St. John's University Athletics
QUOTES: St. John's Women's Basketball BIG EAST Media Day
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Joe Tartamella, guard Ber’Nyah Mayo, guard Jailah Donald and guard Lashae Dwyer met with the media on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden
Head Coach Joe Tartamella
On Ber’Nyah Mayo…
“I mean, look, Ber’Nyah is in her second year now (with the program), so she’s more comfortable. I thought in the second part of the year, she really came into her own in terms of how she was playing. I think both physically, mentally, all those things, and she was one of the best guards in the conference by the end of the season. I'm excited to have her. Having a veteran point guard with experience that she has in high-leverage games with us, but also in her past years at UMass, is crucial for us. And I couldn't be happier that we have her here and I think her preseason all-conference selection is certainly earned by her from her season last year.”
On Jailah Donald…
“To me, Jailah is like the glue and I think her demeanor is the one thing that I think stands out about her. She never gets too high, never gets too low, but I trust her 100% in any part of the game to make the right call and the decision because of the experience she's had. She's been here for three years, so her and Skye (Owen) have the most experience in our program. Jailah is like a glue kid. She's versatile like a Swiss army knife, being able to move her from different positions. She doesn't like it all that well sometimes, but we need her to be able to do it. And I think her improvement offensively will help us tremendously. Again, I just look back to the jump that she took from freshman year to sophomore year, and I think she's going to be able to do that again from sophomore to junior year.”
On the skill and competitiveness of the BIG EAST…
“I think the league has always been underrated. I think certainly there are years we've been better than others, but I think the coaches in our league are probably underrated, and at times, some of the players are. At the same time, it's our job to make sure that we put out a product that's exciting to watch and can compete across the board, not just within our own conference, because we beat each other up, you know? And it's a lot more difficult than I think people give it credit for and we've had some really great players. We've had great coaches who are here and not here anymore. I've been in the league 22 years, so I've seen the existence of the old into the restructuring, into the second restructuring. So, there was no doubt back then, in my mind, we had the best league in the country, in the old League, and I think we were able to sustain ourselves. And then the addition of UConn, I think just buoyed what we had already sustained in the restructuring.”
On being able to sell the program to recruits…
“I think we are who we are. We just try to be able to show (recruits) this is what we really do. We're not giving you things that are smoke and mirrors. This is the reality of life here. This is how we do things. This is the team that we have. These are the expectations that we have. And I think that's been a successful route for us in terms of trying to not only retain talent now, but to attract talent, right? So, yeah, I feel pretty good about what we have to be able to offer. We get to play in Madison Square Garden, it's still an incredible opportunity, an opportunity they could have possibly four times in their career, maybe more. And I think the way that the support that we're now getting from the top down in terms of investing in facilities. We are investing in other things to make sure that our program sustains the level of excellence that we want. You know, I think we're set up for the future in the right way. I think we try to identify the right talent and the right type of player that wants to be here so that we don't have some challenges that you might face in recruiting.”
On his strategy in the transfer portal…
“The one thing you usually get, for the most part, is you're gathering experience, right? So you're getting a player whose had, you know, multiple NCAA Tournament runs, Sweet 16’s, Elite Eights. They know what it feels like and know what it looks like. Those that can handle being in the atmosphere that we're in, in the BIG EAST, being in New York, all those things, right? So, I think we try to identify, not only just the talent part, but who's the right personality.”
On last season…
“I thought the way we finished was terrific. You know, we had started so slow last year. I think it's probably one of my prouder seasons in terms of how a team grew throughout the year. Starting 2-6, probably no hope, and then being able to get to 18 wins and finishing third in the conference - I think it gave us a lot of momentum into the off-season, which translated into us being able to recruit at a at a high level.”
On A’riel Little’s transition to college…
“A’riel is a great kid, man. Everything that you watched her do in high school, she's been able to do so far. I thought she did a really nice job in her exhibition the other night. The biggest thing for any freshman is to understand the transition in terms of speed, physicality, your ability to have to really stay locked in the entire game. Those are things that young players have to continue to feel and be able to see. So, we've worked really hard on making sure that A’riel understands that, and I think she started to figure that out. She can score it. She's got a high-level IQ. She did a better job defensively the other night than I had seen in practice, which I was very, very happy with. So she's got an opportunity to be an impactful player for our team and obviously for the future, but I like everything that I've seen from her.”
