St. John's University Athletics
PREGAME QUOTES: St. John’s Men’s Basketball vs. William & Mary
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino, Zuby Ejiofor, and Bryce Hopkins met with the media on Friday prior to Saturday’s home game against William & Mary
Head Coach Rick Pitino
On rebuilding with a new roster…
“You know, it's really difficult coaching in today's world, and not because you're paying players, not because of NIL, because these guys are a true joy to coach. Every day I leave with a smile on my face. They're tremendous to coach. But every year it's a new group. You never get the continuity of the group that just lost in the Elite Eight and they're ready to come back four or five deep. Now, you'll see some of the teams early on, like Connecticut has a very good nucleus. Purdue has a good nucleus. Alabama had a good nucleus. We don't have that good nucleus. We have only one starter returning. That's gonna just take time, but we're gonna go like this. We're gonna get better and better. We're gonna take some lumps along the way because of the schedule we built up, but I intentionally did that.”
On making a jump defensively like last year’s team did:
“I hope so, but I don't know. I don't see it… I don't. Last year, we had one of the best defensive teams in the nation. I don't see this team becoming that. … I think this team is going to become a good defensive team. That was a great defensive team. I think this team relies more on its offensive potential than anything else. We have a high number of assists. We're a good transition team. … We don't have shot blocking and we're not overly physical and big. Now, that doesn't mean you can't be great at everything. So, I think we can become a good defensive team, good solid defensive team.”
On if he thinks Dylan Darling will be 100 percent tomorrow:
“Yes, I do.”
On the physicality of Ruben Prey:
“Well, probably adding 15 pounds [helped him]. A lot of muscle was added to him, which is a good thing. And you're right, Ruben is not afraid of physical play. He's probably the most, out of everybody on the basketball team, he likes to mix it up the most. … He's not afraid of physical play.”
On the toughness of the non-conference schedule:
“This team [William & Mary], I don't care what you read about it, this team will give us all we can handle. This will be a very tough game for us. I haven't studied Bucknell and I can't tell you about that yet, but I can tell you that I have studied the teams in Las Vegas and I have studied this team. … I don't see a blowout on our schedule. We struggled with Towson, but they're very good. They played Houston pretty tough. Their style of play, this style of play, you know, it all comes down to style. If a team does a lot of different things that you're not prepared for each and every day, like a Princeton fast offense that shoots 40 threes, that turn around and press you a great deal. You're going to have to prepare for a lot, with a lot of guards that don't mesh real well together right now. And that's not a knock. That's just life. It’s just early in the season. They don't know each other. They're learning each other. I don't like having a new team each year. I love some type of continuity. This year is tough. Next year will be much worse. So, it's just the nature of the game.”
Zuby Ejiofor
On identifying what to improve upon after the Alabama game…
“I think it was really good for us to just kind of have that week off, like you said. Just get ready for another talented team in Willam & Mary. Their play style is kind of unique. They all shoot the ball pretty well. They use back cuts in their whole system offensively. It's just going to be another exciting game and just kind of work on the things that we needed to work on from the past game and just see areas that we can improve.”
On developing under Coach Pitino…
“It always turns out good for the guys that are willing to take Coach Pitino's lessons and really understand him as a person. He has a way of doing things that probably most other coaches can't do. He's always leading the player development sessions. He impacts the game. He impacts us in so many different ways that, like I said, probably most other coaches couldn't do. As long as everybody is willing to learn and pay attention to the little details, I think that we're able to have as much success as we possibly can, just like what DJ [Daniss Jenkins] is doing right now [in the NBA].”
Bryce Hopkins
On rebounding and the physicality of the game…
“It comes down to our mindset and us wanting to do that. Coach [Steve] Masiello has been telling us it has to mean something to us, getting stops and to get out on a break that begins from our defense. What Coach is trying to say is he wants us to be more physical and it's going to come down to us and our mindset. Actually zeroing in and closing out those long defensive possessions and getting the rebounds and stuff like that.”
On the upcoming matchups in the Players Era Tournament in Las Vagas…
“I think we just have to take it a day at a time, a game at a time. I feel like us handling our business against William & Mary and focusing on the things that we didn't do so well against Alabama. If we handle our business against William & Mary and we're feeling good going into our next couple games, I feel like that’s just going to lead us into Las Vegas with a good mindset.”
