St. John's University Athletics
PREGAME QUOTES: St. John’s Men’s Basketball vs. No. 15/15 Creighton
St. John’s guard Simeon Wilcher and forward Zuby Ejiofor met with the media prior to the Red Storm’s matchup with No. 15/15 Creighton on Sunday at Madison Square Garden
St. John’s guard Simeon Wilcher
On his playing time…
“To be totally honest with you, I’m not making too much of a big deal about it because I know my time is going to come. We have a lot of older guys on this team that are veterans. Them being out there and them playing has been what has helped us get through the year. As long as I can contribute in any way that I can, I’m fine with that.”
On his relationship with Daniss Jenkins…
“[Daniss Jenkins] has been a great help. Even in times when I’m not playing, I’m paying attention and seeing how to navigate through a game as the lead point guard. I’ve been able to work and get better by playing against [Daniss] in practice and just learn a lot about being a leader and a voice on the team in college because it’s completely different from high school.”
On what areas he is getting better in this season…
“I definitely see myself [getting better]. For me, It was just getting more comfortable playing at the college level. It’s completely different than playing in high school. There are things you can get away with in high school that you can’t get away with in college. Over the season, I’ve remained working and stayed positive, keeping myself in the right head space. I just do whatever I can to stay ready for when my name is called. Playing against [Daniss], he’s easily one of the best guards in college basketball, so playing against him on a daily basis you can do nothing but get better because he’s not going to take it light. We had these conversations at the beginning of the season that I’m going to need him to help me get better, so we’ve been locked in on that since the summer. It’s just a testament to being fully committed to what’s going on here.”
On why St. John’s is the right place for him…
“I just feel that I’ve been through so much this year, so there is no reason to go through the same thing next year somewhere else. I feel pretty comfortable here. My parents talk to me, making sure I see things through. I bet on myself coming here. I’m just about relationships, so I feel like I’ve built good relationships with everyone here and there is no reason for me to get up and move because that’s not a part of the grind as a college player. I’m not in a rush to try and get to the next level. I just want to be the best player that I can be, so when my time comes, and God blesses me with the opportunity to move on to the next level then I’m completely ready and I can stay there. I don’t want to be a player that is in the league one year and out the next, I want to stay there.”
St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor
On the rest of this season and next season…
“Right now, we are just mainly focused on what we can do to increase our chances of making the [NCAA] Tournament and seeing how special we can get with this team with those veteran guys and seeing how far we can get. I feel like this is a really special group of guys who are going to leave us next year. So, we are mainly focused on what we can do this year. As far as next year, there is gonna be a lot of hype and a lot of things the guys like [Simeon Wilcher] and [Brady Dunlap] can bring to the table and me as well, things we can bring to the table and have a bigger role and hopefully do something special as well.”
On his improvement this season…
“I feel like I’ve played pretty solid. Going up against Joel [Soriano] every day in practice, I feel like that makes me better every single day. Having a guy like that to push me and show me the ropes of what it takes to play at this level and contribute to the team, it means a lot. I feel like I have improved in a lot of areas since I started this offseason. I’ve been getting a lot of minutes lately just for little things like rebounding and playing defense and also putting the ball in the basket. So, it’s little things like that, but I feel like I’m definitely getting better in this program.”
On the importance of individual workouts…
“I feel like [the individual workouts] are really important. [Coach Pitino] gives you a chance to expand on your game a little more. Those workouts have made me a better player throughout the entire season. Not just me but my teammates as well. We work on things like attacking the rim. We work on shooting the ball, midrange, three-point shots, you know anything we can get out of Coach Pitino, he puts on us. I feel like it has made me a better player.”
On his playing time…
“To be totally honest with you, I’m not making too much of a big deal about it because I know my time is going to come. We have a lot of older guys on this team that are veterans. Them being out there and them playing has been what has helped us get through the year. As long as I can contribute in any way that I can, I’m fine with that.”
On his relationship with Daniss Jenkins…
“[Daniss Jenkins] has been a great help. Even in times when I’m not playing, I’m paying attention and seeing how to navigate through a game as the lead point guard. I’ve been able to work and get better by playing against [Daniss] in practice and just learn a lot about being a leader and a voice on the team in college because it’s completely different from high school.”
On what areas he is getting better in this season…
“I definitely see myself [getting better]. For me, It was just getting more comfortable playing at the college level. It’s completely different than playing in high school. There are things you can get away with in high school that you can’t get away with in college. Over the season, I’ve remained working and stayed positive, keeping myself in the right head space. I just do whatever I can to stay ready for when my name is called. Playing against [Daniss], he’s easily one of the best guards in college basketball, so playing against him on a daily basis you can do nothing but get better because he’s not going to take it light. We had these conversations at the beginning of the season that I’m going to need him to help me get better, so we’ve been locked in on that since the summer. It’s just a testament to being fully committed to what’s going on here.”
On why St. John’s is the right place for him…
“I just feel that I’ve been through so much this year, so there is no reason to go through the same thing next year somewhere else. I feel pretty comfortable here. My parents talk to me, making sure I see things through. I bet on myself coming here. I’m just about relationships, so I feel like I’ve built good relationships with everyone here and there is no reason for me to get up and move because that’s not a part of the grind as a college player. I’m not in a rush to try and get to the next level. I just want to be the best player that I can be, so when my time comes, and God blesses me with the opportunity to move on to the next level then I’m completely ready and I can stay there. I don’t want to be a player that is in the league one year and out the next, I want to stay there.”
St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor
On the rest of this season and next season…
“Right now, we are just mainly focused on what we can do to increase our chances of making the [NCAA] Tournament and seeing how special we can get with this team with those veteran guys and seeing how far we can get. I feel like this is a really special group of guys who are going to leave us next year. So, we are mainly focused on what we can do this year. As far as next year, there is gonna be a lot of hype and a lot of things the guys like [Simeon Wilcher] and [Brady Dunlap] can bring to the table and me as well, things we can bring to the table and have a bigger role and hopefully do something special as well.”
On his improvement this season…
“I feel like I’ve played pretty solid. Going up against Joel [Soriano] every day in practice, I feel like that makes me better every single day. Having a guy like that to push me and show me the ropes of what it takes to play at this level and contribute to the team, it means a lot. I feel like I have improved in a lot of areas since I started this offseason. I’ve been getting a lot of minutes lately just for little things like rebounding and playing defense and also putting the ball in the basket. So, it’s little things like that, but I feel like I’m definitely getting better in this program.”
On the importance of individual workouts…
“I feel like [the individual workouts] are really important. [Coach Pitino] gives you a chance to expand on your game a little more. Those workouts have made me a better player throughout the entire season. Not just me but my teammates as well. We work on things like attacking the rim. We work on shooting the ball, midrange, three-point shots, you know anything we can get out of Coach Pitino, he puts on us. I feel like it has made me a better player.”