Graduate student guard Ber’Nyah Mayo:
On what it means to play at Madison Square Garden…
“Just understanding the history that goes behind it. It's always a blessing to be able to play in an NBA arena. Obviously, not many people get to do it, so that's always a good thing.”
On what she has done to improve her game this offseason…
“I think the biggest thing this summer was just shooting, understanding the game, understanding how I'm being guarded, and making reads.”
On what she likes most about playing at St. John’s…
“I would just say my teammates, the coaching staff, the culture, and just obviously being in New York. There’s a lot of things to do, a lot of things to eat and different things to see.”
Junior guard Jailah Donald
On being named a team captain…
“It’s definitely an honor. I definitely have to play more while being a leader, you know, just supporting my team and just doing everything that's best for the team.”
On her expanded role this season…
“I would definitely say being able to shoot the ball, but obviously expanding my game. Getting to the cup, pull-up jumpers, stuff like that, but still shooting the ball.”
On this year’s team…
“We can push the pace. We have a lot more guards. I feel like we can push pace, (we have) a lot more shooters. I am looking forward to our bigs. They can do some damage inside the post, but I'm definitely excited for the season.”
Senior guard Lashae Dwyer
On what were some of the factors that made her transfer to St. John’s…
“Definitely the coaches and my teammates. When I visited the school, my teammates showed me love as soon as I walked in. It felt like a family vibe and that was one of the reasons why I committed.”
On how this team compares to previous teams she has been on…
“I would say this team is very good. We're fast. I would say we're building our chemistry very well and I'm getting excited for the season. I'm just excited.”
On what things she is looking forward to playing at St. John’s…
“I’m honestly just looking forward to playing, you know, learning as I go. I've learned a lot of new things as I moved here to St John's. It's been hard, but I'm getting used to it. I’m learning new things and new plays and all of this. So, I'm just getting used to it, and I’m really enjoying it so far.”
On Ber’Nyah Mayo…
“I mean, look, Ber’Nyah is in her second year now (with the program), so she’s more comfortable. I thought in the second part of the year, she really came into her own in terms of how she was playing. I think both physically, mentally, all those things, and she was one of the best guards in the conference by the end of the season. I'm excited to have her. Having a veteran point guard with experience that she has in high-leverage games with us, but also in her past years at UMass, is crucial for us. And I couldn't be happier that we have her here and I think her preseason all-conference selection is certainly earned by her from her season last year.”
On Jailah Donald…
“To me, Jailah is like the glue and I think her demeanor is the one thing that I think stands out about her. She never gets too high, never gets too low, but I trust her 100% in any part of the game to make the right call and the decision because of the experience she's had. She's been here for three years, so her and Skye (Owen) have the most experience in our program. Jailah is like a glue kid. She's versatile like a Swiss army knife, being able to move her from different positions. She doesn't like it all that well sometimes, but we need her to be able to do it. And I think her improvement offensively will help us tremendously. Again, I just look back to the jump that she took from freshman year to sophomore year, and I think she's going to be able to do that again from sophomore to junior year.”
On the skill and competitiveness of the BIG EAST…
“I think the league has always been underrated. I think certainly there are years we've been better than others, but I think the coaches in our league are probably underrated, and at times, some of the players are. At the same time, it's our job to make sure that we put out a product that's exciting to watch and can compete across the board, not just within our own conference, because we beat each other up, you know? And it's a lot more difficult than I think people give it credit for and we've had some really great players. We've had great coaches who are here and not here anymore. I've been in the league 22 years, so I've seen the existence of the old into the restructuring, into the second restructuring. So, there was no doubt back then, in my mind, we had the best league in the country, in the old League, and I think we were able to sustain ourselves. And then the addition of UConn, I think just buoyed what we had already sustained in the restructuring.”
