St. John's University Athletics
QUOTES: 2023 St. John’s Men's Basketball Media Day
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino and Red Storm student-athletes met with the media on Tuesday at Carnesecca Arena
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino
Opening statement…
“Well good afternoon, we are very excited to play against someone other than ourselves this weekend. We get a chance to play against a very well-coached Rutgers basketball team and all the funds that are collected go to pediatric cancer [research]. We are very excited to see where we are as a team at this point, because we have 14 players learning a completely new offensive and defensive systems with the exception of the three players that came from Iona. It will be a challenge for us to play this soon against a great team like Rutgers, but we are also very excited to get on the court and compete against them.”
On the team’s status entering the charity exhibition with Rutgers…
“… Against Rutgers, we will play 10 people and probably sub by units, trying to make the units balanced as far as experienced guys playing with young players. I think we are a very deep team that I’m confident in.”
On the strength of the BIG EAST Conference…
“I was a part of the BIG EAST when we had nine teams make the tournament in 2011 and it was certainly very strong. It seems very strong today. I think it will be a very strong, a very difficult conference to win on the road and we are going to get better each week. The players don’t know each other really well yet … but I see tremendous improvement.”
On rebuilding the St. John’s Basketball brand…
“I get a chance now to walk around the streets of New York and the comments are awesome. Just people yelling ‘Go Johnnies!’ and I’ve never had that before. Everyone is looking forward to it. There is an anticipation and excitement about us. Now we have to prove it. I think when you build a brand it starts with winning. It starts with creating a style of play that everyone loves to see and I think we are doing that right now. It starts with building an exciting schedule. I want to get back to playing great teams all the time in the non-conference [schedule] and then you have the BIG EAST. We’re building a brand where it is a great schedule, great style of play, winning, obviously, and recruiting great players.”
On the team’s development…
“We have an outstanding group right now and the thing about this team is they are barely scratching their potential. The guy with the most upside on our basketball team right now is Joel [Soriano]. Yesterday was by far his best practice, but he has the most growth [potential] of anyone on our team. He is in great shape and when you get in great shape, you can do things you didn’t think you could do. He’s improving, making one, two or three 3-pointers every practice and he has never made a three in his career.“
On adjusting to the transfer portal…
“Well, sometimes in a very short period of time, you want to make sure the players fit into the style of play, and fortunately, these players do. I definitely don’t want to go away from [recruiting] freshmen. We have two who I think are off-the-chart freshman. These are the rules that we are playing under right now and we are going to make the best of it. We are going to compete against anyone in the nation recruiting wise. We have our master plan.
On the team’s character…
“Every coach says what great kids they have, but you can’t find the character we have. I’ve never had 14 players like this. There are always a couple guys you have to keep one eye open at night and with these guys I don’t have to worry about that one bit. Their parents did a fabulous job. They are just incredible. I message them five or six times a night and they all always message me back. They are a great group and they can flat out play.”
St. John’s center Joel Soriano
On being team captain…
“To be honest with you, I’m still learning the role of being a captain. I’m still learning this group. It's 12 new guys for me, so I’m still learning what they like and what they don’t like. I’m learning how to approach them on the court and how to help them in every way.”
On developing his 3-point shot…
“We’ve been shooting a lot of threes. Coach Pitino does individual workouts in small groups of three to four guys, so we each get a lot of shots up. Coach says that if you’re working on your shot, you can take the shots in the game. I’m just building my confidence and I have to keep working and repping it out.”
On team’s talent level…
“The sky is the limit for us. I feel like we are very deep in every position. Every guy on our team brings something different to the game. Saturday will be a big test for us to see where we are at as a team. We have been playing against each other since June, so we all know each other's moves. Saturday will show us how we fair against other teams.”
On reviving the St John’s Basketball culture…
“I think it's long overdue. Fans here are eager for it, they have been waiting. It's hard to explain and it's going to be a feeling that is out of this world.”
On Coach Pitino’s expectations…
“The night before he got the job, we met up for dinner. We talked a little about last season and what he expects from me and the team. I told him that I needed someone to always put a foot on my neck. The stuff that he says, is what I signed up for.”
St. John’s guard Jordan Dingle
On versatility at the guard position…
“It's been a challenge, but I’m somebody who doesn’t shy away from them and I think the experiences will help me grow as a person. Daniss Jenkins is a great point guard and he's played in the system for Coach Pitino. He knows all the plays that we run, so he will be a great point guard for this team. I’m just trying to find ways to contribute to this team without being the dominant ball guard.”
