St. John's University Athletics
PREGAME QUOTES: No. 9/8 St. John’s at Villanova
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino and forward RJ Luis Jr. spoke with the media ahead of the team’s matchup against Villanova on Wednesday at Finneran Pavilion
Head Coach Rick Pitino
On what being ranked top-10 in the country means…
“I think [being ranked in the top-10] means something for the program. To me, personally, it's not going to make me coach any different. We just have to realize that if Villanova wants to have a chance of making a good run [to the NCAA Tournament], beating us is a great segue into that. So [the team] has to understand it's not going to just be a normal game anymore for your opponents.”
On the team’s goals going forward…
“I want to be number one in the country. So, keep winning. The most important thing is that we improve. We are nowhere near our potential. We made more mistakes in the Connecticut game than we had in the nine prior games. We had 35 bad segments in that game and we've been in the teens lately. We did not play well at all and Connecticut had something to do with it.”
On Kadary Richmond…
“The great ones can bring it to a new level in crunch time and [Kadary Richmond] brings it to a new level.”
On RJ Luis Jr.…
“I've said from day one, RJ [Luis Jr.] is a pro. He’s got a lot of different skills. He’s a shot blocker, he’s got great hands and he can get a crucial rebound.”
On the team’s defense…
“I think it's just a bunch of guys coming together. From day one, we put all of our emphasis on defense, and rightfully so. We thought that we would have to be a great defensive team with this team and we are.”
On VICE’s Docuseries “Pitino: Red Storm Rising”...
“Exposure benefits programs. … St. John's needs exposure. It's a lost brand that’s coming back. We've got to reestablish the brand by doing things like this with VICE TV.”
On Deivon Smith…
“Deivon [Smith] is fine. He had a little twerk in his neck. We don’t know if it's related to his previous injury. [Monday] he couldn’t go [in practice].”
St. John’s forward RJ Luis Jr.:
On the national attention the team is getting…
“I feel like all that national attention is great because we deserve it. But definitely, the humility part is just falling back on the coaches, the coaching staff, and just really, just remembering all we had to go through before the preseason to get to this point. Really just staying level-headed and staying where our feet are and that's on the ground. It's great when you're winning, everything is going well. “
On the team’s ability to stay humble through this stretch…
“I don't think it's too hard for me personally. I think every time I have an interview after the game, the postgame interviews, I just always make sure I give the glory to God. I feel without his strength and his guidance, I wouldn't be here today. I feel like a lot of players on the team are also religious, so I think it's great. I don't think it's that hard to be humble, as long as guys aren't getting too big-headed and stuff like that and becoming arrogant. Coach Pitino always tells us that the killer of success is ego. So, we are just trying to stick together through the ups and the downs. That's really it. I feel like all the guys, we all mesh together, we really like each other. It's just great when we are able to take that court together.”
On the individual recognition he is receiving this season…
“Basketball is a team sport, it's not individualized. You obviously need everybody to buy in and do their part. It’s great that I'm getting recognition but if somebody else was getting it I'd be just as happy. I put in a lot of work and am finally healthy. This season ha been crazy. Who would have thought 21 wins, three losses by this time? Last year, it took us the whole year to get to 20 wins. The thing I'm happy about the most is that every day I wake up, I touch my shins, and they do. I'm going to just keep playing hard on both sides of the ball and really just do anything I need to do to help my team win.”
On what he thinks the Villanova game will be like…
“Like all the other games in the BIG EAST, very competitive. All the games are close, no team wants to lose. So, I’m excited. We played them twice last year, we beat them twice last year, and we beat them already one time earlier this year. It's really just focusing in on the scout and really just honing in on those small details that we need to ultimately win the game.”
On what changes with the team in the final five minutes of a game…
“Defense is what really kicks in. That's what Coach Pitino is telling us that we need to work on. Having that defensive presence and mindset to not only finish the games but start the games off like that. I feel like when it comes down the stretch of the last couple minutes of the game or the second half, it is definitely the defense that really fuels all that energy. That's what we really get behind and we try to do.”
