St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: RV/RV St. John’s vs. Kansas State
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino, Kadary Richmond, Zuby Ejiofor and Kansas State Head Coach Jerome Tang spoke with the media following the Red Storm’s 88-71 victory over the Wildcats on Saturday at Carnesecca Arena
Head Coach Rick Pitino
Opening Statement…
“It was a tale of two halves. There were three keys to us winning this game: Stop the three because we kept telling the guys, like the Boston Celtics, they could take 40 or 50 of them, stop the penetration, stop the second shots. In the first half, we didn't do those things well. In the second half, we stopped them from making the three and didn't give up a lot of second shots. They only had 12 for the game, so the defense picked up because they were shooting well at the end of the game. We didn't turn the ball over much. We played a great second half, and I don't think I would have ever forgiven myself if we lost this game. It’s been an emotional week for me personally, not only with my two best friends, but with Lou [Carnesecca], and it was really, really important that we get a win for Lou. Great crowd, a great second half. A lot of emotion behind the game, and Lou lived a great life. … I told the guys, you got all these St. John's legends, and St. John's ruled the world on the East Coast in the 60s, the 70s, the 80s, and it was all for the name on the front. If you guys can start playing for the name on the front, someday, the back is going to prosper, but you got to play for St. John's. In this day, where all our greats have come back, in this day when our legendary coach has left us, you got to play for that name on the front and nobody characterized that more than Zuby [Ejiofor]. His heart was as big as a mountain.”
On if he is going to prioritize returning players to the program instead of the transfer portal…
“I think that's why Marquette is ahead of all of us right now. Their retention is very good. Now, we all may catch up to them, but we have the potential to have Zuby [Ejiofor] back, Brady [Dunlap] back, Simeon [Wilcher] back, Ruben [Prey] back, Lefteris [Liotopoulos] back, RJ [Luis Jr.] and Vince [Iwuchukwu]. That would be awesome but, I want to get that feeling that I had at Kentucky, Providence, Louisville, even Boston University, where they will really understand what it means to be a St. John's Red Storm basketball player. I thought in the second half that Zuby really, really played so, so hard that it was contagious for the rest of the guys.”
On the sweater he wore to honor Coach Carnesecca…
“I just said to Matt Bernstein, our great equipment guy, look, I looked online, had five people look online, and nobody could find that sweater. Rightfully so. Lou was a legendary person, legendary coach, but one of the five worst dressers in the history of the game. We couldn't find that sweater anywhere, so we found the pieces, cut out the pieces, and took it to a seamstress and put it together, and that sweater is going to rest in peace with Lou.”
On his emotions following the passing of Coach Carnesecca…
“When I saw all the players come back, and I saw them in church, and you see the grief in their eyes, whether it's Chris Mullin or Mark Jackson or Walter Berry, all the guys that came back. It's just somebody special to them left and the great thing about being a Catholic is celebrating lives. … Prior to one year ago, Lou basically had a healthy life, and we're real, real proud to represent him in some small way.”
On creating a culture at St. John’s….
“I thought Deivon [Smith] was terrific tonight with his attitude. I thought they all were, but culture takes place over generations. To get the Miami Heat culture of playing hard took decades, and it's really tough do in months, but we still are trying to do it. I think we can do it because we have guys willing to do anything to get better and make themselves better. One of the reasons why I started Simeon [Wilcher] in the second half, it's just something I witnessed, he was on the bench, not warming up, and I could see he was down because of the first half. I said I'm getting him in there. He's a talented kid. He's worked his butt off and he played terrific in the second half. I started him out not because he wasn't playing well. He was down and I think when you build that type of affection for each other, the culture is built.”
On the players playing for Coach Carnesecca…
“I think that they knew how important [today] was for all the ex-players and all the fans because of how important Lou was to them. Lou, just a year and a half ago, sat in the film room and talked to Simeon Wilcher and his family. He just happened to be on campus and stopped in. He just said some incredible things, not only about St. John's, but about me and what we're going to do. Sim’s parents were blown away by that. Lou's going to be missed because of what he represented but, the one thing I want is I want all these players to come back. This is their home. Like I told Chris Mullin, when I first got the job, I said, ‘Chris, I'm nothing for this program compared to you. This is your home, your program. I'm just a caretaker for Lou. It's all I am. So please come back to your home. You're the most celebrated player in history, along with Mark Jackson and Walter Berry.”
