St. John's University Athletics
PREGAME QUOTES: No. 12/10 St. John’s vs No. 11/11 Marquette
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino, guard Simeon Wilcher and forward RJ Luis Jr. spoke with the media ahead of the team’s showdown against No. 11/11 Marquette on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden
Head Coach Rick Pitino
Opening statement…
“Obviously, this is a huge game. Every game in February takes on a different meaning because it's a moving time in February for everybody. We lost to [Marquette] twice last year, both close, hard-fought games, and now it's going to be another hard-fought game. So, we're excited about the opportunity, and we'll see what happens.”
On how he prepares for the games this week against UConn and Marquette…
“No different than if we're playing DePaul, Seton Hall, teams that right now are closer to the bottom. As a matter of fact, we probably pay more attention to those games than we do these games, not in terms of scouting, not in terms of being meticulous, but just in terms of motivational standpoint. You don't have to motivate for Marquette or Connecticut because there's so much meaning and hype behind the game.”
On Marquette’s strong defense…
“You know, it's Marquette. They are big-time turnovers and steal people. They caused 26 turnovers against UConn. 26 against a very well-drilled UConn team. Now the flip side is UConn shot 63% from the three and one player was six-of-nine, but you don't turn over UConn 26 times unless you're a hell of a defensive team.”
On how his team can avoid turnovers…
“Well, you can't drive into closed areas. That's something that RJ [Luis Jr.] has got to be careful of. Kadary [Richmond] has got to be careful, [Simeon Wilcher] has got to be careful of that. You can't drive into a small area where you're congested. One of the problems is, people don't think we can make threes, so they pack it in. So, we got to be very careful with that.”
On focusing on closing tight games…
“I want them focused in on what you have to do to win really, really tight games, and we have to make sure we do that against a Marquette, Connecticut or playing on the road against a Villanova.”
On if he gets extra excited for these tougher games…
“I'm very excited for every single game. I was pumped up for the last game. I get pumped up for every single game, no more because this is a tougher opponent. I get excited for every single game, no matter who we play.”
On if the team has anything to prove with the two games this week…
“I don't think there's a game that's been played where we haven't been for real. Nobody's blown us out. We've fought everybody tooth and nail. I think you see how hard we play. We're on television every single night, so I don't think there's any mystery with us. I think they know our frailties. I think they know our strengths.”
St John’s guard Simeon Wilcher
On what it feels like to have such success as a team this season…
“It's a blessing for sure. Just being able to have a group of such great guys, we're all on a team doing something that we love day in and day out. It’s just it's amazing to be a part of.”
On what it’s like winning a close game in The Garden like Saturday’s game…
“I don’t know what to compare it to. I don’t know it’s crazy. It's just something that you have to be in or be a part of to really feel what the moment is like. To have like 19,000 fans cheering for you, I don’t know if it gets any better than that.”
On what it means for St. John’s to be prominent in New York sports…
“It truly means the world to me. To be a kid from the tri-state area, I played a lot of basketball in New York, playing AAU and all that, but just to be here in college and then just knowing how much people just love sports in New York, and having people talk about your team and being a part of that team is kind of amazing. It's a great feeling. I feel like we're just going to continue to grow and build as the year goes on.”
On if he thinks the team has something to prove this week…
“I feel like every game we have something to prove. Not to everybody out there, but to ourselves that we could do it. We have an amazing coaching staff that makes sure that we prepare for every game. So, it's just up to us to go out there and put everything out there on the line, like we do all the time. But these big games coming up, we're just going to continue to do that, because I feel like what we do travels and we've had nights where we can’t hit the side of a barn, and we were able to come out with the win. That's not really something that's easy to do. So, I trust in the guys. We trust in each other. Trust in our coaching staff and I feel like we're going to be 1,000% ready for everything this week.”
On what it’s like to see the team transform from last season to this season…
“It's amazing. It's just what Coach P [Pitino] has done since he was at Providence. The second year is always the year where things kind of pick up. So, it’s just amazing to be a part of. We're truly blessed and excited for everything we have coming.”
St. John’s forward RJ Luis Jr.
On the team’s transformation this season…
“I feel like we've just transcended from the beginning of the season, the preseason and the summer. We all came in with one mindset and that is to play hard, to win games, to win big and obviously go dancing in March. We are just a very gritty, hard-working team and the whole season we've just been showing a lot of fight.”
