St. John's University Athletics
QUOTES: 2023 BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Media Day
St. John’s Head Coach Rick Pitino, Joel Soriano and Daniss Jenkins met with the media at BIG EAST Media Day on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden
St. John’s Head Coach Rick Pitino
On the 2023-24 roster …
“We have [12] new faces and the toughest thing for us has been to get the guys to know each other’s skill set and getting them to communicate defensively. We are basically starting from scratch and that’s been tedious to say the least, but it’s been very enjoyable.”
On what fans can expect from the Red Storm this year…
“Very similar to our exhibition game. We played Rutgers to a double-overtime game. Both teams just played with a lot of heart and made a lot of mistakes early on, but both teams played their tails off. I think that’s what our fans should expect from us. We are going to give every ounce of perspiration we have in us to try and get a victory.”
On the current BIG EAST Conference...
“I was in the conference two other times and the road was very difficult. I haven’t been to Creighton yet and that will be new to me. At one time, this conference had nine or 10 teams in the NCAA [Tournament]. I think this conference is as strong this year as any other time in the history of the BIG EAST, which is saying something.”
On being back at Madison Square Garden...
“I’m looking forward to this year as much as I have in any time in my coaching history because its back home. I still remember my New York Knicks press conference. … The Garden has changed immensely, about two billion dollars added into it, but still the same freight elevator to get to the locker room. There have been a lot of changes but it’s the great history and I’m so excited to be back a part of it.”
On the outlook for the BIG EAST…
“Last year, [the BIG EAST] almost had three teams in the Final Four. There are a lot of teams with a host of players back. I think Georgetown, St. John’s, Seton Hall are all back rebuilding their brand and will make some noise this year.”
On winning at St. John’s…
“St. John’s is special and for me building St. John’s up to a national power would just be an incredible experience for everyone that I call a friend or family member.”
On assembling the 2023-24 roster…
“I had three prerequisites that I wanted in this recruiting class. I wanted great athletes who were great people. Then I wanted to make sure they had high goals for themselves so they could take their goals and turn them into something special. If you want to prosper the name on the back, play for the name on the front. That’s how you build a culture. When you play every single day in practice for the name on the front, the back will prosper. That is what we keep preaching to this team.”
On Chris Ledlum…
“Chris Ledlum is the starting four-man. He is an undersized four-man, but he can play the three or the four. He is 235 pounds and carries his weight very well. He is a terrific young man and really is a joy to coach.”
On reviving the St. John’s - Georgetown rivalry…
“I think we are both going to rise to a level of excellence together. [Georgetown Head Coach Ed Cooley] is a dear friend and I’ve known him for a long time. We are both ex-Providence College coaches. There is no doubt in my mind that he is a worker, he is a terrific coach, he is a great recruiter. I think both of us will rise to the level of excellence and we are trying to do that together. … It may take a year for the Georgetown fans to get behind their product but [the rivalry] will be back.”
On what a successful season for St. John’s would be…
“With any team, you must make the NCAA Tournament to be successful. I think that’s the gauge. I’ve been to seven Final Four’s, and I’ve also lost early in the tournament. Once you get in and get by the First Round, there are no one or two seeds anymore. You are all equal once you get to the Round of 32. Getting in the tournament is crucial. It’s what gives you hope and dreams. Look what St. Peter’s did. You know all the stories. Look at Loyola Chicago. I know it with Providence in 1987. I also know it in 1996 with [Kentucky], one of the greatest teams ever assembled. Success means getting into the tournament and that is going to be difficult in this conference because it’s a grind. I know this and I haven’t even coached one game [at St. John’s], but I know it just looking at that scoreboard and seeing all the players on it, it’s going to be a grind.”
St. John’s senior center Joel Soriano
On his leadership role …
“We just had our first exhibition game a couple days ago, so that was the first-time guys actually played a team like that, a Big Ten [team in Rutgers]. We had guys that came from the MAAC and guys that came straight out of high school. It’s just getting our guys up to speed on how physical our conference is, how much faster it is, and how the refs let you play. … I just try to be there for more of a mental aspect. I try to keep guys level-headed because as people know the college basketball season is a grind. There’s a lot of ups and downs and you have to go through a lot of adversity. … I’ve been trying to be a leader in the mental aspect – trying to pick up guys, showing them the ropes, showing them what I have learned from being here the past two years, and just being there for them.”
On the biggest adjustment with a new coach…
“I would say more of a mental aspect. I was told how much was going to be asked of me, but I didn’t know how much it was going to take on me mentally. Probably the pace too, it’s a different kind of pace and different kind of condition that I have to be in. I started to realize that a little later on.”
