St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: St. John’s vs. Saint Peter’s
St. John’s juniors Julian Champagnie and Joel Soriano along with Head Coach Mike Anderson spoke to the media following Saturday’s win over Saint Peter’s
St. John’s Head Coach Mike Anderson
Opening statement…
“We wanted to come out and establish defensively how we wanted to play. I believe we did that. We were active. ... We emphasized to our guys to keep them out of the lane and to use our size advantage on the glass, and of course we made some shots. We had good ball movement, some timely shots and guys coming off the bench giving us great energy. It was a good energy game. When you get a lead like that, you always worry about the letdown. We saw some of that, but overall, I thought our guys played together. The guys that came off the bench gave us quality minutes. Joel [Soriano] came out and established himself early on and got their big guy in foul trouble. I thought that was a big key in the game.”
On the improvement of this year’s team...
“You look at the guys that came back from last year, obviously they learned something. I thought this game was going to be a will of tempos. We have more guys that fit up-tempo in terms of how we want to play. We have some length. We have some athletic ability. We have older guys. These guys are getting better and better. Whether it be Dylan [Addae-Wusu], Julian [Champagnie] or Posh [Alexander], they set the table for us. These guys follow their leads. That’s the biggest part of it. I think more guys fit what we want to do and how we want to play.”
On preparing his team to face Indiana on Wednesday...
“It is another test. Our first game [against Mississippi Valley State] we were up big and we won big. Sometimes you get false illusions in that kind of game. Now, we come back and play a Saint Peter’s team that played at VCU and had a chance to win that game. Heading to Indiana, we have to continue to get better. That’s the biggest key. We can get better in a lot of departments. In the second half, we gave up [43] points tonight. We let them eventually win the rebound war because we were ahead. We can still clean up some things. We have to continue to execute when we’re up.”
On Rafael Pinzon...
“I think he is figuring it out. That’s all. He’s been practicing unbelievably. He’s played some games where he has played well. That’s typical for freshman; there are going to be ups and downs. He’ll figure it out. I think he’s smart enough. He has a moxie. He wants to be on the floor, so he’s going to keep fighting and doing the things he has to do.”
Junior center Joel Soriano
On how the team is coming together…
“We’ve been together since June. We’ve had time to mesh and find out where our weaknesses and our strengths. We work hard every day. The amount of work we’ve put in is going to show. The harder we work in practice, the harder we’re going to play in games. Coach [Anderson] emphasizes that we have to be a team. We’re not where we want to be yet as a team but we’ll get there.”
On adjusting to St. John’s up-tempo play style…
“The pace here is definitely different. We are a run-and-gun team, we play fast and press a lot. The pace has been the biggest difference and I like to get out and run, it’s fun.”
Junior forward Julian Champagnie
On Posh Alexander...
“We all love Posh. He’s a guy who passes the rock and does it extremely well, as you can see he had nine assists today. Our expectations for Posh [Alexander] are super high, we expect him to perform like that and he always does.”
On the team’s defense...
“Our energy on defense has really stood out to me. … The defense is where we’ve taken a step so far, everyone has been active on defense, even though we had some breakdowns. We are able to come together on the next play, talk through it and go out there and execute.
On the team’s readiness for its next game at Indiana...
“We still have two days of practice before that game, so we’ll have to tighten up some loose ends. We plan to go out there for a tough battle.”
Opening statement…
“We wanted to come out and establish defensively how we wanted to play. I believe we did that. We were active. ... We emphasized to our guys to keep them out of the lane and to use our size advantage on the glass, and of course we made some shots. We had good ball movement, some timely shots and guys coming off the bench giving us great energy. It was a good energy game. When you get a lead like that, you always worry about the letdown. We saw some of that, but overall, I thought our guys played together. The guys that came off the bench gave us quality minutes. Joel [Soriano] came out and established himself early on and got their big guy in foul trouble. I thought that was a big key in the game.”
On the improvement of this year’s team...
“You look at the guys that came back from last year, obviously they learned something. I thought this game was going to be a will of tempos. We have more guys that fit up-tempo in terms of how we want to play. We have some length. We have some athletic ability. We have older guys. These guys are getting better and better. Whether it be Dylan [Addae-Wusu], Julian [Champagnie] or Posh [Alexander], they set the table for us. These guys follow their leads. That’s the biggest part of it. I think more guys fit what we want to do and how we want to play.”
On preparing his team to face Indiana on Wednesday...
“It is another test. Our first game [against Mississippi Valley State] we were up big and we won big. Sometimes you get false illusions in that kind of game. Now, we come back and play a Saint Peter’s team that played at VCU and had a chance to win that game. Heading to Indiana, we have to continue to get better. That’s the biggest key. We can get better in a lot of departments. In the second half, we gave up [43] points tonight. We let them eventually win the rebound war because we were ahead. We can still clean up some things. We have to continue to execute when we’re up.”
On Rafael Pinzon...
“I think he is figuring it out. That’s all. He’s been practicing unbelievably. He’s played some games where he has played well. That’s typical for freshman; there are going to be ups and downs. He’ll figure it out. I think he’s smart enough. He has a moxie. He wants to be on the floor, so he’s going to keep fighting and doing the things he has to do.”
Junior center Joel Soriano
On how the team is coming together…
“We’ve been together since June. We’ve had time to mesh and find out where our weaknesses and our strengths. We work hard every day. The amount of work we’ve put in is going to show. The harder we work in practice, the harder we’re going to play in games. Coach [Anderson] emphasizes that we have to be a team. We’re not where we want to be yet as a team but we’ll get there.”
On adjusting to St. John’s up-tempo play style…
“The pace here is definitely different. We are a run-and-gun team, we play fast and press a lot. The pace has been the biggest difference and I like to get out and run, it’s fun.”
Junior forward Julian Champagnie
On Posh Alexander...
“We all love Posh. He’s a guy who passes the rock and does it extremely well, as you can see he had nine assists today. Our expectations for Posh [Alexander] are super high, we expect him to perform like that and he always does.”
On the team’s defense...
“Our energy on defense has really stood out to me. … The defense is where we’ve taken a step so far, everyone has been active on defense, even though we had some breakdowns. We are able to come together on the next play, talk through it and go out there and execute.
On the team’s readiness for its next game at Indiana...
“We still have two days of practice before that game, so we’ll have to tighten up some loose ends. We plan to go out there for a tough battle.”