On being able to sell the program to recruits…
“I think we are who we are. We just try to be able to show (recruits) this is what we really do. We're not giving you things that are smoke and mirrors. This is the reality of life here. This is how we do things. This is the team that we have. These are the expectations that we have. And I think that's been a successful route for us in terms of trying to not only retain talent now, but to attract talent, right? So, yeah, I feel pretty good about what we have to be able to offer. We get to play in Madison Square Garden, it's still an incredible opportunity, an opportunity they could have possibly four times in their career, maybe more. And I think the way that the support that we're now getting from the top down in terms of investing in facilities. We are investing in other things to make sure that our program sustains the level of excellence that we want. You know, I think we're set up for the future in the right way. I think we try to identify the right talent and the right type of player that wants to be here so that we don't have some challenges that you might face in recruiting.”
On his strategy in the transfer portal…
“The one thing you usually get, for the most part, is you're gathering experience, right? So you're getting a player whose had, you know, multiple NCAA Tournament runs, Sweet 16’s, Elite Eights. They know what it feels like and know what it looks like. Those that can handle being in the atmosphere that we're in, in the BIG EAST, being in New York, all those things, right? So, I think we try to identify, not only just the talent part, but who's the right personality.”
On last season…
“I thought the way we finished was terrific. You know, we had started so slow last year. I think it's probably one of my prouder seasons in terms of how a team grew throughout the year. Starting 2-6, probably no hope, and then being able to get to 18 wins and finishing third in the conference - I think it gave us a lot of momentum into the off-season, which translated into us being able to recruit at a at a high level.”
On A’riel Little’s transition to college…
“A’riel is a great kid, man. Everything that you watched her do in high school, she's been able to do so far. I thought she did a really nice job in her exhibition the other night. The biggest thing for any freshman is to understand the transition in terms of speed, physicality, your ability to have to really stay locked in the entire game. Those are things that young players have to continue to feel and be able to see. So, we've worked really hard on making sure that A’riel understands that, and I think she started to figure that out. She can score it. She's got a high-level IQ. She did a better job defensively the other night than I had seen in practice, which I was very, very happy with. So she's got an opportunity to be an impactful player for our team and obviously for the future, but I like everything that I've seen from her.”
Graduate student guard Ber’Nyah Mayo:
On what it means to play at Madison Square Garden…
“Just understanding the history that goes behind it. It's always a blessing to be able to play in an NBA arena. Obviously, not many people get to do it, so that's always a good thing.”
On what she has done to improve her game this offseason…
“I think the biggest thing this summer was just shooting, understanding the game, understanding how I'm being guarded, and making reads.”
On what she likes most about playing at St. John’s…
“I would just say my teammates, the coaching staff, the culture, and just obviously being in New York. There’s a lot of things to do, a lot of things to eat and different things to see.”
Junior guard Jailah Donald
On being named a team captain…
“It’s definitely an honor. I definitely have to play more while being a leader, you know, just supporting my team and just doing everything that's best for the team.”
On her expanded role this season…
“I would definitely say being able to shoot the ball, but obviously expanding my game. Getting to the cup, pull-up jumpers, stuff like that, but still shooting the ball.”
On this year’s team…
“We can push the pace. We have a lot more guards. I feel like we can push pace, (we have) a lot more shooters. I am looking forward to our bigs. They can do some damage inside the post, but I'm definitely excited for the season.”
Senior guard Lashae Dwyer
On what were some of the factors that made her transfer to St. John’s…
“Definitely the coaches and my teammates. When I visited the school, my teammates showed me love as soon as I walked in. It felt like a family vibe and that was one of the reasons why I committed.”
On how this team compares to previous teams she has been on…
“I would say this team is very good. We're fast. I would say we're building our chemistry very well and I'm getting excited for the season. I'm just excited.”
On what things she is looking forward to playing at St. John’s…
“I’m honestly just looking forward to playing, you know, learning as I go. I've learned a lot of new things as I moved here to St John's. It's been hard, but I'm getting used to it. I’m learning new things and new plays and all of this. So, I'm just getting used to it, and I’m really enjoying it so far.”