On ways the team has bonded off the court…
“We started doing a lot more stuff together like going bowling, going out to eat, just being in the crib with each other, playing [NBA] 2K, watching a game. … Just little stuff like that can go a long way for a team, because that’s what builds trust on the court, not just offensively, but defensively.”
On the goals he has for himself for this season…
“Personally, I don’t usually set goals on a personal level. I usually just do team goals, but one of my team goals is I want to make the NCAA Tournament. I want to play Friday night in the BIG EAST Tournament, win 20-plus games this year, and really just win. That has been my goal since I’ve been here.”
On the biggest difference in the team this year…
“I would say our attention to detail, like how much we prepare to get ready for teams. Rutgers, we were preparing for them since July. … Knowing their plays and their personnel. In that sense, watching film is more harped on, I think our attention to detail is way more different than last year. Our on-the-court stuff is our physicality, and our speed of the game is way different.”
On Rutgers exhibition…
“The exhibition was helpful for both teams because it showed where we were both at. Rutgers is a very well-coached team, and they have experience playing in the Big Ten, which is a very well-coached conference. I think there were a lot of positives that came to our team from that game. A lot of programs would be afraid to play a Power 5 team like that in the preseason because they don’t want to take their kids out of it, but I felt like it was a test. I would have rather had that test earlier then later in the season.”
On being named to Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team…
“I want to give credit to myself for all the hard work that I put in to get to where I am, but there is a lot of work to do. I don’t like looking at stuff like that because I haven’t done anything yet. It’s just a preseason poll, but I’m honored that people picked and voted for me. I’m just trying to get better than I was last year.”
On the buzz for the St. John’s men’s basketball program:
“It’s been very different than the past. Just walking through Queens, people come up to me saying they’re going to watch us and that they can’t wait for the season to start. I didn’t have that the first two years that I was here, so it is very exciting for not only me but for the team [to know] that we have people this eager to see us play. We have to win because I know the city is waiting for that.”
On what playing at Madison Square Garden…
“MSG is a home for St. John’s fans and for me as a player. It’s an unexplainable feeling to get to play here just based off the history and how many great athletes have played here. Being able to call this place my home court is an honor.”
St. John’s graduate student guard Daniss Jenkins
On team’s chemistry….
“I’m loving it. We are still teaching each other, still trying to put it all together. I’m loving the strides we are taking though. We are communicating better as a team and we’re just trying to work together.”
On his journey through college basketball….
“I still feel like this is an underdog story for me. I’ve been that my whole life and I really embrace it. It’s going to bleed into our whole team, because we all have the expectations of winning and bringing St. John’s back to where it belongs. For me, it’s been very humbling and very different, but I’m excited and ready for the challenge.”
On the difference in preparation between Iona and St. John’s….
“The difference is at Iona in some games you cannot play your best and still get the win, but here at St. John’s, there is no drop-off. Every single team is going to bring it and you can lose on any given night if you’re not ready to play. As far as Coach Pitino’s preparation, there is no difference because he's been saying no matter what level he is coaching at or what school he is coaching at, he is the same and he is going to be Rick Pitino.”
On the team following the Rutgers exhibition game…
“We did a lot of things well, but we also didn’t do a lot of things well at the same time. What I was doing was expected, I didn’t do anything but run the team, I tried to keep us together and tried to lead. We are still trying to come together on the defensive end. Coach Pitino is going to handle the offense, that is not going to be a problem. When it comes to defense, we need to know our coverages and learn how to talk and switch with each other. If we can get better at that I’ll feel really good.”
On exhibition game against Rutgers…
“In the second 20 minutes, I didn’t do a great job of getting us in the play early on and we got very stagnant on offense, which led to them getting a lot of buckets in transition. I think if you take that out, it would have been a very different ending. I think we let them get in transition a little too much and we didn’t get to run our offense in the second half. I think that’s why the game went the way it went.”
On playing with a talented group of guards…
“I tell each guard that I play with to just be you and to not worry about me. I tell them all the time that my job is to get everybody an open shot, so I run the floor, and you spot up. We have great spacing so I’m going to get you a shot. Just be you and be aggressive, don’t get caught up in watching me play. Make sure you are playing your game, because I can play on the ball or off the ball whatever we need to do to win.”
On playing in the BIG EAST…
“I know it’s definitely going to be very physical, and I know that all the teams are going to be very talented. I think it is the best league in college basketball, so you know what you have to bring it. I don’t like to psyche myself up too much or overthink anything, because it hasn’t happened yet, so you just have to prepare yourself and know the work you put in and trust it.”
On why fans should be excited for this season of basketball…
“Coach Pitino keeps saying that we should give every ounce that we have to compete. The way that we play is very exciting, we play up and down and we try to get many more possessions than our opponents, because it translates into points. We play a very exciting brand of basketball and that’s unique. [St. John’s] used to play that way when it was very good and we are trying to bring that back.”
