John’s Head Coach Mike Anderson
Opening statement…
“It was a good team win. Guys came in and when you look at the stat-line, 20 assists on 30 field goals, that means that guys were sharing the basketball. I thought our defense got us going early-on and Vince [Cole], he had it going early-on. Then other guys were able to follow. I thought that we were in attack-mode, up and down the floor and the tempo was to our liking. We only had four turnovers at halftime, which means that the possession game was in our favor. We couldn’t do anything with [Pauly] Paulicap, he was a warrior in getting and-ones. We need to continue to get better at defending the basket. Overall, I thought our bench was the difference in this game, they outscored DePaul, 23-7. Dylan [Addae-Wusu], Isaih [Moore], Arnaldo [Toro], [John] McGriff came in and gave us good minutes, everybody off the bench was huge because it enabled the starters to get a breather and we were able to finish strong. That is what I like about this team right now; in the second half we are starting to come on stronger. Even as DePaul was making their runs, and you have a guy like Charlie Moore who is a super basketball player and then Paulicap who had a double-double with 16 and 16, it took everything for us to play well and win on the road. You have to shoot the ball well and we shot the ball well, got to the free-throw line and made as many as they did, so overall, it was a good team win.”
On how he feels about where the team is at having won four of five games…
“I think that we are playing for each other now. You can see that we are more connected defensively. We are doing a better job at the basket in terms of blocking shots and getting out on the break and we are sharing the basketball. Our bench is also playing well, and guys are understanding their roles a little bit better. You look at Vince [Cole], who has been thrust into the starting lineup, and what a way for him to come out and perform on the road. I thought he was big, even in the second half with the three he made with the clock running down right in front of our bench. That was huge. I don’t know how he got it off. I think [Julian Champagnie] had the same thing take place, so we are getting better and that is all I ask as a coach to just get better.”
On Julian Champagnie playing through injuries throughout the game…
“I think he tweaked his ankle, but it is called life in the BIG EAST. He came out of halftime after having to go and get taped-up but showed the warrior mentality that you have to play with, so I was proud of him and his leadership. For him to do that and come back out, it says a lot to the other guys on our basketball team. You have to play through some things, and I was really proud of Rasheem [Dunn] as well. He had nine assists, made some clutch free-throws, and played great defense all game. Again, guys are starting to impact this team in different ways, and I love it because it is coming from the defensive-side first.”
On the play of Isaih Moore…
“Isaih was big for us. I mean, he was finishing off plays, being active, and the only thing I didn’t like was the technical foul he got because sometimes you have got to shut your mouth. Other than that, I thought he brought energy and played the game the right way. He was active and I always say to try and not give the opponent anything easy, and he ended up fouling-out of the game. That tells me he was leaving it all out on the floor, and that is so important for our basketball team. When you have got a guy of that caliber coming off the bench, and when he is playing well, that is even more important for our basketball team.”
On the play of Vince Cole…
“There has been an opportunity for him to step-up and get into the starting lineup and put his impact on our basketball team. What we lack is what he brings to the table. He is a guy who can score, stretch the floor, put it on the floor, and now he is even using his length on the defensive side of the ball. He is playing with more assertion and being more aggressive in how he plays. Sometimes guys can just try to fit-in, but that period is over. You have got to bring it every night.”
Junior Vince Cole
On the feeling around the team …
“We’re just hungry and working harder every day. We see that we can really be one of the best teams in the BIG EAST, so when we improve it’s just a testaments to how hard we have been working.”
On getting more playing time with Greg Williams Jr. out…
“I don’t feel like I have to do more. I just want to step-in when the team needs me and be a great team player. I just bring everything I can to the table every day, play hard, and bring my best to the team.”
On playing In the BIG EAST …
“It is more physical and definitely there is better scouting, so we have just got to continue to work harder. I am finding my niche and some other things that I can do to just play harder. Me and Coach [Anderson] just had a talk, and he just told me to be yourself and everything else will fall into place.”
On why his shots are falling more frequently of late…
“I am just working harder and going through repetition. I never lost my confidence, just kept shooting, and my teammates believed in me and kept passing me the ball, so I have to shoot.”
On the difference in the team’s defense of late …
“Aggressive, very aggressive. I mean, from top-to-bottom, everybody has been playing their role on defense, and we just picked it up a whole lot. We have seen that we can’t just win games with offense, so our defense always has to be tip-top, especially on the road.”
