St. John's University Athletics
PREGAME QUOTES: St. John’s Basketball Media Availability
Red Storm Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino, senior Dillon Mitchell and graduate student Bryce Hopkins spoke to the media Friday
Head Coach Rick Pitino
Opening statement…
“The season is finally here and we had two really good exhibition games to get us ready. Unfortunately, we’re still about two weeks away from being fully set, fundamentally, to open the season. I was jokingly saying we should ask Quinnipiac to move the game back a week, but they wouldn’t do it. Right now, we’re not quite connected, but in a week or two, I think we’ll have all the kinks worked out.”
On excitement and expectations entering the season…
“I’m probably more excited than I’ve ever been, but I have some trepidation because of our schedule. Playing Alabama in the second game of the season, with their tempo and style, that’s unusual for us. Still, I’m more excited than ever because of the competition. This is the norm now for St. John’s. I feel like I’m back at Louisville or Kentucky.”
On defensive adjustment…
“We’ve got eight new guys coming together with four returnees. It’s a matter of verbal communication, getting used to each other and learning the system. They’ve never played like this before, so it’s all about gelling, and right now, that lack of communication leads to mistakes.”
Senior forward Dillon Mitchell
On defensive progress and team communication…
“I think it’s getting better. It’s about the smaller things, communicating, paying attention to detail, understanding our defensive principles and helping each other. The main thing is communication. We all understand what we’re trying to do, and we’ve been really locked in during practice, focusing on those little details. It’s definitely getting better, and it’s something we’re going to keep improving on every day.”
On handling high expectations…
“Coach [Pitino] always tells us not to listen to the noise. The season hasn’t even started, so those rankings don’t mean much right now. We don’t talk about being a top team or anything like that. We just take it one day at a time in practice. We know the goals we have as a team, but none of them will happen unless we stay together, go hard and keep getting each other better every day.”
On learning from competing against Michigan’s size…
“[Michigan is] big on the court. They were a big team. But we went out there and competed. I think, specifically, me, Bryce, Zuby and Ruben are versatile and able to switch and guard multiple defenders. Being able to go up against Michigan, who is one of the top teams, was definitely a positive.”
Graduate student forward/guard Bryce Hopkins
On why he chose St. John’s…
“The player development piece was a big reason I came here. We lift in the morning, then go straight to individual workouts before practice. It’s nonstop work. Obviously, playing for Coach [Pitino] was a huge factor too, but it was the daily development and structure that really stood out to me.”
On starting the season…
“I’m very excited. It’s been a pretty long time since I’ve actually been healthy at the beginning of a season. Me and the guys have been putting in a ton of work this offseason and we just can’t wait until the ball tips up and it’s official. We’re all looking forward to it.”
Opening statement…
“The season is finally here and we had two really good exhibition games to get us ready. Unfortunately, we’re still about two weeks away from being fully set, fundamentally, to open the season. I was jokingly saying we should ask Quinnipiac to move the game back a week, but they wouldn’t do it. Right now, we’re not quite connected, but in a week or two, I think we’ll have all the kinks worked out.”
On excitement and expectations entering the season…
“I’m probably more excited than I’ve ever been, but I have some trepidation because of our schedule. Playing Alabama in the second game of the season, with their tempo and style, that’s unusual for us. Still, I’m more excited than ever because of the competition. This is the norm now for St. John’s. I feel like I’m back at Louisville or Kentucky.”
On defensive adjustment…
“We’ve got eight new guys coming together with four returnees. It’s a matter of verbal communication, getting used to each other and learning the system. They’ve never played like this before, so it’s all about gelling, and right now, that lack of communication leads to mistakes.”
Senior forward Dillon Mitchell
On defensive progress and team communication…
“I think it’s getting better. It’s about the smaller things, communicating, paying attention to detail, understanding our defensive principles and helping each other. The main thing is communication. We all understand what we’re trying to do, and we’ve been really locked in during practice, focusing on those little details. It’s definitely getting better, and it’s something we’re going to keep improving on every day.”
On handling high expectations…
“Coach [Pitino] always tells us not to listen to the noise. The season hasn’t even started, so those rankings don’t mean much right now. We don’t talk about being a top team or anything like that. We just take it one day at a time in practice. We know the goals we have as a team, but none of them will happen unless we stay together, go hard and keep getting each other better every day.”
On learning from competing against Michigan’s size…
“[Michigan is] big on the court. They were a big team. But we went out there and competed. I think, specifically, me, Bryce, Zuby and Ruben are versatile and able to switch and guard multiple defenders. Being able to go up against Michigan, who is one of the top teams, was definitely a positive.”
Graduate student forward/guard Bryce Hopkins
On why he chose St. John’s…
“The player development piece was a big reason I came here. We lift in the morning, then go straight to individual workouts before practice. It’s nonstop work. Obviously, playing for Coach [Pitino] was a huge factor too, but it was the daily development and structure that really stood out to me.”
On starting the season…
“I’m very excited. It’s been a pretty long time since I’ve actually been healthy at the beginning of a season. Me and the guys have been putting in a ton of work this offseason and we just can’t wait until the ball tips up and it’s official. We’re all looking forward to it.”