St John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor:
On how he feels following his career performance…
“I feel really good. I want to thank my teammates and my coaching staff for putting me in good positions to be able to do what I am capable of doing every night. That's a really well-coached team, and we did what we had to do in the second half to grab a lead and essentially win the game. So, I'm happy.”
On the fan support to honor Coach Carnesecca…
“As everyone could see, it was real loud in there. There were a couple guys from the past that came in as well to just show their support for what Looie meant to St. John's. It was just really energetic out there and we all fed off that. We came up with the win so it was really good for us.”
On Coach Carnesecca’s impact on the current roster..
“His death was something that we all felt, especially those that were here last year and just knowing the history of what he meant to not only just St. John's, but the whole league. We kind of just fed off that, and we were going to play for him this game, and we came up with a win.”
St. John’s guard Kadary Richmond:
On Zuby Ejiofor…
“It's the same thing I said at BIG EAST Media Day; you got to prepare for him differently this year. It's not the same guy from last year. I'm happy for him.”
On Deivon Smith’s return to the lineup…
“He gives us a different dynamic. When he gets in the game, he can speed up the other team. He also speeds us up on offense, and we get out and run. I say it was good to have him back today.”
On honoring the legacy of Coach Carnesecca…
“I think it was very good that we honored him this way and got a big win for him. He meant a lot to St. John's and the BIG EAST Conference. I think he's a pioneer for a lot of things that happened at St. John's.”
Kansas State Head Coach Jerome Tang:
On the emotions of honoring Coach Carnesecca…
“Really special and emotional. To see the videos and I actually watched the games where they won the BIG EAST and made it to the Final Four. That one Final Four had three BIG EAST teams in [1985].”
On his team’s struggles in the second half…
“In the second half, we didn't move the ball. We probably rushed, took some quick shots, and those quick shots didn't give us a chance to get any second shot shots. It allowed them to play faster. When the crowd gets going and they're playing fast, it’s a challenge.”
Opening Statement…
“It was a tale of two halves. There were three keys to us winning this game: Stop the three because we kept telling the guys, like the Boston Celtics, they could take 40 or 50 of them, stop the penetration, stop the second shots. In the first half, we didn't do those things well. In the second half, we stopped them from making the three and didn't give up a lot of second shots. They only had 12 for the game, so the defense picked up because they were shooting well at the end of the game. We didn't turn the ball over much. We played a great second half, and I don't think I would have ever forgiven myself if we lost this game. It’s been an emotional week for me personally, not only with my two best friends, but with Lou [Carnesecca], and it was really, really important that we get a win for Lou. Great crowd, a great second half. A lot of emotion behind the game, and Lou lived a great life. … I told the guys, you got all these St. John's legends, and St. John's ruled the world on the East Coast in the 60s, the 70s, the 80s, and it was all for the name on the front. If you guys can start playing for the name on the front, someday, the back is going to prosper, but you got to play for St. John's. In this day, where all our greats have come back, in this day when our legendary coach has left us, you got to play for that name on the front and nobody characterized that more than Zuby [Ejiofor]. His heart was as big as a mountain.”
On if he is going to prioritize returning players to the program instead of the transfer portal…
“I think that's why Marquette is ahead of all of us right now. Their retention is very good. Now, we all may catch up to them, but we have the potential to have Zuby [Ejiofor] back, Brady [Dunlap] back, Simeon [Wilcher] back, Ruben [Prey] back, Lefteris [Liotopoulos] back, RJ [Luis Jr.] and Vince [Iwuchukwu]. That would be awesome but, I want to get that feeling that I had at Kentucky, Providence, Louisville, even Boston University, where they will really understand what it means to be a St. John's Red Storm basketball player. I thought in the second half that Zuby really, really played so, so hard that it was contagious for the rest of the guys.”
