St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: ST. JOHN’S VS. OLE MISS
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino senior forward Zuby Ejiofor and redshirt junior guard Dylan Darling spoke with the media after defeating Ole Miss, 63-58, at Madison Square Garden
Head Coach Rick Pitino
Opening statement…
“I’m real excited with the victory. It wasn’t easy, it was very difficult, as I knew it would be. We had to play great defense tonight. We worked on it all week and the guys did a fabulous job of playing great defense.”
On late game execution…
“We made [Ole Miss] take bad shots at the end of the game. Our defense was there. That’s a winning attitude there, and our defense hasn’t been as good as it was tonight.”
On senior forward Zuby Ejiofor…
“The most impressive thing to me was [Zuby Ejiofor] didn’t let frustrations stand in the way. He didn’t even think about the fact that he only had two points [at halftime]. He just kept grinding and grinding, and it’s easy to coach him.”
On believing in this group…
“I told them how much confidence I have in them. I believe in them. I think they’re going to be a very good basketball team.”
On the college basketball landscape…
“We knew Iowa State was a really good basketball team. I think Baylor is a great team. I think Michigan was a great team. I think [Alabama] is a good team. I think Auburn is a good team. There are growing pains in every program in the country right now. If you look at the teams that are playing great, there’s a lot of [returning] players back.”
On not making excuses for previous losses…
“I always feel excuses are a sign of weakness. When you make excuses, regardless of what it may be or what I think, it’s a weakness. You can’t show weakness.”
Senior forward Zuby Ejiofor
On the team’s performance…
“I feel like we came out with the right intensity. Like Coach [Pitino] said, there were two teams trying to do whatever it took to get a win. We came out with the right mindset, especially on the defensive end, and we were able to come out with a gritty win.”
On the importance of today’s win…
“It’s important to play every game to the best of your ability. That’s what we play for. We practice all week to improve our weaknesses and come out with a win.”
On recording eight blocks…
“Honestly, I didn’t even know I had eight until I looked at the stat sheet. I always try to be a presence, especially on the defensive end. The game was won on the defensive end and winning starts on defense. We just need to continue communicating with each other.”
Redshirt junior guard Dylan Darliing
On the team’s performance…
“I thought our defense was great. We were finishing possessions, and overall, it was a great effort and something to build on going forward.”
On his role…
“I just try to be a steady presence out there and make winning plays, especially at the end of the game when things get a little chaotic. I just try to do everything else possible to help impact winning.”
Ole Miss Head Coach Chris Beard
On Rick Pitino…
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Coach [Pitino] and St. John’s. I feel like we just played one of the best teams in the country. If I had a son, he’d go play for Coach Pitino. We played against the best coach, in my opinion, in the history of the game.”
Opening statement…
“I’m real excited with the victory. It wasn’t easy, it was very difficult, as I knew it would be. We had to play great defense tonight. We worked on it all week and the guys did a fabulous job of playing great defense.”
On late game execution…
“We made [Ole Miss] take bad shots at the end of the game. Our defense was there. That’s a winning attitude there, and our defense hasn’t been as good as it was tonight.”
On senior forward Zuby Ejiofor…
“The most impressive thing to me was [Zuby Ejiofor] didn’t let frustrations stand in the way. He didn’t even think about the fact that he only had two points [at halftime]. He just kept grinding and grinding, and it’s easy to coach him.”
On believing in this group…
“I told them how much confidence I have in them. I believe in them. I think they’re going to be a very good basketball team.”
On the college basketball landscape…
“We knew Iowa State was a really good basketball team. I think Baylor is a great team. I think Michigan was a great team. I think [Alabama] is a good team. I think Auburn is a good team. There are growing pains in every program in the country right now. If you look at the teams that are playing great, there’s a lot of [returning] players back.”
On not making excuses for previous losses…
“I always feel excuses are a sign of weakness. When you make excuses, regardless of what it may be or what I think, it’s a weakness. You can’t show weakness.”
Senior forward Zuby Ejiofor
On the team’s performance…
“I feel like we came out with the right intensity. Like Coach [Pitino] said, there were two teams trying to do whatever it took to get a win. We came out with the right mindset, especially on the defensive end, and we were able to come out with a gritty win.”
On the importance of today’s win…
“It’s important to play every game to the best of your ability. That’s what we play for. We practice all week to improve our weaknesses and come out with a win.”
On recording eight blocks…
“Honestly, I didn’t even know I had eight until I looked at the stat sheet. I always try to be a presence, especially on the defensive end. The game was won on the defensive end and winning starts on defense. We just need to continue communicating with each other.”
Redshirt junior guard Dylan Darliing
On the team’s performance…
“I thought our defense was great. We were finishing possessions, and overall, it was a great effort and something to build on going forward.”
On his role…
“I just try to be a steady presence out there and make winning plays, especially at the end of the game when things get a little chaotic. I just try to do everything else possible to help impact winning.”
Ole Miss Head Coach Chris Beard
On Rick Pitino…
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Coach [Pitino] and St. John’s. I feel like we just played one of the best teams in the country. If I had a son, he’d go play for Coach Pitino. We played against the best coach, in my opinion, in the history of the game.”