St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: St. John’s vs. Butler
St. John’s Head Coach Mike Anderson, junior guard Posh Alexander and senior center Joel Soriano spoke with the media following a 76-63 win in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden
St. John’s Head Coach Mike Anderson
Opening Statement…
“First game in the BIG EAST Tournament and as a coach, you always wonder how your team is going to come out and perform. I thought that we came out with big energy and made some shots early. We did a good job getting to the glass, which I thought was going to be very important in this game. We played [Butler] recently and I thought they did a good job attacking the glass, which enabled them to get to the free throw line. Coming into tournament play, we survived and advanced. First game is out of the way. Now we get the chance to play our second game.“
On Posh Alexander’s 3-point shooting…
“I think people have to guard him [Posh Alexander] and it creates space. When you have Joel [Soriano] down low making shots and AJ [Storr] and Dylan [Addae-Wusu] are good shooters as well. I think it spaces the floor out and allows him to get in the spaces to do what he can do. It allows Posh to get in and not only shoot the ball, but to create for others, that’s an important part of a basketball team.”
On Marquette…
“I think that under the circumstances, you are playing to advance to the NCAA Tournament. It’s a quick turnaround for us just playing today and Marquette is a rested team. As the guys alluded to, they are a well-coached and a very good basketball team. We got our work cut out for us, but at the same time we are in one of the greatest events there is, the BIG EAST Tournament.”
On AJ Storr and the bench…
“I think that when one guy goes out, it creates an opportunity for another and AJ [Storr] took advantage of it. We see him continue to grow and his confidence develop. It’s a big plus for our basketball team. It’s another weapon for our team. Kudos to our bench today. I think our bench play is going to be big for us tomorrow. All of those guys off the bench were big for us today.”
Senior center Joel Soriano
On playing top-seeded Marquette in the BIG EAST Quarterfinals…
“We know Marquette is going to come in and give us a great fight, they are a very well coached team, they’ve demonstrated that. We just have to play our game and that’s a team that likes to speed other teams up, force them to make turnovers and errors. I think if we play our style of basketball, we’ll be alright. We’ll see tomorrow at 12 o’ clock.”
On his mindset…
“I’m focused on the present. We have a great team coming in tomorrow [in Marquette]. We know what’s at stake and what we have to do. We’re just going to go back to the hotel, rest up, watch film. … We’re just trying to come out with a win.”
Junior guard Posh Alexander
On his recent stretch strong play…
“I had to get out of my own head. I was in my own head at the beginning of the year. I talked to my family and we just talked about how to just help my team win. That’s all I’ve been trying to do lately.”
On his 3-point shooting…
“I started getting in the gym a lot more, shooting the ball to try and get my confidence up. … My shot feels good. It’s all about confidence [for me].”
Opening Statement…
“First game in the BIG EAST Tournament and as a coach, you always wonder how your team is going to come out and perform. I thought that we came out with big energy and made some shots early. We did a good job getting to the glass, which I thought was going to be very important in this game. We played [Butler] recently and I thought they did a good job attacking the glass, which enabled them to get to the free throw line. Coming into tournament play, we survived and advanced. First game is out of the way. Now we get the chance to play our second game.“
On Posh Alexander’s 3-point shooting…
“I think people have to guard him [Posh Alexander] and it creates space. When you have Joel [Soriano] down low making shots and AJ [Storr] and Dylan [Addae-Wusu] are good shooters as well. I think it spaces the floor out and allows him to get in the spaces to do what he can do. It allows Posh to get in and not only shoot the ball, but to create for others, that’s an important part of a basketball team.”
On Marquette…
“I think that under the circumstances, you are playing to advance to the NCAA Tournament. It’s a quick turnaround for us just playing today and Marquette is a rested team. As the guys alluded to, they are a well-coached and a very good basketball team. We got our work cut out for us, but at the same time we are in one of the greatest events there is, the BIG EAST Tournament.”
On AJ Storr and the bench…
“I think that when one guy goes out, it creates an opportunity for another and AJ [Storr] took advantage of it. We see him continue to grow and his confidence develop. It’s a big plus for our basketball team. It’s another weapon for our team. Kudos to our bench today. I think our bench play is going to be big for us tomorrow. All of those guys off the bench were big for us today.”
Senior center Joel Soriano
On playing top-seeded Marquette in the BIG EAST Quarterfinals…
“We know Marquette is going to come in and give us a great fight, they are a very well coached team, they’ve demonstrated that. We just have to play our game and that’s a team that likes to speed other teams up, force them to make turnovers and errors. I think if we play our style of basketball, we’ll be alright. We’ll see tomorrow at 12 o’ clock.”
On his mindset…
“I’m focused on the present. We have a great team coming in tomorrow [in Marquette]. We know what’s at stake and what we have to do. We’re just going to go back to the hotel, rest up, watch film. … We’re just trying to come out with a win.”
Junior guard Posh Alexander
On his recent stretch strong play…
“I had to get out of my own head. I was in my own head at the beginning of the year. I talked to my family and we just talked about how to just help my team win. That’s all I’ve been trying to do lately.”
On his 3-point shooting…
“I started getting in the gym a lot more, shooting the ball to try and get my confidence up. … My shot feels good. It’s all about confidence [for me].”