On the sweater he wore to honor Coach Carnesecca…
“I just said to Matt Bernstein, our great equipment guy, look, I looked online, had five people look online, and nobody could find that sweater. Rightfully so. Lou was a legendary person, legendary coach, but one of the five worst dressers in the history of the game. We couldn't find that sweater anywhere, so we found the pieces, cut out the pieces, and took it to a seamstress and put it together, and that sweater is going to rest in peace with Lou.”
On his emotions following the passing of Coach Carnesecca…
“When I saw all the players come back, and I saw them in church, and you see the grief in their eyes, whether it's Chris Mullin or Mark Jackson or Walter Berry, all the guys that came back. It's just somebody special to them left and the great thing about being a Catholic is celebrating lives. … Prior to one year ago, Lou basically had a healthy life, and we're real, real proud to represent him in some small way.”
On creating a culture at St. John’s….
“I thought Deivon [Smith] was terrific tonight with his attitude. I thought they all were, but culture takes place over generations. To get the Miami Heat culture of playing hard took decades, and it's really tough do in months, but we still are trying to do it. I think we can do it because we have guys willing to do anything to get better and make themselves better. One of the reasons why I started Simeon [Wilcher] in the second half, it's just something I witnessed, he was on the bench, not warming up, and I could see he was down because of the first half. I said I'm getting him in there. He's a talented kid. He's worked his butt off and he played terrific in the second half. I started him out not because he wasn't playing well. He was down and I think when you build that type of affection for each other, the culture is built.”
On the players playing for Coach Carnesecca…
“I think that they knew how important [today] was for all the ex-players and all the fans because of how important Lou was to them. Lou, just a year and a half ago, sat in the film room and talked to Simeon Wilcher and his family. He just happened to be on campus and stopped in. He just said some incredible things, not only about St. John's, but about me and what we're going to do. Sim’s parents were blown away by that. Lou's going to be missed because of what he represented but, the one thing I want is I want all these players to come back. This is their home. Like I told Chris Mullin, when I first got the job, I said, ‘Chris, I'm nothing for this program compared to you. This is your home, your program. I'm just a caretaker for Lou. It's all I am. So please come back to your home. You're the most celebrated player in history, along with Mark Jackson and Walter Berry.”
St John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor:
On how he feels following his career performance…
“I feel really good. I want to thank my teammates and my coaching staff for putting me in good positions to be able to do what I am capable of doing every night. That's a really well-coached team, and we did what we had to do in the second half to grab a lead and essentially win the game. So, I'm happy.”
On the fan support to honor Coach Carnesecca…
“As everyone could see, it was real loud in there. There were a couple guys from the past that came in as well to just show their support for what Looie meant to St. John's. It was just really energetic out there and we all fed off that. We came up with the win so it was really good for us.”
On Coach Carnesecca’s impact on the current roster..
“His death was something that we all felt, especially those that were here last year and just knowing the history of what he meant to not only just St. John's, but the whole league. We kind of just fed off that, and we were going to play for him this game, and we came up with a win.”
St. John’s guard Kadary Richmond:
On Zuby Ejiofor…
“It's the same thing I said at BIG EAST Media Day; you got to prepare for him differently this year. It's not the same guy from last year. I'm happy for him.”
On Deivon Smith’s return to the lineup…
“He gives us a different dynamic. When he gets in the game, he can speed up the other team. He also speeds us up on offense, and we get out and run. I say it was good to have him back today.”
On honoring the legacy of Coach Carnesecca…
“I think it was very good that we honored him this way and got a big win for him. He meant a lot to St. John's and the BIG EAST Conference. I think he's a pioneer for a lot of things that happened at St. John's.”
Kansas State Head Coach Jerome Tang:
On the emotions of honoring Coach Carnesecca…
“Really special and emotional. To see the videos and I actually watched the games where they won the BIG EAST and made it to the Final Four. That one Final Four had three BIG EAST teams in [1985].”
On his team’s struggles in the second half…
“In the second half, we didn't move the ball. We probably rushed, took some quick shots, and those quick shots didn't give us a chance to get any second shot shots. It allowed them to play faster. When the crowd gets going and they're playing fast, it’s a challenge.”