St. John's University Athletics
PREGAME QUOTES: No. 15/14 St. John’s Men's Basketball vs. Georgetown
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino, guard Jaiden Glover and forward Ruben Prey spoke with the media ahead of the team’s matchup against Georgetown on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
Head Coach Rick Pitino
On Simeon Wilcher attempting more threes per game…
“Well, I think he's having a very good year in many areas, but he's open from three, and he's got to stop taking NBA threes. That line is confusing him at Madison Square Garden. He needs to step on that line and not shoot two feet behind the line, but he needs to get up about three to five more attempts a game because he's such a good shooter. He's open and he's looking to drive, and that's concerning.”
On if Simeon Wilcher turning down threes is a self-confidence issue…
“I do. I think that shooters like Aaron [Scott] and Sim are counting their misses too much in their minds instead of just taking open shots when they're there. Drive and get somebody a shot when you're covered and take every open shot that's available to you when you're open, regardless of what your percentages are…I've always preached to my team, that whether you go 0-for-7, you'll make your next four, and then you'll be 4-for-11. But these guys don't adhere to that.”
On if anything has changed facing Georgetown for a second time…
“No, they have very good talent. You don't know what they can do until they play a BIG EAST type schedule. So, you're finding out more about them as they face BIG EAST talent and they're certainly very talented.”
On if the time off between games has been beneficial…
“It's preparation. Time is always good. We gave them a little bit more time off to mend their bruises. When Connecticut plays this weekend, they have a week to prepare for us without anything going on. So, it all depends. So, time is good, certainly, but we're getting into the meat of the schedule right now. We still have to play Georgetown on the road, Villanova on the road, Marquette on the road, Connecticut, Butler. We have a lot of tough road games left.”
On Kadary Richmond’s recent performance…
“He's the same exact player he was at Seton Hall. No better, no worse. The only difference is, when he plays with Deivon [Smith], he doesn't have the ball in his hands, so he doesn't look quite as good.”
On Ruben Prey developing more of a role with the team…
“Ruben is a lot like Zuby [Ejiofor]. If you could recruit the perfect player, the one ingredient you want to start with is a high motor. If that can be your common denominator, branching out to different things, a high motor would be it, and Ruben has a high motor. Sadiku [Ibine Ayo] has a high motor. Obviously, Zuby is the high-motor guy, so Ruben has a high motor, and it was just a matter of him getting adjusted to a completely new way of playing basketball defensively.”
St John’s guard Jaiden Glover:
On feeling more comfortable as the season progresses…
“I'm a lot more comfortable. I've been through a lot of practices now. I've had a good amount of experience, played a good amount of minutes in games, so feeling a lot more comfortable.”
On receiving a higher workload with Deivon Smith out…
“I'm still getting used to it. It’s unfortunate that he's out, but I want to help the team as much as I can, so I'm doing what I can.”
On improving his shooting…
I'm pretty sure (Coach Pitino) is just asking me to be more consistent because, in individual workouts, I shoot okay, I shoot a good percentage, but when in the game, I shoot better than in workouts. He said that to me one day. He was like, ‘In the game, you make the shots, but in individuals, it doesn't look the same’. I've been like that my whole life. In the game, I perform better than in practice or in workouts, but yeah, I'm working on my consistency.”
On having Simeon Wilcher’s support…
“He's been helping me a lot, keeping me keeping my head up. So I really appreciate him for that. That's my guy right there. That's that's real support.”
St. John’s forward Ruben Prey:
On playing more minutes lately…
“I mean, it feels great to see that [Coach Pitino] has confidence in me and all I can do in return is give my best and make sure that we win.”
On the transition from playing basketball in Europe to the NCAA Division I…
“It wasn't as difficult as people think it is. At the end of the day, it's just basketball. It won't change that much. It has its differences. I would say maybe speed or defensive intensity. Other than that, it's pretty similar.”
On playing with Lefteris Liotopoulos …
“It definitely helps to have [Lefteris Liotopoulos]. We talk all the time about the differences between [European] basketball and [college] basketball. Having another international athlete as a teammate definitely helps because a lot of times I didn’t know or didn't understand something, or he didn't understand something, and then he could ask me. I make it easier for him and he makes it easier for me.”
