St. John's University Athletics
PREGAME QUOTES: St. John’s Men’s Basketball vs. Providence
St. John’s Head Coach Rick Pitino, Nahiem Alleyne and RJ Luis Jr. met with the media on Tuesday ahead of the Red Storm’s matchup with Providence on Wednesday at MSG
St. John’s Head Coach Rick Pitino
On his take aways from Saturday’s win at Villanova …
“I think we played really well. I think we did a lot of good things, mixed up our defenses well and did some good things offensively, so I was very pleased.”
On drawing fans back to St. John’s…
“It takes winning, but I also think it takes time. You’re not like the Jets, the Giants, or the Knicks where people just show up whether you win or lose because the tickets are so expensive. … College basketball is different. This is not college football. Football is an entirely different sport today, unlike it was 20 years ago. Football has taken over this country and with basketball, you’ve got to market it properly, you’ve got to win, you’ve got to build a base. So much of St. John’s [fanbase] is subway alumni, people that didn’t attend here. Those subway alumni can leave in a matter of days if you don’t give them a good product.”
On Providence…
“Obviously, Providence is very dear to me. They hired [Kim English] who has only been a head coach for two years. … I think they hit a home run because everything I’ve seen in five different films [of their games] tells you that their coaching is outstanding. I think they have a terrific young coach, who is going to give them winning teams for years. I’m very impressed with the way that they play defense. I’m very impressed with how hard they play. I’m very impressed with their strategy. They are one of the top defensive teams in the nation. Like us they had a major injury, much more serious than us because they lost [Bryce Hopkins] for the season and they played Creighton to the wire the other night [on the road]. I’m very impressed with the Friars. There is not a college I think more highly of than them. My greatest two years in coaching were there and I had some really good runs, but those two years are closest to my heart.”
On team’s energy after beating Villanova…
“This is about as good a group as I’ve had off the court, as I’ve ever had, and they’ve been consistent since from the first day until now. They haven't been falling in love with themselves, they understand how difficult the BIG EAST is and they also understand that they can lose to anyone. But now what I think they are appreciating is that when they play defense they will get the fruits of their labor. Before, they thought that offense was just going to win for them, and I told them that was a recipe for failure. Now they realize why they have won. If you do the metrics from the last few games, you’ll see the major difference in our basketball team.”
On where he sees the team at right now…
“Everything’s a work in progress. Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled with the wins we have had, but this is not a great basketball team by any stretch of the imagination. We have so much room for improvement. What I am hoping for is that come March, we are a really good basketball team. There’s no reason for this team to be a great basketball team right now. They have had major injuries and they are all new to each other, new to me. … It’s not going to happen overnight with us. We are building a culture, we are building fundamentals, we are building different offenses and defenses in our program and it’s going to take some time. But I am hoping by March we will be a much better basketball team than we are now.”
St. John’s guard Naheim Alleyne
On what it is like playing at Madison Square Garden with the crowd behind you…
“It’s just an electric feeling. I feel like when The Garden’s behind you, you just feel like you can do anything out there. You have all the energy in the world. ... The fans really give you that energy, that electrifying feeling. I had that with UConn last year – playing in the BIG EAST Tournament that was one of the best experiences I ever had. … That gave me a lot of energy and a lot of confidence out there to do what I do best.”
On the progress of the team today compared to the start of the season…
“I think it just comes from us really locking in on defense. The last practices that we had our defensive intensity picked up tremendously. It really showed on the road against Villanova – that was a really big win for us. We really showcased our defense, paying attention to scouting. I feel like the coaches do a good job personnel-wise wise and I think we do a good job paying attention to scouting. Our team today is picking up and I think we can be even better.”
St John’s forward RJ Luis Jr.
On winning at Villanova …
“It was a very surreal moment. … They told us it was 31 years [since the team’s last win at Finneran Pavilion]. ... It was a great feeling to go into uncharted territories and get the win. The way we started out the first half and continued into the second half, I think it was great. It was a really big win and another step for us.”