On the team's defensive scheme…
“We place a lot of emphasis on getting deflections and turnovers. It’s one thing that is tracked every single day in practice. We usually look to get at least five per person and we have been pretty good at hitting our marks.”
On playing for his hometown team…
“I’ve had a lot of people who were around when St. John’s was really good tell me that there was a lot of buzz in the city. I’m really looking forward to reaching the success that people are expecting out of us. I think it would mean a lot for me as a leader of this team to help everybody reach their potential.”
St. John’s guard Nahiem Alleyne
On the strength of the team…
“I would say that the depth is one of our biggest strengths. We have a lot of good guards and good bigs. I feel like we are going to be a very good transition team because we are going to be running up and down the court. We are also going to be the most well-conditioned team out there and that is going to be what defines us.”
On the team’s depth and experience…
“We have a lot of older guys, so we know what it takes to play in big games and the young guys are going to lean on us to win games. Details and preparation are what's going to help us win games.”
On playing for Head Coach Rick Pitino…
“Coach Pitino is a player’s coach. He wants the best out of you and he’s going to do whatever he has to do to get the most out of you. Coach Pitino has been everywhere. He’s a legendary coach and he is the formula. He is the guy that will help you maximize your potential.”
St. John’s guard Simeon Wilcher:
On having the opportunity to play for St. John’s…
“It means a lot to have an opportunity here and to play somewhere that’s close to home. That’s the big thing to me.”
On the biggest adjustment from high school to college…
“I would say the biggest adjustment is the physicality. You are going to run into a bunch of older and stronger guys and that is something I have to adjust to. Of course, you go through the ups and downs of being a freshman, you go through your struggles, but I feel like my mentality is to take everything day-by-day and make the best out of everything.”
On his preseason development…
“I feel like I’ve developed a lot. I learned a lot from Coach. Just learning the smallest details and everything, all that stuff matters. Being here and playing here, I know it’s going to be one of the best things I can do for myself. He really knows what he is doing, helping prepare guys for their futures goals and aspirations because he has been doing it for 40 years.”
On playing at Madison Square Garden…
“I’m loving it. You can’t really ask to put yourself in a better situation playing at The Mecca. If you want to play anywhere, this is the place to be because if you win here, you get everything. Just playing out here, especially in The Garden, that is the biggest basketball stage in the country and having that opportunity is just second to none.”
Opening statement…
“Well good afternoon, we are very excited to play against someone other than ourselves this weekend. We get a chance to play against a very well-coached Rutgers basketball team and all the funds that are collected go to pediatric cancer [research]. We are very excited to see where we are as a team at this point, because we have 14 players learning a completely new offensive and defensive systems with the exception of the three players that came from Iona. It will be a challenge for us to play this soon against a great team like Rutgers, but we are also very excited to get on the court and compete against them.”
On the team’s status entering the charity exhibition with Rutgers…
“… Against Rutgers, we will play 10 people and probably sub by units, trying to make the units balanced as far as experienced guys playing with young players. I think we are a very deep team that I’m confident in.”
On the strength of the BIG EAST Conference…
“I was a part of the BIG EAST when we had nine teams make the tournament in 2011 and it was certainly very strong. It seems very strong today. I think it will be a very strong, a very difficult conference to win on the road and we are going to get better each week. The players don’t know each other really well yet … but I see tremendous improvement.”
On rebuilding the St. John’s Basketball brand…
“I get a chance now to walk around the streets of New York and the comments are awesome. Just people yelling ‘Go Johnnies!’ and I’ve never had that before. Everyone is looking forward to it. There is an anticipation and excitement about us. Now we have to prove it. I think when you build a brand it starts with winning. It starts with creating a style of play that everyone loves to see and I think we are doing that right now. It starts with building an exciting schedule. I want to get back to playing great teams all the time in the non-conference [schedule] and then you have the BIG EAST. We’re building a brand where it is a great schedule, great style of play, winning, obviously, and recruiting great players.”
On the team’s development…
“We have an outstanding group right now and the thing about this team is they are barely scratching their potential. The guy with the most upside on our basketball team right now is Joel [Soriano]. Yesterday was by far his best practice, but he has the most growth [potential] of anyone on our team. He is in great shape and when you get in great shape, you can do things you didn’t think you could do. He’s improving, making one, two or three 3-pointers every practice and he has never made a three in his career.“
On adjusting to the transfer portal…
“Well, sometimes in a very short period of time, you want to make sure the players fit into the style of play, and fortunately, these players do. I definitely don’t want to go away from [recruiting] freshmen. We have two who I think are off-the-chart freshman. These are the rules that we are playing under right now and we are going to make the best of it. We are going to compete against anyone in the nation recruiting wise. We have our master plan.