On playing in the BIG EAST…
“I love [the BIG EAST]. I love how every college has fans that really support them. It is always crowded wherever we go. There's always a great atmosphere. I'm loving it. I love the intensity of playing in the BIG EAST. It's always really physical, and I love it."
On Simeon Wilcher attempting more threes per game…
“Well, I think he's having a very good year in many areas, but he's open from three, and he's got to stop taking NBA threes. That line is confusing him at Madison Square Garden. He needs to step on that line and not shoot two feet behind the line, but he needs to get up about three to five more attempts a game because he's such a good shooter. He's open and he's looking to drive, and that's concerning.”
On if Simeon Wilcher turning down threes is a self-confidence issue…
“I do. I think that shooters like Aaron [Scott] and Sim are counting their misses too much in their minds instead of just taking open shots when they're there. Drive and get somebody a shot when you're covered and take every open shot that's available to you when you're open, regardless of what your percentages are…I've always preached to my team, that whether you go 0-for-7, you'll make your next four, and then you'll be 4-for-11. But these guys don't adhere to that.”
On if anything has changed facing Georgetown for a second time…
“No, they have very good talent. You don't know what they can do until they play a BIG EAST type schedule. So, you're finding out more about them as they face BIG EAST talent and they're certainly very talented.”
On if the time off between games has been beneficial…
“It's preparation. Time is always good. We gave them a little bit more time off to mend their bruises. When Connecticut plays this weekend, they have a week to prepare for us without anything going on. So, it all depends. So, time is good, certainly, but we're getting into the meat of the schedule right now. We still have to play Georgetown on the road, Villanova on the road, Marquette on the road, Connecticut, Butler. We have a lot of tough road games left.”
On Kadary Richmond’s recent performance…
“He's the same exact player he was at Seton Hall. No better, no worse. The only difference is, when he plays with Deivon [Smith], he doesn't have the ball in his hands, so he doesn't look quite as good.”
On Ruben Prey developing more of a role with the team…
“Ruben is a lot like Zuby [Ejiofor]. If you could recruit the perfect player, the one ingredient you want to start with is a high motor. If that can be your common denominator, branching out to different things, a high motor would be it, and Ruben has a high motor. Sadiku [Ibine Ayo] has a high motor. Obviously, Zuby is the high-motor guy, so Ruben has a high motor, and it was just a matter of him getting adjusted to a completely new way of playing basketball defensively.”
St John’s guard Jaiden Glover:
On feeling more comfortable as the season progresses…
“I'm a lot more comfortable. I've been through a lot of practices now. I've had a good amount of experience, played a good amount of minutes in games, so feeling a lot more comfortable.”
On receiving a higher workload with Deivon Smith out…
“I'm still getting used to it. It’s unfortunate that he's out, but I want to help the team as much as I can, so I'm doing what I can.”
On improving his shooting…
I'm pretty sure (Coach Pitino) is just asking me to be more consistent because, in individual workouts, I shoot okay, I shoot a good percentage, but when in the game, I shoot better than in workouts. He said that to me one day. He was like, ‘In the game, you make the shots, but in individuals, it doesn't look the same’. I've been like that my whole life. In the game, I perform better than in practice or in workouts, but yeah, I'm working on my consistency.”
On having Simeon Wilcher’s support…
“He's been helping me a lot, keeping me keeping my head up. So I really appreciate him for that. That's my guy right there. That's that's real support.”
St. John’s forward Ruben Prey:
On playing more minutes lately…
“I mean, it feels great to see that [Coach Pitino] has confidence in me and all I can do in return is give my best and make sure that we win.”
On the transition from playing basketball in Europe to the NCAA Division I…
“It wasn't as difficult as people think it is. At the end of the day, it's just basketball. It won't change that much. It has its differences. I would say maybe speed or defensive intensity. Other than that, it's pretty similar.”
On playing with Lefteris Liotopoulos …
“It definitely helps to have [Lefteris Liotopoulos]. We talk all the time about the differences between [European] basketball and [college] basketball. Having another international athlete as a teammate definitely helps because a lot of times I didn’t know or didn't understand something, or he didn't understand something, and then he could ask me. I make it easier for him and he makes it easier for me.”
On playing in the BIG EAST…
“I love [the BIG EAST]. I love how every college has fans that really support them. It is always crowded wherever we go. There's always a great atmosphere. I'm loving it. I love the intensity of playing in the BIG EAST. It's always really physical, and I love it."