On rebuilding with a new roster…
“You know, it's really difficult coaching in today's world, and not because you're paying players, not because of NIL, because these guys are a true joy to coach. Every day I leave with a smile on my face. They're tremendous to coach. But every year it's a new group. You never get the continuity of the group that just lost in the Elite Eight and they're ready to come back four or five deep. Now, you'll see some of the teams early on, like Connecticut has a very good nucleus. Purdue has a good nucleus. Alabama had a good nucleus. We don't have that good nucleus. We have only one starter returning. That's gonna just take time, but we're gonna go like this. We're gonna get better and better. We're gonna take some lumps along the way because of the schedule we built up, but I intentionally did that.”
On making a jump defensively like last year’s team did:
“I hope so, but I don't know. I don't see it… I don't. Last year, we had one of the best defensive teams in the nation. I don't see this team becoming that. … I think this team is going to become a good defensive team. That was a great defensive team. I think this team relies more on its offensive potential than anything else. We have a high number of assists. We're a good transition team. … We don't have shot blocking and we're not overly physical and big. Now, that doesn't mean you can't be great at everything. So, I think we can become a good defensive team, good solid defensive team.”
On if he thinks Dylan Darling will be 100 percent tomorrow:
“Yes, I do.”
On the physicality of Ruben Prey:
“Well, probably adding 15 pounds [helped him]. A lot of muscle was added to him, which is a good thing. And you're right, Ruben is not afraid of physical play. He's probably the most, out of everybody on the basketball team, he likes to mix it up the most. … He's not afraid of physical play.”
On the toughness of the non-conference schedule:
“This team [William & Mary], I don't care what you read about it, this team will give us all we can handle. This will be a very tough game for us. I haven't studied Bucknell and I can't tell you about that yet, but I can tell you that I have studied the teams in Las Vegas and I have studied this team. … I don't see a blowout on our schedule. We struggled with Towson, but they're very good. They played Houston pretty tough. Their style of play, this style of play, you know, it all comes down to style. If a team does a lot of different things that you're not prepared for each and every day, like a Princeton fast offense that shoots 40 threes, that turn around and press you a great deal. You're going to have to prepare for a lot, with a lot of guards that don't mesh real well together right now. And that's not a knock. That's just life. It’s just early in the season. They don't know each other. They're learning each other. I don't like having a new team each year. I love some type of continuity. This year is tough. Next year will be much worse. So, it's just the nature of the game.”
Zuby Ejiofor
On identifying what to improve upon after the Alabama game…
“I think it was really good for us to just kind of have that week off, like you said. Just get ready for another talented team in Willam & Mary. Their play style is kind of unique. They all shoot the ball pretty well. They use back cuts in their whole system offensively. It's just going to be another exciting game and just kind of work on the things that we needed to work on from the past game and just see areas that we can improve.”
On developing under Coach Pitino…
“It always turns out good for the guys that are willing to take Coach Pitino's lessons and really understand him as a person. He has a way of doing things that probably most other coaches can't do. He's always leading the player development sessions. He impacts the game. He impacts us in so many different ways that, like I said, probably most other coaches couldn't do. As long as everybody is willing to learn and pay attention to the little details, I think that we're able to have as much success as we possibly can, just like what DJ [Daniss Jenkins] is doing right now [in the NBA].”
Bryce Hopkins
On rebounding and the physicality of the game…
“It comes down to our mindset and us wanting to do that. Coach [Steve] Masiello has been telling us it has to mean something to us, getting stops and to get out on a break that begins from our defense. What Coach is trying to say is he wants us to be more physical and it's going to come down to us and our mindset. Actually zeroing in and closing out those long defensive possessions and getting the rebounds and stuff like that.”
On the upcoming matchups in the Players Era Tournament in Las Vagas…
“I think we just have to take it a day at a time, a game at a time. I feel like us handling our business against William & Mary and focusing on the things that we didn't do so well against Alabama. If we handle our business against William & Mary and we're feeling good going into our next couple games, I feel like that’s just going to lead us into Las Vegas with a good mindset.”