On the 2023-24 roster …
“We have [12] new faces and the toughest thing for us has been to get the guys to know each other’s skill set and getting them to communicate defensively. We are basically starting from scratch and that’s been tedious to say the least, but it’s been very enjoyable.”
On what fans can expect from the Red Storm this year…
“Very similar to our exhibition game. We played Rutgers to a double-overtime game. Both teams just played with a lot of heart and made a lot of mistakes early on, but both teams played their tails off. I think that’s what our fans should expect from us. We are going to give every ounce of perspiration we have in us to try and get a victory.”
On the current BIG EAST Conference...
“I was in the conference two other times and the road was very difficult. I haven’t been to Creighton yet and that will be new to me. At one time, this conference had nine or 10 teams in the NCAA [Tournament]. I think this conference is as strong this year as any other time in the history of the BIG EAST, which is saying something.”
On being back at Madison Square Garden...
“I’m looking forward to this year as much as I have in any time in my coaching history because its back home. I still remember my New York Knicks press conference. … The Garden has changed immensely, about two billion dollars added into it, but still the same freight elevator to get to the locker room. There have been a lot of changes but it’s the great history and I’m so excited to be back a part of it.”
On the outlook for the BIG EAST…
“Last year, [the BIG EAST] almost had three teams in the Final Four. There are a lot of teams with a host of players back. I think Georgetown, St. John’s, Seton Hall are all back rebuilding their brand and will make some noise this year.”
On winning at St. John’s…
“St. John’s is special and for me building St. John’s up to a national power would just be an incredible experience for everyone that I call a friend or family member.”
On assembling the 2023-24 roster…
“I had three prerequisites that I wanted in this recruiting class. I wanted great athletes who were great people. Then I wanted to make sure they had high goals for themselves so they could take their goals and turn them into something special. If you want to prosper the name on the back, play for the name on the front. That’s how you build a culture. When you play every single day in practice for the name on the front, the back will prosper. That is what we keep preaching to this team.”
On Chris Ledlum…
“Chris Ledlum is the starting four-man. He is an undersized four-man, but he can play the three or the four. He is 235 pounds and carries his weight very well. He is a terrific young man and really is a joy to coach.”
On reviving the St. John’s - Georgetown rivalry…
“I think we are both going to rise to a level of excellence together. [Georgetown Head Coach Ed Cooley] is a dear friend and I’ve known him for a long time. We are both ex-Providence College coaches. There is no doubt in my mind that he is a worker, he is a terrific coach, he is a great recruiter. I think both of us will rise to the level of excellence and we are trying to do that together. … It may take a year for the Georgetown fans to get behind their product but [the rivalry] will be back.”
On what a successful season for St. John’s would be…
“With any team, you must make the NCAA Tournament to be successful. I think that’s the gauge. I’ve been to seven Final Four’s, and I’ve also lost early in the tournament. Once you get in and get by the First Round, there are no one or two seeds anymore. You are all equal once you get to the Round of 32. Getting in the tournament is crucial. It’s what gives you hope and dreams. Look what St. Peter’s did. You know all the stories. Look at Loyola Chicago. I know it with Providence in 1987. I also know it in 1996 with [Kentucky], one of the greatest teams ever assembled. Success means getting into the tournament and that is going to be difficult in this conference because it’s a grind. I know this and I haven’t even coached one game [at St. John’s], but I know it just looking at that scoreboard and seeing all the players on it, it’s going to be a grind.”
St. John’s senior center Joel Soriano
On his leadership role …
“We just had our first exhibition game a couple days ago, so that was the first-time guys actually played a team like that, a Big Ten [team in Rutgers]. We had guys that came from the MAAC and guys that came straight out of high school. It’s just getting our guys up to speed on how physical our conference is, how much faster it is, and how the refs let you play. … I just try to be there for more of a mental aspect. I try to keep guys level-headed because as people know the college basketball season is a grind. There’s a lot of ups and downs and you have to go through a lot of adversity. … I’ve been trying to be a leader in the mental aspect – trying to pick up guys, showing them the ropes, showing them what I have learned from being here the past two years, and just being there for them.”
On the biggest adjustment with a new coach…
“I would say more of a mental aspect. I was told how much was going to be asked of me, but I didn’t know how much it was going to take on me mentally. Probably the pace too, it’s a different kind of pace and different kind of condition that I have to be in. I started to realize that a little later on.”
On ways the team has bonded off the court…
“We started doing a lot more stuff together like going bowling, going out to eat, just being in the crib with each other, playing [NBA] 2K, watching a game. … Just little stuff like that can go a long way for a team, because that’s what builds trust on the court, not just offensively, but defensively.”
