St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: St. John’s Women’s Basketball vs Providence
St. John’s Head Coach Joe Tartamella, and forward Jailah Donald met with the media after the Red Storm’s matchup with Providence on Saturday at Carnesecca Arena
St. John’s Head Coach Joe Tartamella
Opening Statement…
“Obviously, there are a lot of emotions on this day when you got your senior day and possibly the last opportunity for some players to play on this floor and with their teammates. It’s never an easy one but I thought we did a really good job on bouncing back from our game the other night. We played with much more force, swagger and confidence tonight, then the way we have played throughout time here the last few months. I’m really pleased with how we finished. We’ve got one more to go and we have a quick turnaround. No scheduling favors but we have to go out to Marquette on Tuesday. I will say this, for as long as I’ve coached this group is very interesting. At the same time, I’m extremely proud of what they have done. I don’t think I’ve had a team that started that way and has been able to finish the way they have. I don’t know what the future holds over the next few weeks, but I think that our groups have grown as much as any team that I’ve coached. It’s weird for me to say because I still get extremely frustrated sometimes in practice, but I couldn’t be prouder of the job our staff and players have done. It wouldn’t be possible without their effort. We could have easily shut down after Thanksgiving, which I try to erase from my brain. We will get ready for the last one on the road in a very difficult environment, but one that’s always fun. We have to be able to be ready to play out there against a very good team and a very well coached team.”
On coaching Unique for 5 years and Jillian for two years…
“I mean they’ve had very different in their paths. Unique might be the last five-year player I have in the way the world is now. You look at the growth of Unique, a kid who persevered from good times, bad times. She stuck with it and she stayed. She easily could’ve left, she believed in me, she believed in our program, our university and I think she got the reward, I think last year was a big moment for her, having to embrace coming off the bench and I told her she would be the 6th Women of the Year if she just stayed with it and did what we asked her to do. Everyone wants the spotlight, but you have to be able to handle it, so every team is face guarding and taking her away. I don’t know if I could’ve predicted what she would become because we knew what she could do coming out of high school … but I’m prouder of the fact that she stayed. She had to fight the outside forces and she did that so I’m so proud of her. Jill, a journeyman, also she’s a 6th year kid. She fought through injuries at two different places to get here and I’m just really happy that she’s able to show all the things she can do on the floor. I know when her playing days are over, she’ll be in a good place because she is a person who works very hard on the things outside of basketball to set herself up, so I don’t worry about her. Some kids you worry about, I don’t worry about Unique or Jill and I think they grew a lot here which I think is a testament to our staff, the people I’ve had around them, working with me and helping guide them. Both Jill and Unique played through the COVID years, that’s like really difficult and Unique was here during a really tough time in our program. To see where Jill came from at Georgetown, I always watched her and was hoping to see her become what we thought she could be and it’s no slight to what she was before but as you get older as a player, you realize time is running out and maybe more things become important to you, so I was really happy for her and her family. To see their families out their today was great because we have stretched out recruiting. We have California, Canada, we’re kind of all over. I’m so proud of them and this team that’s all I can say. For two guys who had to take on a lot this year because we lost six to graduation [last season], they had to take everything on. I couldn’t be happier for them.”
On Ber’Nyah Mayo…
“[Ber’Nyah] is going to be a heck of a player for us the rest of the way and going into next year. I think what she’s done to change the way she had to play and it took her a little bit to figure out her sweet spot, but when you look at our games she comes up with big plays whether it’s a steal or a turnover. But you have to let your players make plays that’s what we do here… I have to trust the facts that they’re going to make a play. She’s a big part to what we’re doing. She’s been a big addition for us. I thought she was looking for people more, I mean 15 assists, 10 turnovers we haven’t been in that air here in the last few games. She made big shots too, the two shots she made were big, she just hadn’t made those… That’s the difference if we get our normal contribution from Phoenix, Skye and Tara were pretty good, if we don’t, we struggle. We just don’t have that room for slippage. I thought Skye gave us a great 13 minutes and Tara played very hard.”
St. John’s forward Jailah Donald:
On being able to play with Jillian Archer and Unique Drake
“I would pretty much say they have taught me how to be a leader on and off the court. They taught me what it means to be a good teammate and holding accountability for things and just being a good person.”
