St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: St. John’s vs. Butler
St. John’s Head Coach Mike Anderson, senior center Joel Soriano and junior guard Posh Alexander spoke with the media following a 77-61 win over Butler at Carnesecca Arena on Tuesday
St. John’s Head Coach Mike Anderson
Opening Statement…
“Our guys were happy to get on the other side of the [win-loss] column. We’ve had some tough losses. I thought defense was the difference in this game tonight. … I thought our defense was good in the first half. The guys coming off the bench provided the big energy lift that you have to have in this kind of game. We had 15 deflections. I told our guys at halftime that they were being active. At the end of the day, you’re starting to see a more balanced team. We got 32 [points] from our bench tonight. We’ll take it, and it’s on to the next.”
On building momentum…
“We didn’t get rewarded for the Providence game. I thought we played well with the exception of a couple plays. We always talk about taking care of our home [court]. We went out and continued to play winning basketball. We’ll build on it. We built on what we did in the [Providence] game. Hopefully, we will build on this as well.”
On Joel Soriano’s fast start…
“He’s established himself as one of the better big guys, not only in our conference, but in the country. I’m glad to see we’re taking advantage of it. He gives us an inside presence and our guys are able to get into the lanes. You have to take advantage of that. He was named the official captain of our team in pregame today, so it was great to see him come out and have that kind of performance.”
On AJ Storr…
“He’s a freshman, but now, we’re 18 games into the season, so he’s a little bit more comfortable. He brings something to the table that we need. We need someone to stretch the floor. We’ve seen his athletic ability. The thing that I most proud of in AJ is that he’s taking pride on defense. You’re seeing his development take place and with development comes confidence.”
Senior Center Joel Soriano
On his 15th double-double of the season…
“I play the game and I try to play every game as hard as I can. The numbers that I am having, do not mean anything if we don’t win the game. I am never satisfied. We go out to try and win every game.“
On snapping the team’s five-game skid…
“It feels great. We finally got over the wall that was in front of us. We are just trying to keep stacking these on top of each other. We will enjoy this win until midnight, then prepare for UConn this weekend.“
On what the close game at Providence meant for the team…
“I think the Providence game, we really took a step forward. We are just trying to build on that each game. The BIG EAST is a very tough and physical conference. If we want to be one of the top contenders in the conference, we have to have really good defense. That is what we emphasize in practice and it got way better today.”
Junior Guard Posh Alexander
On his career-high effort in steals…
“In the first few games of the season, I haven’t been hanging my head on defense. Starting with the game at Providence, I told myself I have to get back to who I was. I am just really locked in on defense and today shows that.”
On his and Andre Curbelo’s defense abilities…
“I think that it’s a big difference for our team. We are both really good defenders and when we lead the pack, everyone else is following along with our great big man Joel [Soriano] and a great team that helps a lot. By us playing well, it boosts everyone’s play as well.”
On Rafael Pinzon’s contribution to the team…
“Pinzon is a big-time player. Every time he is on the floor, it shows. He is a great scorer, shooter and at the same time he is playing defense. This team loves when he is on the court and when he is healthy.”
Opening Statement…
“Our guys were happy to get on the other side of the [win-loss] column. We’ve had some tough losses. I thought defense was the difference in this game tonight. … I thought our defense was good in the first half. The guys coming off the bench provided the big energy lift that you have to have in this kind of game. We had 15 deflections. I told our guys at halftime that they were being active. At the end of the day, you’re starting to see a more balanced team. We got 32 [points] from our bench tonight. We’ll take it, and it’s on to the next.”
On building momentum…
“We didn’t get rewarded for the Providence game. I thought we played well with the exception of a couple plays. We always talk about taking care of our home [court]. We went out and continued to play winning basketball. We’ll build on it. We built on what we did in the [Providence] game. Hopefully, we will build on this as well.”
On Joel Soriano’s fast start…
“He’s established himself as one of the better big guys, not only in our conference, but in the country. I’m glad to see we’re taking advantage of it. He gives us an inside presence and our guys are able to get into the lanes. You have to take advantage of that. He was named the official captain of our team in pregame today, so it was great to see him come out and have that kind of performance.”
On AJ Storr…
“He’s a freshman, but now, we’re 18 games into the season, so he’s a little bit more comfortable. He brings something to the table that we need. We need someone to stretch the floor. We’ve seen his athletic ability. The thing that I most proud of in AJ is that he’s taking pride on defense. You’re seeing his development take place and with development comes confidence.”
Senior Center Joel Soriano
On his 15th double-double of the season…
“I play the game and I try to play every game as hard as I can. The numbers that I am having, do not mean anything if we don’t win the game. I am never satisfied. We go out to try and win every game.“
On snapping the team’s five-game skid…
“It feels great. We finally got over the wall that was in front of us. We are just trying to keep stacking these on top of each other. We will enjoy this win until midnight, then prepare for UConn this weekend.“
On what the close game at Providence meant for the team…
“I think the Providence game, we really took a step forward. We are just trying to build on that each game. The BIG EAST is a very tough and physical conference. If we want to be one of the top contenders in the conference, we have to have really good defense. That is what we emphasize in practice and it got way better today.”
Junior Guard Posh Alexander
On his career-high effort in steals…
“In the first few games of the season, I haven’t been hanging my head on defense. Starting with the game at Providence, I told myself I have to get back to who I was. I am just really locked in on defense and today shows that.”
On his and Andre Curbelo’s defense abilities…
“I think that it’s a big difference for our team. We are both really good defenders and when we lead the pack, everyone else is following along with our great big man Joel [Soriano] and a great team that helps a lot. By us playing well, it boosts everyone’s play as well.”
On Rafael Pinzon’s contribution to the team…
“Pinzon is a big-time player. Every time he is on the floor, it shows. He is a great scorer, shooter and at the same time he is playing defense. This team loves when he is on the court and when he is healthy.”