On the team’s character…
“Every coach says what great kids they have, but you can’t find the character we have. I’ve never had 14 players like this. There are always a couple guys you have to keep one eye open at night and with these guys I don’t have to worry about that one bit. Their parents did a fabulous job. They are just incredible. I message them five or six times a night and they all always message me back. They are a great group and they can flat out play.”
St. John’s center Joel Soriano
On being team captain…
“To be honest with you, I’m still learning the role of being a captain. I’m still learning this group. It's 12 new guys for me, so I’m still learning what they like and what they don’t like. I’m learning how to approach them on the court and how to help them in every way.”
On developing his 3-point shot…
“We’ve been shooting a lot of threes. Coach Pitino does individual workouts in small groups of three to four guys, so we each get a lot of shots up. Coach says that if you’re working on your shot, you can take the shots in the game. I’m just building my confidence and I have to keep working and repping it out.”
On team’s talent level…
“The sky is the limit for us. I feel like we are very deep in every position. Every guy on our team brings something different to the game. Saturday will be a big test for us to see where we are at as a team. We have been playing against each other since June, so we all know each other's moves. Saturday will show us how we fair against other teams.”
On reviving the St John’s Basketball culture…
“I think it's long overdue. Fans here are eager for it, they have been waiting. It's hard to explain and it's going to be a feeling that is out of this world.”
On Coach Pitino’s expectations…
“The night before he got the job, we met up for dinner. We talked a little about last season and what he expects from me and the team. I told him that I needed someone to always put a foot on my neck. The stuff that he says, is what I signed up for.”
St. John’s guard Jordan Dingle
On versatility at the guard position…
“It's been a challenge, but I’m somebody who doesn’t shy away from them and I think the experiences will help me grow as a person. Daniss Jenkins is a great point guard and he's played in the system for Coach Pitino. He knows all the plays that we run, so he will be a great point guard for this team. I’m just trying to find ways to contribute to this team without being the dominant ball guard.”
On the team's defensive scheme…
“We place a lot of emphasis on getting deflections and turnovers. It’s one thing that is tracked every single day in practice. We usually look to get at least five per person and we have been pretty good at hitting our marks.”
On playing for his hometown team…
“I’ve had a lot of people who were around when St. John’s was really good tell me that there was a lot of buzz in the city. I’m really looking forward to reaching the success that people are expecting out of us. I think it would mean a lot for me as a leader of this team to help everybody reach their potential.”
St. John’s guard Nahiem Alleyne
On the strength of the team…
“I would say that the depth is one of our biggest strengths. We have a lot of good guards and good bigs. I feel like we are going to be a very good transition team because we are going to be running up and down the court. We are also going to be the most well-conditioned team out there and that is going to be what defines us.”
On the team’s depth and experience…
“We have a lot of older guys, so we know what it takes to play in big games and the young guys are going to lean on us to win games. Details and preparation are what's going to help us win games.”
On playing for Head Coach Rick Pitino…
“Coach Pitino is a player’s coach. He wants the best out of you and he’s going to do whatever he has to do to get the most out of you. Coach Pitino has been everywhere. He’s a legendary coach and he is the formula. He is the guy that will help you maximize your potential.”
St. John’s guard Simeon Wilcher:
On having the opportunity to play for St. John’s…
“It means a lot to have an opportunity here and to play somewhere that’s close to home. That’s the big thing to me.”
On the biggest adjustment from high school to college…
“I would say the biggest adjustment is the physicality. You are going to run into a bunch of older and stronger guys and that is something I have to adjust to. Of course, you go through the ups and downs of being a freshman, you go through your struggles, but I feel like my mentality is to take everything day-by-day and make the best out of everything.”
On his preseason development…
“I feel like I’ve developed a lot. I learned a lot from Coach. Just learning the smallest details and everything, all that stuff matters. Being here and playing here, I know it’s going to be one of the best things I can do for myself. He really knows what he is doing, helping prepare guys for their futures goals and aspirations because he has been doing it for 40 years.”
On playing at Madison Square Garden…
“I’m loving it. You can’t really ask to put yourself in a better situation playing at The Mecca. If you want to play anywhere, this is the place to be because if you win here, you get everything. Just playing out here, especially in The Garden, that is the biggest basketball stage in the country and having that opportunity is just second to none.”