St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: St. John’s vs. No. 4/5 Connecticut
St. John’s Head Coach Joe Tartamella and graduate student forward Danielle Patterson spoke with the media following a 69-64 win over No. 4/5 Connecticut on Tuesday night
St. John’s Head Coach Joe Tartamella
Opening statement…
“It was an incredible game for us for many reasons. We were coming off two losses and we were heading up the road to play against a perennial power that is always in the top five and has been playing that way this year; it was a daunting task for our group. I’m so proud of how they responded today and how we were able to start the game much quicker and better defensively. After we went down in the third, we had the mental fortitude to counterpunch and get ourselves into a position to be in the lead at the end and finish the way we did. I’m happy for them. They’ve fought all year, and we’re not done with our season. We’ve been through it all, but this group has been steady and consistent in how they’ve worked. Today, they’re going to reap the benefits of that. It was an incredible team win and an incredible win for our program. I tried to explain to people how it felt in 2012 as an assistant, and it feels even more that way as a head coach to be able to do this. This game meant a lot to us.”
On the NCAA Tournament hopes…
“We have more to do, but this certainly was a win that we can feel good about. I think people will respect it, especially on the road. We had work to do; we knew that. We have to get the next one and the one after that. It’s all about the next game and being able to back it up. This certainly gives us a much better opportunity than where we were about three hours ago.”
On the win over Connecticut…
“It’s an impact for our program. Anytime you get a win over a top ten or top five team, especially on the road, it means a tremendous amount for the work these kids have put in. To see their enjoyment in the locker room is special as a coach. It hasn’t been that easy in the last few years. For these kids to feel this, especially the ones that have been here and have been through different experiences, it’s an incredible feeling as a coach. [Danielle Patterson] played out of this world today, and she’s one of the players that deserves it.”
On the emotions after the game…
“When you look at that scoreboard with zeroes on the clock and you’ve gotten the win, I had to soak it in for a second. This atmosphere… doesn’t get much better. For these players to have this feeling, it’s the best part about our league and the best part of what I’ve had the privilege to be a part of in 20 years.”
On the strength of the conference…
“I’ve said the league is the strongest it has been since realignment. Top to bottom, it is as strong as it’s been. When you look at the bottom of the league, they’re better. I think it creates a lot of parity which is good. It also helps all of our teams prepare for the postseason. You have to be ready to play each game you go into. We have an opportunity to get the most teams into [the NCAA Tournament] since realignment. There are a lot of teams that are worthy. This league is as good as it's been because of the coaches that are in it and the players. I’ve watched UConn since I was 12. You see what Coach Auriemma’s done here. With every team he has, you have to be ready to play. It's incredible to watch. I hope the league itself gets rewarded at the end.”
Graduate student forward Danielle Patterson
On the team’s offensive performance…
“We just had to believe in each other. That was the main thing. We had to believe that we could do it and we did. We had to keep moving and using each other. We knew the game was going to be a game of runs and they were going to theirs. We just had to stay with the gameplan, and we were able to find our buckets when we needed them.”
On the team’s response in the second half…
“I think it speaks to the maturity of our team. When we came in at halftime, we knew the job wasn’t done yet; we still had 20 minutes to play, and we had to play as hard as we possibly could. When we got down, we didn’t get down on ourselves. We just continued to play and see it through. We were able to go to some really good people at the end and get it done.”
Opening statement…
“It was an incredible game for us for many reasons. We were coming off two losses and we were heading up the road to play against a perennial power that is always in the top five and has been playing that way this year; it was a daunting task for our group. I’m so proud of how they responded today and how we were able to start the game much quicker and better defensively. After we went down in the third, we had the mental fortitude to counterpunch and get ourselves into a position to be in the lead at the end and finish the way we did. I’m happy for them. They’ve fought all year, and we’re not done with our season. We’ve been through it all, but this group has been steady and consistent in how they’ve worked. Today, they’re going to reap the benefits of that. It was an incredible team win and an incredible win for our program. I tried to explain to people how it felt in 2012 as an assistant, and it feels even more that way as a head coach to be able to do this. This game meant a lot to us.”
On the NCAA Tournament hopes…
“We have more to do, but this certainly was a win that we can feel good about. I think people will respect it, especially on the road. We had work to do; we knew that. We have to get the next one and the one after that. It’s all about the next game and being able to back it up. This certainly gives us a much better opportunity than where we were about three hours ago.”
On the win over Connecticut…
“It’s an impact for our program. Anytime you get a win over a top ten or top five team, especially on the road, it means a tremendous amount for the work these kids have put in. To see their enjoyment in the locker room is special as a coach. It hasn’t been that easy in the last few years. For these kids to feel this, especially the ones that have been here and have been through different experiences, it’s an incredible feeling as a coach. [Danielle Patterson] played out of this world today, and she’s one of the players that deserves it.”
On the emotions after the game…
“When you look at that scoreboard with zeroes on the clock and you’ve gotten the win, I had to soak it in for a second. This atmosphere… doesn’t get much better. For these players to have this feeling, it’s the best part about our league and the best part of what I’ve had the privilege to be a part of in 20 years.”
On the strength of the conference…
“I’ve said the league is the strongest it has been since realignment. Top to bottom, it is as strong as it’s been. When you look at the bottom of the league, they’re better. I think it creates a lot of parity which is good. It also helps all of our teams prepare for the postseason. You have to be ready to play each game you go into. We have an opportunity to get the most teams into [the NCAA Tournament] since realignment. There are a lot of teams that are worthy. This league is as good as it's been because of the coaches that are in it and the players. I’ve watched UConn since I was 12. You see what Coach Auriemma’s done here. With every team he has, you have to be ready to play. It's incredible to watch. I hope the league itself gets rewarded at the end.”
Graduate student forward Danielle Patterson
On the team’s offensive performance…
“We just had to believe in each other. That was the main thing. We had to believe that we could do it and we did. We had to keep moving and using each other. We knew the game was going to be a game of runs and they were going to theirs. We just had to stay with the gameplan, and we were able to find our buckets when we needed them.”
On the team’s response in the second half…
“I think it speaks to the maturity of our team. When we came in at halftime, we knew the job wasn’t done yet; we still had 20 minutes to play, and we had to play as hard as we possibly could. When we got down, we didn’t get down on ourselves. We just continued to play and see it through. We were able to go to some really good people at the end and get it done.”