On what being ranked top-10 in the country means…
“I think [being ranked in the top-10] means something for the program. To me, personally, it's not going to make me coach any different. We just have to realize that if Villanova wants to have a chance of making a good run [to the NCAA Tournament], beating us is a great segue into that. So [the team] has to understand it's not going to just be a normal game anymore for your opponents.”
On the team’s goals going forward…
“I want to be number one in the country. So, keep winning. The most important thing is that we improve. We are nowhere near our potential. We made more mistakes in the Connecticut game than we had in the nine prior games. We had 35 bad segments in that game and we've been in the teens lately. We did not play well at all and Connecticut had something to do with it.”
On Kadary Richmond…
“The great ones can bring it to a new level in crunch time and [Kadary Richmond] brings it to a new level.”
On RJ Luis Jr.…
“I've said from day one, RJ [Luis Jr.] is a pro. He’s got a lot of different skills. He’s a shot blocker, he’s got great hands and he can get a crucial rebound.”
On the team’s defense…
“I think it's just a bunch of guys coming together. From day one, we put all of our emphasis on defense, and rightfully so. We thought that we would have to be a great defensive team with this team and we are.”
On VICE’s Docuseries “Pitino: Red Storm Rising”...
“Exposure benefits programs. … St. John's needs exposure. It's a lost brand that’s coming back. We've got to reestablish the brand by doing things like this with VICE TV.”
On Deivon Smith…
“Deivon [Smith] is fine. He had a little twerk in his neck. We don’t know if it's related to his previous injury. [Monday] he couldn’t go [in practice].”
St. John’s forward RJ Luis Jr.:
On the national attention the team is getting…
“I feel like all that national attention is great because we deserve it. But definitely, the humility part is just falling back on the coaches, the coaching staff, and just really, just remembering all we had to go through before the preseason to get to this point. Really just staying level-headed and staying where our feet are and that's on the ground. It's great when you're winning, everything is going well. “
On the team’s ability to stay humble through this stretch…
“I don't think it's too hard for me personally. I think every time I have an interview after the game, the postgame interviews, I just always make sure I give the glory to God. I feel without his strength and his guidance, I wouldn't be here today. I feel like a lot of players on the team are also religious, so I think it's great. I don't think it's that hard to be humble, as long as guys aren't getting too big-headed and stuff like that and becoming arrogant. Coach Pitino always tells us that the killer of success is ego. So, we are just trying to stick together through the ups and the downs. That's really it. I feel like all the guys, we all mesh together, we really like each other. It's just great when we are able to take that court together.”
On the individual recognition he is receiving this season…
“Basketball is a team sport, it's not individualized. You obviously need everybody to buy in and do their part. It’s great that I'm getting recognition but if somebody else was getting it I'd be just as happy. I put in a lot of work and am finally healthy. This season ha been crazy. Who would have thought 21 wins, three losses by this time? Last year, it took us the whole year to get to 20 wins. The thing I'm happy about the most is that every day I wake up, I touch my shins, and they do. I'm going to just keep playing hard on both sides of the ball and really just do anything I need to do to help my team win.”
On what he thinks the Villanova game will be like…
“Like all the other games in the BIG EAST, very competitive. All the games are close, no team wants to lose. So, I’m excited. We played them twice last year, we beat them twice last year, and we beat them already one time earlier this year. It's really just focusing in on the scout and really just honing in on those small details that we need to ultimately win the game.”
On what changes with the team in the final five minutes of a game…
“Defense is what really kicks in. That's what Coach Pitino is telling us that we need to work on. Having that defensive presence and mindset to not only finish the games but start the games off like that. I feel like when it comes down the stretch of the last couple minutes of the game or the second half, it is definitely the defense that really fuels all that energy. That's what we really get behind and we try to do.”