On his favorite aspect of the game…
“I just like competing. It really doesn't matter what it is. Just enjoy being on the court and doing anything the team needs me to do to help us win.”
On his take aways from Saturday’s win at Villanova …
“I think we played really well. I think we did a lot of good things, mixed up our defenses well and did some good things offensively, so I was very pleased.”
On drawing fans back to St. John’s…
“It takes winning, but I also think it takes time. You’re not like the Jets, the Giants, or the Knicks where people just show up whether you win or lose because the tickets are so expensive. … College basketball is different. This is not college football. Football is an entirely different sport today, unlike it was 20 years ago. Football has taken over this country and with basketball, you’ve got to market it properly, you’ve got to win, you’ve got to build a base. So much of St. John’s [fanbase] is subway alumni, people that didn’t attend here. Those subway alumni can leave in a matter of days if you don’t give them a good product.”
On Providence…
“Obviously, Providence is very dear to me. They hired [Kim English] who has only been a head coach for two years. … I think they hit a home run because everything I’ve seen in five different films [of their games] tells you that their coaching is outstanding. I think they have a terrific young coach, who is going to give them winning teams for years. I’m very impressed with the way that they play defense. I’m very impressed with how hard they play. I’m very impressed with their strategy. They are one of the top defensive teams in the nation. Like us they had a major injury, much more serious than us because they lost [Bryce Hopkins] for the season and they played Creighton to the wire the other night [on the road]. I’m very impressed with the Friars. There is not a college I think more highly of than them. My greatest two years in coaching were there and I had some really good runs, but those two years are closest to my heart.”
On team’s energy after beating Villanova…
“This is about as good a group as I’ve had off the court, as I’ve ever had, and they’ve been consistent since from the first day until now. They haven't been falling in love with themselves, they understand how difficult the BIG EAST is and they also understand that they can lose to anyone. But now what I think they are appreciating is that when they play defense they will get the fruits of their labor. Before, they thought that offense was just going to win for them, and I told them that was a recipe for failure. Now they realize why they have won. If you do the metrics from the last few games, you’ll see the major difference in our basketball team.”
On where he sees the team at right now…
“Everything’s a work in progress. Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled with the wins we have had, but this is not a great basketball team by any stretch of the imagination. We have so much room for improvement. What I am hoping for is that come March, we are a really good basketball team. There’s no reason for this team to be a great basketball team right now. They have had major injuries and they are all new to each other, new to me. … It’s not going to happen overnight with us. We are building a culture, we are building fundamentals, we are building different offenses and defenses in our program and it’s going to take some time. But I am hoping by March we will be a much better basketball team than we are now.”
St. John’s guard Naheim Alleyne
On what it is like playing at Madison Square Garden with the crowd behind you…
“It’s just an electric feeling. I feel like when The Garden’s behind you, you just feel like you can do anything out there. You have all the energy in the world. ... The fans really give you that energy, that electrifying feeling. I had that with UConn last year – playing in the BIG EAST Tournament that was one of the best experiences I ever had. … That gave me a lot of energy and a lot of confidence out there to do what I do best.”
On the progress of the team today compared to the start of the season…
“I think it just comes from us really locking in on defense. The last practices that we had our defensive intensity picked up tremendously. It really showed on the road against Villanova – that was a really big win for us. We really showcased our defense, paying attention to scouting. I feel like the coaches do a good job personnel-wise wise and I think we do a good job paying attention to scouting. Our team today is picking up and I think we can be even better.”
St John’s forward RJ Luis Jr.
On winning at Villanova …
“It was a very surreal moment. … They told us it was 31 years [since the team’s last win at Finneran Pavilion]. ... It was a great feeling to go into uncharted territories and get the win. The way we started out the first half and continued into the second half, I think it was great. It was a really big win and another step for us.”
On his favorite aspect of the game…
“I just like competing. It really doesn't matter what it is. Just enjoy being on the court and doing anything the team needs me to do to help us win.”