On playing in a Top-15 matchup on Tuesday…
“I'm excited. I think last year was the first time I played against a ranked team in my college career. Going into it tomorrow, as a ranked team, it's pretty surreal. It’s pretty exciting. I think it's a really cool experience, especially to do it in The Garden and I can't wait.”
On Marquette…
“They're a great team. They’re well-coached. Shaka Smart, I think he's a phenomenal coach. I think they do a great job over there. They try to stick with the players that they have. You know, they don't really go into the transfer portal. I think that's unique in today's basketball world, that he's able to keep the same guys and just build on to that. I feel like we have a lot of respect for them. They're a hard-working team, and we're going to prepare our best to be able to beat them on Tuesday. I feel like they're going to do the same thing with us.”
On being ranked No. 12/10 in the country…
“It means everything. I’ve never been ranked top 12 in the nation. I’ve never been ranked top 15. So, keep on going down and just winning big for the city, it means a lot. I'm just excited that I'm able to play on this big platform, be able to showcase my abilities and go out there every night with my guys. You know, we practice very hard. I mean, I’m just excited. It's a blessing. Like [Simeon Wilcher] said, not a lot of people get this opportunity, so I just got to give all the glory to God for allowing us to be here and allowing me to play the sport that I love.”
On his mindset going forward…
“I feel like, why not us? I mean, we deserve this obviously, they don't just hand out the rankings because they feel like it. Obviously, you have to go in and earn that spot. It feels nice to be ranked, but there’s a long season ahead. We're focused on a bigger goal than just having a little number next to our name. So, it's really just going out there, playing hard, playing together, just focusing on the task at hand and not thinking about the future but the present.”
On the national attention that the team is getting…
“Obviously, you know, Coach Pitino’s background. He’s a Hall of Fame coach. You know, that’s his thing, the year one to year two transition. I mean we just got to stay focused. All the media and stuff is cool when you're winning, but once you lose, they're not going to be there. It's a give-and-take. So, we’re just trying to stay positive throughout the whole situation. It's a blessing to get recognized, but once you fall out of the rankings, it's kind of like ‘What happened’? So, I’m just staying focused and tuning out all the noise. Don't get too big-headed and stay grounded. The only people you can turn back to are the coaches and your teammates and that's really it. I think that's what we've been doing a great job of. In some games, we started off slow and came back, and that just shows the type of fight that we have as a group.”
Opening statement…
“Obviously, this is a huge game. Every game in February takes on a different meaning because it's a moving time in February for everybody. We lost to [Marquette] twice last year, both close, hard-fought games, and now it's going to be another hard-fought game. So, we're excited about the opportunity, and we'll see what happens.”
On how he prepares for the games this week against UConn and Marquette…
“No different than if we're playing DePaul, Seton Hall, teams that right now are closer to the bottom. As a matter of fact, we probably pay more attention to those games than we do these games, not in terms of scouting, not in terms of being meticulous, but just in terms of motivational standpoint. You don't have to motivate for Marquette or Connecticut because there's so much meaning and hype behind the game.”
On Marquette’s strong defense…
“You know, it's Marquette. They are big-time turnovers and steal people. They caused 26 turnovers against UConn. 26 against a very well-drilled UConn team. Now the flip side is UConn shot 63% from the three and one player was six-of-nine, but you don't turn over UConn 26 times unless you're a hell of a defensive team.”
On how his team can avoid turnovers…
“Well, you can't drive into closed areas. That's something that RJ [Luis Jr.] has got to be careful of. Kadary [Richmond] has got to be careful, [Simeon Wilcher] has got to be careful of that. You can't drive into a small area where you're congested. One of the problems is, people don't think we can make threes, so they pack it in. So, we got to be very careful with that.”
On focusing on closing tight games…
“I want them focused in on what you have to do to win really, really tight games, and we have to make sure we do that against a Marquette, Connecticut or playing on the road against a Villanova.”
On if he gets extra excited for these tougher games…
“I'm very excited for every single game. I was pumped up for the last game. I get pumped up for every single game, no more because this is a tougher opponent. I get excited for every single game, no matter who we play.”
On if the team has anything to prove with the two games this week…
“I don't think there's a game that's been played where we haven't been for real. Nobody's blown us out. We've fought everybody tooth and nail. I think you see how hard we play. We're on television every single night, so I don't think there's any mystery with us. I think they know our frailties. I think they know our strengths.”
