St. John's University Athletics
ST. JOHN’S MEDIA AVAILABILITY QUOTES
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino, Zuby Ejiofor and Dylan Darling met with the media on Thursday at Madison Square Garden ahead of Saturday’s matchup with Ole Miss
Head Coach Rick Pitino
On team development…
“I really like this team a lot. I think they’re in the same boat as last year’s team. Last year’s team, at this time, was not a great defensive or rebounding team. We have to improve in that area and we made great strides this week in practice.”
On if the young players have been inconsistent…
“I don’t think they’re inconsistent, I just think their mindset is to score the ball. In college, you’ve got to play great defense. You cannot be holding the team back defensively. You have to rebound the ball, and you have to pass the ball.”
On not getting into foul trouble…
“We have a bad habit of putting two hands on the offensive player when defending the pick and roll, and we’re trying to break that habit, because players need to be substituted because of fatigue, not foul trouble.”
On how opponents may try to stop senior forward Zuby Ejiofor…
“I think teams are saying in timeouts. ‘Look, we can’t let this guy beat us. Go after him hard, keep him off the glass and have two guys block him out.’ That’s what I would do in a timeout if I was playing against him.”
On why he wasn’t upset at the team after going 1-2 in the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas last week…
“I wasn’t a bit upset at this team leaving Las Vegas, because they played two really good games. The last game [against Auburn], I don’t think was entirely their fault.”
On practice this week…
“[The players] know talking defensively is a weakness and they’re trying to make the corrections. We had a great week of practice.”
Junior guard Dylan Darling
On his hamstring injury…
“I hurt it in warmups [before our game with Auburn]. It was basically just a really bad spasm in my IT band, where your hamstring meets your calf. When I sat down, I’d get comfortable and it wouldn’t hurt, but once you go out there and start running around, sprinting, and sitting in a defensive stance, I couldn’t go.”
On the start of his first season at St. John’s…
“I’m off to a little bit of a slower start than I would’ve liked, but I don’t feel like I’m playing horrible basketball. It’s just that, I’ve either been hurt or in foul trouble. I felt like I was in foul trouble the whole time in Las Vegas, and I haven’t been able to shoot the ball great since the season started. That’s something I’m confident will flip because every day in practice I feel like I’m getting better and more confident.”
On his potential impact in the games he missed…
“I absolutely feel like I could’ve made a difference down the stretch in those games, if I was healthy or didn’t foul out. I always think I’m more of a positive than a negative. It’s been an unfortunate start, but I’m looking to turn it around on Saturday.”
Senior forward Zuby Ejiofor
On his postgame message after the loss to Auburn…
“I’m not going to say exactly what was said, but it’s a tough game and a tough situation. We don’t want to keep talking about last year’s team compared to this year’s team, it’s two different teams. I was just trying to relay my thoughts and a message to the rest of the guys that it’s going to be a long year if we don’t pick it up defensively. That’s where it’s going to have to start.”
On what needs to change defensively…
“Communication and trust, those are the two biggest things. You’ve got to trust that if you’re beat off the bounce, your teammates are going to be there for you. Communication is obviously a huge part, and that’s something I think we’re lacking at the moment.”
On how the team has responded in practice…
“The guys have picked it up, especially with their enthusiasm on the defensive end. When we’re getting stops and taking pride in getting stops, we’re a pretty great transition team. Coach [Pitino] says all the time that one through five can push the ball in transition and we have great shooters all around. As long as we’re focused on getting stops each possession, we’ll be fine.”
On team development…
“I really like this team a lot. I think they’re in the same boat as last year’s team. Last year’s team, at this time, was not a great defensive or rebounding team. We have to improve in that area and we made great strides this week in practice.”
On if the young players have been inconsistent…
“I don’t think they’re inconsistent, I just think their mindset is to score the ball. In college, you’ve got to play great defense. You cannot be holding the team back defensively. You have to rebound the ball, and you have to pass the ball.”
On not getting into foul trouble…
“We have a bad habit of putting two hands on the offensive player when defending the pick and roll, and we’re trying to break that habit, because players need to be substituted because of fatigue, not foul trouble.”
On how opponents may try to stop senior forward Zuby Ejiofor…
“I think teams are saying in timeouts. ‘Look, we can’t let this guy beat us. Go after him hard, keep him off the glass and have two guys block him out.’ That’s what I would do in a timeout if I was playing against him.”
On why he wasn’t upset at the team after going 1-2 in the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas last week…
“I wasn’t a bit upset at this team leaving Las Vegas, because they played two really good games. The last game [against Auburn], I don’t think was entirely their fault.”
On practice this week…
“[The players] know talking defensively is a weakness and they’re trying to make the corrections. We had a great week of practice.”
Junior guard Dylan Darling
On his hamstring injury…
“I hurt it in warmups [before our game with Auburn]. It was basically just a really bad spasm in my IT band, where your hamstring meets your calf. When I sat down, I’d get comfortable and it wouldn’t hurt, but once you go out there and start running around, sprinting, and sitting in a defensive stance, I couldn’t go.”
On the start of his first season at St. John’s…
“I’m off to a little bit of a slower start than I would’ve liked, but I don’t feel like I’m playing horrible basketball. It’s just that, I’ve either been hurt or in foul trouble. I felt like I was in foul trouble the whole time in Las Vegas, and I haven’t been able to shoot the ball great since the season started. That’s something I’m confident will flip because every day in practice I feel like I’m getting better and more confident.”
On his potential impact in the games he missed…
“I absolutely feel like I could’ve made a difference down the stretch in those games, if I was healthy or didn’t foul out. I always think I’m more of a positive than a negative. It’s been an unfortunate start, but I’m looking to turn it around on Saturday.”
Senior forward Zuby Ejiofor
On his postgame message after the loss to Auburn…
“I’m not going to say exactly what was said, but it’s a tough game and a tough situation. We don’t want to keep talking about last year’s team compared to this year’s team, it’s two different teams. I was just trying to relay my thoughts and a message to the rest of the guys that it’s going to be a long year if we don’t pick it up defensively. That’s where it’s going to have to start.”
On what needs to change defensively…
“Communication and trust, those are the two biggest things. You’ve got to trust that if you’re beat off the bounce, your teammates are going to be there for you. Communication is obviously a huge part, and that’s something I think we’re lacking at the moment.”
On how the team has responded in practice…
“The guys have picked it up, especially with their enthusiasm on the defensive end. When we’re getting stops and taking pride in getting stops, we’re a pretty great transition team. Coach [Pitino] says all the time that one through five can push the ball in transition and we have great shooters all around. As long as we’re focused on getting stops each possession, we’ll be fine.”