Opening statement…
“It was a good team win. Guys came in and when you look at the stat-line, 20 assists on 30 field goals, that means that guys were sharing the basketball. I thought our defense got us going early-on and Vince [Cole], he had it going early-on. Then other guys were able to follow. I thought that we were in attack-mode, up and down the floor and the tempo was to our liking. We only had four turnovers at halftime, which means that the possession game was in our favor. We couldn’t do anything with [Pauly] Paulicap, he was a warrior in getting and-ones. We need to continue to get better at defending the basket. Overall, I thought our bench was the difference in this game, they outscored DePaul, 23-7. Dylan [Addae-Wusu], Isaih [Moore], Arnaldo [Toro], [John] McGriff came in and gave us good minutes, everybody off the bench was huge because it enabled the starters to get a breather and we were able to finish strong. That is what I like about this team right now; in the second half we are starting to come on stronger. Even as DePaul was making their runs, and you have a guy like Charlie Moore who is a super basketball player and then Paulicap who had a double-double with 16 and 16, it took everything for us to play well and win on the road. You have to shoot the ball well and we shot the ball well, got to the free-throw line and made as many as they did, so overall, it was a good team win.”
On how he feels about where the team is at having won four of five games…
“I think that we are playing for each other now. You can see that we are more connected defensively. We are doing a better job at the basket in terms of blocking shots and getting out on the break and we are sharing the basketball. Our bench is also playing well, and guys are understanding their roles a little bit better. You look at Vince [Cole], who has been thrust into the starting lineup, and what a way for him to come out and perform on the road. I thought he was big, even in the second half with the three he made with the clock running down right in front of our bench. That was huge. I don’t know how he got it off. I think [Julian Champagnie] had the same thing take place, so we are getting better and that is all I ask as a coach to just get better.”
On Julian Champagnie playing through injuries throughout the game…
“I think he tweaked his ankle, but it is called life in the BIG EAST. He came out of halftime after having to go and get taped-up but showed the warrior mentality that you have to play with, so I was proud of him and his leadership. For him to do that and come back out, it says a lot to the other guys on our basketball team. You have to play through some things, and I was really proud of Rasheem [Dunn] as well. He had nine assists, made some clutch free-throws, and played great defense all game. Again, guys are starting to impact this team in different ways, and I love it because it is coming from the defensive-side first.”
On the play of Isaih Moore…
“Isaih was big for us. I mean, he was finishing off plays, being active, and the only thing I didn’t like was the technical foul he got because sometimes you have got to shut your mouth. Other than that, I thought he brought energy and played the game the right way. He was active and I always say to try and not give the opponent anything easy, and he ended up fouling-out of the game. That tells me he was leaving it all out on the floor, and that is so important for our basketball team. When you have got a guy of that caliber coming off the bench, and when he is playing well, that is even more important for our basketball team.”
On the play of Vince Cole…
“There has been an opportunity for him to step-up and get into the starting lineup and put his impact on our basketball team. What we lack is what he brings to the table. He is a guy who can score, stretch the floor, put it on the floor, and now he is even using his length on the defensive side of the ball. He is playing with more assertion and being more aggressive in how he plays. Sometimes guys can just try to fit-in, but that period is over. You have got to bring it every night.”
Junior Vince Cole
On the feeling around the team …
“We’re just hungry and working harder every day. We see that we can really be one of the best teams in the BIG EAST, so when we improve it’s just a testaments to how hard we have been working.”
On getting more playing time with Greg Williams Jr. out…
“I don’t feel like I have to do more. I just want to step-in when the team needs me and be a great team player. I just bring everything I can to the table every day, play hard, and bring my best to the team.”
On playing In the BIG EAST …
“It is more physical and definitely there is better scouting, so we have just got to continue to work harder. I am finding my niche and some other things that I can do to just play harder. Me and Coach [Anderson] just had a talk, and he just told me to be yourself and everything else will fall into place.”
On why his shots are falling more frequently of late…
“I am just working harder and going through repetition. I never lost my confidence, just kept shooting, and my teammates believed in me and kept passing me the ball, so I have to shoot.”
On the difference in the team’s defense of late …
“Aggressive, very aggressive. I mean, from top-to-bottom, everybody has been playing their role on defense, and we just picked it up a whole lot. We have seen that we can’t just win games with offense, so our defense always has to be tip-top, especially on the road.”