St John’s guard Simeon Wilcher
On what it feels like to have such success as a team this season…
“It's a blessing for sure. Just being able to have a group of such great guys, we're all on a team doing something that we love day in and day out. It’s just it's amazing to be a part of.”
On what it’s like winning a close game in The Garden like Saturday’s game…
“I don’t know what to compare it to. I don’t know it’s crazy. It's just something that you have to be in or be a part of to really feel what the moment is like. To have like 19,000 fans cheering for you, I don’t know if it gets any better than that.”
On what it means for St. John’s to be prominent in New York sports…
“It truly means the world to me. To be a kid from the tri-state area, I played a lot of basketball in New York, playing AAU and all that, but just to be here in college and then just knowing how much people just love sports in New York, and having people talk about your team and being a part of that team is kind of amazing. It's a great feeling. I feel like we're just going to continue to grow and build as the year goes on.”
On if he thinks the team has something to prove this week…
“I feel like every game we have something to prove. Not to everybody out there, but to ourselves that we could do it. We have an amazing coaching staff that makes sure that we prepare for every game. So, it's just up to us to go out there and put everything out there on the line, like we do all the time. But these big games coming up, we're just going to continue to do that, because I feel like what we do travels and we've had nights where we can’t hit the side of a barn, and we were able to come out with the win. That's not really something that's easy to do. So, I trust in the guys. We trust in each other. Trust in our coaching staff and I feel like we're going to be 1,000% ready for everything this week.”
On what it’s like to see the team transform from last season to this season…
“It's amazing. It's just what Coach P [Pitino] has done since he was at Providence. The second year is always the year where things kind of pick up. So, it’s just amazing to be a part of. We're truly blessed and excited for everything we have coming.”
St. John’s forward RJ Luis Jr.
On the team’s transformation this season…
“I feel like we've just transcended from the beginning of the season, the preseason and the summer. We all came in with one mindset and that is to play hard, to win games, to win big and obviously go dancing in March. We are just a very gritty, hard-working team and the whole season we've just been showing a lot of fight.”
On playing in a Top-15 matchup on Tuesday…
“I'm excited. I think last year was the first time I played against a ranked team in my college career. Going into it tomorrow, as a ranked team, it's pretty surreal. It’s pretty exciting. I think it's a really cool experience, especially to do it in The Garden and I can't wait.”
On Marquette…
“They're a great team. They’re well-coached. Shaka Smart, I think he's a phenomenal coach. I think they do a great job over there. They try to stick with the players that they have. You know, they don't really go into the transfer portal. I think that's unique in today's basketball world, that he's able to keep the same guys and just build on to that. I feel like we have a lot of respect for them. They're a hard-working team, and we're going to prepare our best to be able to beat them on Tuesday. I feel like they're going to do the same thing with us.”
On being ranked No. 12/10 in the country…
“It means everything. I’ve never been ranked top 12 in the nation. I’ve never been ranked top 15. So, keep on going down and just winning big for the city, it means a lot. I'm just excited that I'm able to play on this big platform, be able to showcase my abilities and go out there every night with my guys. You know, we practice very hard. I mean, I’m just excited. It's a blessing. Like [Simeon Wilcher] said, not a lot of people get this opportunity, so I just got to give all the glory to God for allowing us to be here and allowing me to play the sport that I love.”
On his mindset going forward…
“I feel like, why not us? I mean, we deserve this obviously, they don't just hand out the rankings because they feel like it. Obviously, you have to go in and earn that spot. It feels nice to be ranked, but there’s a long season ahead. We're focused on a bigger goal than just having a little number next to our name. So, it's really just going out there, playing hard, playing together, just focusing on the task at hand and not thinking about the future but the present.”
On the national attention that the team is getting…
“Obviously, you know, Coach Pitino’s background. He’s a Hall of Fame coach. You know, that’s his thing, the year one to year two transition. I mean we just got to stay focused. All the media and stuff is cool when you're winning, but once you lose, they're not going to be there. It's a give-and-take. So, we’re just trying to stay positive throughout the whole situation. It's a blessing to get recognized, but once you fall out of the rankings, it's kind of like ‘What happened’? So, I’m just staying focused and tuning out all the noise. Don't get too big-headed and stay grounded. The only people you can turn back to are the coaches and your teammates and that's really it. I think that's what we've been doing a great job of. In some games, we started off slow and came back, and that just shows the type of fight that we have as a group.”