St. John's University Athletics
PREGAME QUOTES: St. John’s Men’s Basketball vs. Providence
St. John’s Head Coach Rick Pitino and guard Deivon Smith met with the media on Friday ahead of the Red Storm’s matchup with Providence on Saturday at MSG
St. John’s Head Coach Rick Pitino
On Deivon Smith’s status ahead of tomorrow’s game…
“He's a little rusty, but he's in good shape. He conditioned while he was out. Man, he's a gamer. He'll play well.”
On Deivon Smith and Kadary Richmond playing together…
“I think we were a good team when they both played together. It's just that we're going to inch him [Deivon Smith] back into the lineup and see what happens.”
On Deivon Smith’s impact on the team’s defensive rebounding…
“He'll always be a good rebounder. He's a great numbers guy. He's going to have steals, assists, rebounds, points. Throughout his career, he’s been a guy that’s checked the boxes.”
On Providence Head Coach Kim English’s comments impacting his team’s play…
“It's not going to make a difference. What makes the difference is the fact that we are tied for first place [in the BIG EAST]. This is a BIG EAST game, we can lose to anybody, beat anybody. That’s what we need to focus on.”
On if he expected to have such large crowds so quickly…
“That's probably the only thing I wasn't sure of. It takes time to build that type of thing. That just shows you that people are starving for a winner.”
On if the team is in a good place heading into this stretch of games…
“It remains to be seen. Again, I don't have a crystal ball. It remains to be seen how well we will play. Last year, we played very well at UConn. Played well at Marquette for a period of time. Played well at Creighton. We're a pretty good road team.”
On the team’s strengths…
“We're very good on the break. We're a very good pressing team. We do a lot of things well. I think the only thing we don't do well is we are not a great three-point shooting team and Providence is.”
On the transformation of the team…
“We've worked very, very hard. The coaches have done a fabulous job in preparation. The players are doing a great job of listening better in the last two to three weeks, that's been the biggest change for us.”
St. John’s guard Deivon Smith
On how he thinks he will impact tomorrow’s game…
“Just play hard, high motor, let the game come to me. Same stuff that you guys have already been seeing. Just hope my shot goes in, but I've been working on it. You guys will be able to judge for yourself today with today's practice, but I feel pretty good.”
On Deivon Smith’s status ahead of tomorrow’s game…
“He's a little rusty, but he's in good shape. He conditioned while he was out. Man, he's a gamer. He'll play well.”
On Deivon Smith and Kadary Richmond playing together…
“I think we were a good team when they both played together. It's just that we're going to inch him [Deivon Smith] back into the lineup and see what happens.”
On Deivon Smith’s impact on the team’s defensive rebounding…
“He'll always be a good rebounder. He's a great numbers guy. He's going to have steals, assists, rebounds, points. Throughout his career, he’s been a guy that’s checked the boxes.”
On Providence Head Coach Kim English’s comments impacting his team’s play…
“It's not going to make a difference. What makes the difference is the fact that we are tied for first place [in the BIG EAST]. This is a BIG EAST game, we can lose to anybody, beat anybody. That’s what we need to focus on.”
On if he expected to have such large crowds so quickly…
“That's probably the only thing I wasn't sure of. It takes time to build that type of thing. That just shows you that people are starving for a winner.”
On if the team is in a good place heading into this stretch of games…
“It remains to be seen. Again, I don't have a crystal ball. It remains to be seen how well we will play. Last year, we played very well at UConn. Played well at Marquette for a period of time. Played well at Creighton. We're a pretty good road team.”
On the team’s strengths…
“We're very good on the break. We're a very good pressing team. We do a lot of things well. I think the only thing we don't do well is we are not a great three-point shooting team and Providence is.”
On the transformation of the team…
“We've worked very, very hard. The coaches have done a fabulous job in preparation. The players are doing a great job of listening better in the last two to three weeks, that's been the biggest change for us.”
St. John’s guard Deivon Smith
On how he thinks he will impact tomorrow’s game…
“Just play hard, high motor, let the game come to me. Same stuff that you guys have already been seeing. Just hope my shot goes in, but I've been working on it. You guys will be able to judge for yourself today with today's practice, but I feel pretty good.”