St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: St. John’s vs. NJIT
Head Coach Mike Anderson, sophomore Posh Alexander and junior Joel Soriano spoke with the media following a 77-68 overtime win against NJIT.
St. John’s Head Coach Mike Anderson
Opening statement…
“I was proud of our guys for finding a way. … [NJIT] just would not go away, even in the second half. … I thought it was a sluggish performance. At the end of the day, we found a way to win. I think that’s going to serve well for our basketball team from the standpoint of being in a game where you have to make plays going down the stretch. We had the ball with 26 seconds [left] and we didn’t get a shot off, but we got into overtime and I thought our defense picked up. We’ll take the win.”
On going to the bench…
“That’s part of preparing your team. I’m always going to put those guys in situations where the game is on the line. They are going to have to help us in the end. The strength of our team is going to be our bench. Those guys have to continue to work and become a unit.”
On the team’s performance…
“I thought our defense was pretty adequate at times. … I thought we did a good job on the glass. We got a big lift with Esahia [Nyiwe] coming off the bench. He gave us great energy. He was protecting the rim. I thought he played well. If I had a game ball for a guy who has been sitting there, it would be him.”
On having Posh Alexander back on the floor…
“I think it’s contagious. You see guys flying around on the floor. We were in a scramble mode. Our rotations were much better. ... He ignites our defense and we talk about wanting to be a defensive team.”
Sophomore Posh Alexander
On the team’s defense early in the second half…
“It’s in us. We go hard [playing] with each other in practice each day. When it happens I’m not surprised because I know that’s what we’re capable of. At that moment, we told each other we needed to get a few stops in a row. We got locked in and the game turned around for us.”
On getting ready for Kansas on Friday…
“We’re going to take it day-by-day. Get better in practice every day as a unit. We need to get better on the defensive end. … We just need to focus on getting better in practice then show out when we play.”
On how the team can improve…
“I want to see us play strong defense for 40 minutes. I want to see us out there being aggressive, locking [players] up and getting stops for 40 minutes.”
Junior center Joel Soriano
On scoring 16 points and grabbing nine rebounds…
“I haven’t been there for my team and I woke up today. … Coach [Mike] Anderson told me to play hard and that’s what I did. … It helped my confidence a lot. I know what I’m capable of. I want to credit my teammates for continuing to push me and believe in me.”
Opening statement…
“I was proud of our guys for finding a way. … [NJIT] just would not go away, even in the second half. … I thought it was a sluggish performance. At the end of the day, we found a way to win. I think that’s going to serve well for our basketball team from the standpoint of being in a game where you have to make plays going down the stretch. We had the ball with 26 seconds [left] and we didn’t get a shot off, but we got into overtime and I thought our defense picked up. We’ll take the win.”
On going to the bench…
“That’s part of preparing your team. I’m always going to put those guys in situations where the game is on the line. They are going to have to help us in the end. The strength of our team is going to be our bench. Those guys have to continue to work and become a unit.”
On the team’s performance…
“I thought our defense was pretty adequate at times. … I thought we did a good job on the glass. We got a big lift with Esahia [Nyiwe] coming off the bench. He gave us great energy. He was protecting the rim. I thought he played well. If I had a game ball for a guy who has been sitting there, it would be him.”
On having Posh Alexander back on the floor…
“I think it’s contagious. You see guys flying around on the floor. We were in a scramble mode. Our rotations were much better. ... He ignites our defense and we talk about wanting to be a defensive team.”
Sophomore Posh Alexander
On the team’s defense early in the second half…
“It’s in us. We go hard [playing] with each other in practice each day. When it happens I’m not surprised because I know that’s what we’re capable of. At that moment, we told each other we needed to get a few stops in a row. We got locked in and the game turned around for us.”
On getting ready for Kansas on Friday…
“We’re going to take it day-by-day. Get better in practice every day as a unit. We need to get better on the defensive end. … We just need to focus on getting better in practice then show out when we play.”
On how the team can improve…
“I want to see us play strong defense for 40 minutes. I want to see us out there being aggressive, locking [players] up and getting stops for 40 minutes.”
Junior center Joel Soriano
On scoring 16 points and grabbing nine rebounds…
“I haven’t been there for my team and I woke up today. … Coach [Mike] Anderson told me to play hard and that’s what I did. … It helped my confidence a lot. I know what I’m capable of. I want to credit my teammates for continuing to push me and believe in me.”