On what factored into her good play today …
I would say just my teammates putting me in the best position to make open shots. They see me, I see them. I’m just trying to be a good player all around.”
Opening Statement…
“Obviously, there are a lot of emotions on this day when you got your senior day and possibly the last opportunity for some players to play on this floor and with their teammates. It’s never an easy one but I thought we did a really good job on bouncing back from our game the other night. We played with much more force, swagger and confidence tonight, then the way we have played throughout time here the last few months. I’m really pleased with how we finished. We’ve got one more to go and we have a quick turnaround. No scheduling favors but we have to go out to Marquette on Tuesday. I will say this, for as long as I’ve coached this group is very interesting. At the same time, I’m extremely proud of what they have done. I don’t think I’ve had a team that started that way and has been able to finish the way they have. I don’t know what the future holds over the next few weeks, but I think that our groups have grown as much as any team that I’ve coached. It’s weird for me to say because I still get extremely frustrated sometimes in practice, but I couldn’t be prouder of the job our staff and players have done. It wouldn’t be possible without their effort. We could have easily shut down after Thanksgiving, which I try to erase from my brain. We will get ready for the last one on the road in a very difficult environment, but one that’s always fun. We have to be able to be ready to play out there against a very good team and a very well coached team.”
On coaching Unique for 5 years and Jillian for two years…
“I mean they’ve had very different in their paths. Unique might be the last five-year player I have in the way the world is now. You look at the growth of Unique, a kid who persevered from good times, bad times. She stuck with it and she stayed. She easily could’ve left, she believed in me, she believed in our program, our university and I think she got the reward, I think last year was a big moment for her, having to embrace coming off the bench and I told her she would be the 6th Women of the Year if she just stayed with it and did what we asked her to do. Everyone wants the spotlight, but you have to be able to handle it, so every team is face guarding and taking her away. I don’t know if I could’ve predicted what she would become because we knew what she could do coming out of high school … but I’m prouder of the fact that she stayed. She had to fight the outside forces and she did that so I’m so proud of her. Jill, a journeyman, also she’s a 6th year kid. She fought through injuries at two different places to get here and I’m just really happy that she’s able to show all the things she can do on the floor. I know when her playing days are over, she’ll be in a good place because she is a person who works very hard on the things outside of basketball to set herself up, so I don’t worry about her. Some kids you worry about, I don’t worry about Unique or Jill and I think they grew a lot here which I think is a testament to our staff, the people I’ve had around them, working with me and helping guide them. Both Jill and Unique played through the COVID years, that’s like really difficult and Unique was here during a really tough time in our program. To see where Jill came from at Georgetown, I always watched her and was hoping to see her become what we thought she could be and it’s no slight to what she was before but as you get older as a player, you realize time is running out and maybe more things become important to you, so I was really happy for her and her family. To see their families out their today was great because we have stretched out recruiting. We have California, Canada, we’re kind of all over. I’m so proud of them and this team that’s all I can say. For two guys who had to take on a lot this year because we lost six to graduation [last season], they had to take everything on. I couldn’t be happier for them.”
On Ber’Nyah Mayo…
“[Ber’Nyah] is going to be a heck of a player for us the rest of the way and going into next year. I think what she’s done to change the way she had to play and it took her a little bit to figure out her sweet spot, but when you look at our games she comes up with big plays whether it’s a steal or a turnover. But you have to let your players make plays that’s what we do here… I have to trust the facts that they’re going to make a play. She’s a big part to what we’re doing. She’s been a big addition for us. I thought she was looking for people more, I mean 15 assists, 10 turnovers we haven’t been in that air here in the last few games. She made big shots too, the two shots she made were big, she just hadn’t made those… That’s the difference if we get our normal contribution from Phoenix, Skye and Tara were pretty good, if we don’t, we struggle. We just don’t have that room for slippage. I thought Skye gave us a great 13 minutes and Tara played very hard.”
St. John’s forward Jailah Donald:
On being able to play with Jillian Archer and Unique Drake
“I would pretty much say they have taught me how to be a leader on and off the court. They taught me what it means to be a good teammate and holding accountability for things and just being a good person.”
On what factored into her good play today …
I would say just my teammates putting me in the best position to make open shots. They see me, I see them. I’m just trying to be a good player all around.”