On the goals he has for himself for this season…
“Personally, I don’t usually set goals on a personal level. I usually just do team goals, but one of my team goals is I want to make the NCAA Tournament. I want to play Friday night in the BIG EAST Tournament, win 20-plus games this year, and really just win. That has been my goal since I’ve been here.”
On the biggest difference in the team this year…
“I would say our attention to detail, like how much we prepare to get ready for teams. Rutgers, we were preparing for them since July. … Knowing their plays and their personnel. In that sense, watching film is more harped on, I think our attention to detail is way more different than last year. Our on-the-court stuff is our physicality, and our speed of the game is way different.”
On Rutgers exhibition…
“The exhibition was helpful for both teams because it showed where we were both at. Rutgers is a very well-coached team, and they have experience playing in the Big Ten, which is a very well-coached conference. I think there were a lot of positives that came to our team from that game. A lot of programs would be afraid to play a Power 5 team like that in the preseason because they don’t want to take their kids out of it, but I felt like it was a test. I would have rather had that test earlier then later in the season.”
On being named to Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team…
“I want to give credit to myself for all the hard work that I put in to get to where I am, but there is a lot of work to do. I don’t like looking at stuff like that because I haven’t done anything yet. It’s just a preseason poll, but I’m honored that people picked and voted for me. I’m just trying to get better than I was last year.”
On the buzz for the St. John’s men’s basketball program:
“It’s been very different than the past. Just walking through Queens, people come up to me saying they’re going to watch us and that they can’t wait for the season to start. I didn’t have that the first two years that I was here, so it is very exciting for not only me but for the team [to know] that we have people this eager to see us play. We have to win because I know the city is waiting for that.”
On what playing at Madison Square Garden…
“MSG is a home for St. John’s fans and for me as a player. It’s an unexplainable feeling to get to play here just based off the history and how many great athletes have played here. Being able to call this place my home court is an honor.”
St. John’s graduate student guard Daniss Jenkins
On team’s chemistry….
“I’m loving it. We are still teaching each other, still trying to put it all together. I’m loving the strides we are taking though. We are communicating better as a team and we’re just trying to work together.”
On his journey through college basketball….
“I still feel like this is an underdog story for me. I’ve been that my whole life and I really embrace it. It’s going to bleed into our whole team, because we all have the expectations of winning and bringing St. John’s back to where it belongs. For me, it’s been very humbling and very different, but I’m excited and ready for the challenge.”
On the difference in preparation between Iona and St. John’s….
“The difference is at Iona in some games you cannot play your best and still get the win, but here at St. John’s, there is no drop-off. Every single team is going to bring it and you can lose on any given night if you’re not ready to play. As far as Coach Pitino’s preparation, there is no difference because he's been saying no matter what level he is coaching at or what school he is coaching at, he is the same and he is going to be Rick Pitino.”
On the team following the Rutgers exhibition game…
“We did a lot of things well, but we also didn’t do a lot of things well at the same time. What I was doing was expected, I didn’t do anything but run the team, I tried to keep us together and tried to lead. We are still trying to come together on the defensive end. Coach Pitino is going to handle the offense, that is not going to be a problem. When it comes to defense, we need to know our coverages and learn how to talk and switch with each other. If we can get better at that I’ll feel really good.”
On exhibition game against Rutgers…
“In the second 20 minutes, I didn’t do a great job of getting us in the play early on and we got very stagnant on offense, which led to them getting a lot of buckets in transition. I think if you take that out, it would have been a very different ending. I think we let them get in transition a little too much and we didn’t get to run our offense in the second half. I think that’s why the game went the way it went.”
On playing with a talented group of guards…
“I tell each guard that I play with to just be you and to not worry about me. I tell them all the time that my job is to get everybody an open shot, so I run the floor, and you spot up. We have great spacing so I’m going to get you a shot. Just be you and be aggressive, don’t get caught up in watching me play. Make sure you are playing your game, because I can play on the ball or off the ball whatever we need to do to win.”
On playing in the BIG EAST…
“I know it’s definitely going to be very physical, and I know that all the teams are going to be very talented. I think it is the best league in college basketball, so you know what you have to bring it. I don’t like to psyche myself up too much or overthink anything, because it hasn’t happened yet, so you just have to prepare yourself and know the work you put in and trust it.”
On why fans should be excited for this season of basketball…
“Coach Pitino keeps saying that we should give every ounce that we have to compete. The way that we play is very exciting, we play up and down and we try to get many more possessions than our opponents, because it translates into points. We play a very exciting brand of basketball and that’s unique. [St. John’s] used to play that way when it was very good and we are trying to bring that back.”