St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: St. John's vs. St. Francis Brooklyn
St. John’s Head Coach Joe Tartamella, redshirt senior guard Kadaja Bailey and redshirt senior guard Jayla Everett spoke to the media after a 73-51 win over St. Francis Brooklyn on Friday
St. John’s Head Coach Joe Tartamella
Opening statement…
“The way we started the game, I thought, was great. I thought we played probably the worst quarter we’ve had in the last few games that we’ve had in the second quarter, but we righted ourselves and had a nice 20 minutes. We talked about being much better in the second half. We staggered a little bit in the second quarter. We were sluggish in how we were playing. I thought we had great energy coming out of the locker room. We were able to slow them down with their points in the paint and on the glass. I thought Jayla [Everett] and Kadaja [Bailey] gave us really good effort. I thought Jayla’s energy changed the game for us in the second half, and she took over.”
On what he said to the team at halftime…
“I said that we are certainly capable of playing better and with better pace and execution. I didn’t like the way we looked, our body language and the energy level that we were bringing to the game. We showed some things that were important for us to see too. It was important for our staff and me to see where we need to adjust things and how things will be sometimes when they get hard. It was good to see that and be able to find a way to adjust in the second half. Mostly, I said we needed to change our posture and play with the confidence we’ve played with.”
On what he wants the team to improve on…
“I would hope that we do a better job guarding as a group, being in our stance and doing certain things that we’ve talked about committing too. That’s a big part of it, and we’ll continue to get more comfortable as we see changing defenses through the year.”
On Kadaja Bailey’s progression as a player…
“There’s games where you watch Kadaja and you don’t think that she really does much. She kind of floats through the game, and then there’s games like the other night where she’s everywhere. She took a hit yesterday, so I was to glad to see her play the way she did. She’s been different in how she’s approached the game mentally. You’re seeing her attack and be more confident in how she’s playing. I think that’s partly due to her teammates and the confidence they’re giving her. She’s an older player now, and the maturity level has changed. For her to be successful, she need to stay consistent. I’ve been pleased with her effort on a daily basis. I wish people could see what I saw since she’s been here.
Redshirt senior guard Kadaja Bailey
On what changed in the second half…
“I would say our defense [changed]. Our offense comes from our defense, and that’s what we focused on, getting stops.
Redshirt senior guard Jayla Everett
On her shooting from three-point range…
“Looking at this [box score], I don’t think I shot that well, but I just kept shooting.”
Opening statement…
“The way we started the game, I thought, was great. I thought we played probably the worst quarter we’ve had in the last few games that we’ve had in the second quarter, but we righted ourselves and had a nice 20 minutes. We talked about being much better in the second half. We staggered a little bit in the second quarter. We were sluggish in how we were playing. I thought we had great energy coming out of the locker room. We were able to slow them down with their points in the paint and on the glass. I thought Jayla [Everett] and Kadaja [Bailey] gave us really good effort. I thought Jayla’s energy changed the game for us in the second half, and she took over.”
On what he said to the team at halftime…
“I said that we are certainly capable of playing better and with better pace and execution. I didn’t like the way we looked, our body language and the energy level that we were bringing to the game. We showed some things that were important for us to see too. It was important for our staff and me to see where we need to adjust things and how things will be sometimes when they get hard. It was good to see that and be able to find a way to adjust in the second half. Mostly, I said we needed to change our posture and play with the confidence we’ve played with.”
On what he wants the team to improve on…
“I would hope that we do a better job guarding as a group, being in our stance and doing certain things that we’ve talked about committing too. That’s a big part of it, and we’ll continue to get more comfortable as we see changing defenses through the year.”
On Kadaja Bailey’s progression as a player…
“There’s games where you watch Kadaja and you don’t think that she really does much. She kind of floats through the game, and then there’s games like the other night where she’s everywhere. She took a hit yesterday, so I was to glad to see her play the way she did. She’s been different in how she’s approached the game mentally. You’re seeing her attack and be more confident in how she’s playing. I think that’s partly due to her teammates and the confidence they’re giving her. She’s an older player now, and the maturity level has changed. For her to be successful, she need to stay consistent. I’ve been pleased with her effort on a daily basis. I wish people could see what I saw since she’s been here.
Redshirt senior guard Kadaja Bailey
On what changed in the second half…
“I would say our defense [changed]. Our offense comes from our defense, and that’s what we focused on, getting stops.
Redshirt senior guard Jayla Everett
On her shooting from three-point range…
“Looking at this [box score], I don’t think I shot that well, but I just kept shooting.”