St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: No. 12/10 St. John’s vs. No. 11/11 Marquette
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino, guard Kadary Richmond, forward RJ Luis Jr. and Marquette Head Coach Shaka Smart spoke with the media following the Red Storm’s 70-64 win over the Golden Eagles on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden
Head Coach Rick Pitino
Opening statement…
“Obviously, I’ve been coaching a long, long time, and statistically, I see things that I don't quite believe. If you pick up the stat sheet at halftime, you would think we were down 15, we have got to come back, and we're down one. The statistical data does not mean anything with these guys. Zero. Now, Kadary [Richmond] had been very well coached at Seton Hall, as we know, but he's taken his game from a conditioning standpoint, from an offensive standpoint. Now, he plays full court, hard, the entire night, big-time basketball player. RJ [Luis Jr.], I've always felt as one of the premier talents in the country because he does so many things - great hands, great feet. The two of them really having a tremendous year. I'm really proud of this victory because they don't get down about missed free throws, they don't get down about shooting percentages, they just get on to the next play and that's exciting. The Garden was electric again tonight. We're super excited about it.”
On the effort the team exudes…
“You come in at halftime and they're shooting 56% from the field, 50% from the three, and you're probably down 14-to-16 points, and you're down one. This is a very unique team. They deny statistical data, they just defy all statistical data. In almost every single game, their effort level is so incredibly high. It's been a long time since I've seen something like this. Effort level-wise, real proud of that. Great win, great team that we beat. We shoot 17-of-31 from the foul line, but we get 50 rebounds to 28. Heck of a basketball team that just plays so hard, so hard. As a coach, I can't appreciate anything more than this. I'm so full of gratitude to see players play this hard. It's exciting.”
On Kadary Richmond’s conditioning…
“I think [Seton Hall Head Coach] Shaheen Holloway did a fabulous job preparing him, and I think that he has taken his conditioning level to an all-time high. He can play a whole game without getting tired. That wasn't the case. He doesn't take plays off. You're seeing a well, well-oiled, conditioned basketball player who makes big plays. Great player, great player, excited to have him.”
On making up for missing free throws tonight…
“You can't control missed free throws. You can't control a missed shot, but you can control what you do at the defensive end, with blocking out, with rotating, with doing all the right things, you can control those things, but you can't worry about missed free throws. Tonight, we missed a lot, but we took 31 free throws, and I thought we played a brilliant game. We just don't ever get discouraged. We stick with the game plan. It's exciting to see Madison Square Garden like this. It's exciting to see my team win in an old-fashioned way, which is good ole hard work.”
On learning lessons and staying positive…
“You can't get down. You've got to stay up with every single play. It's all about the next play and we've sort of taken that on. Don't worry about a missed shot. Don't worry about a mistake. We did some great things down the stretch, we dug in. They're a wonderful basketball team, extremely well coached, and we're very appreciative we came away with a victory.”
On the team’s collective defense…
“I thought all the guys played great defense. They help each other, they switch. This is a relentless defensive team, and you see it all the time with the shot clock winding down. They bank one in. This is a relentless group. A relentless group that's totally bought into stopping every play.”
On this year’s St. John’s team…
“I'm so proud of this team. I've been proud of a lot of teams, but I'm so proud of this team. They just are so refreshing with the way they play and how hard they play. They deserve all the credit in the world.”
On the fan support this year…
“This has been so much fun coaching this group. Seeing The Garden the way The Garden is, is so much fun. Seeing St. John's come back is so much fun. I'm having a blast coaching these guys. I'm having a blast seeing The Garden explode like this. I'm so happy for the fans and so appreciative of everybody coming out and being supportive of us. We have a long way to go. The great thing about coaching this team is we still have a lot of improvement to make, really a lot of improvement to make.”
On Kadary Richmond…
“He's a humble superstar. And I'll tell you, in this day and age, you don't get Kadary Richmond’s anymore. You don't get that; talking about the team, deferring the praise to somebody else, Kadary has been a joy to coach. A humble, hard-working guy who's getting better at his age, he's like a fine wine. He’s just getting better and he's just a great teammate. He doesn't look for credit, he doesn't look for praise. He makes a mistake, he goes, ‘It's on me.’ I wish they would all act like that, but he's a pro. He's a professional. He acts that way. So, I'm very lucky to have him.”
St. John’s guard Kadary Richmond:
On if a win like tonight is what he envisioned when he transferred to St. John’s…
“I envisioned special things for all of us as a group. When we all got here, we were all competitive, going at each other, working hard in individual workouts. So, I feel like what we did in the summer, what we did in the preseason, is showing off now, and that we're close as a group and we play together.”
On the feeling of being first place in the BIG EAST…
“I would say it's a nice feeling. It's good to enjoy it, but we know we’re not done. We have more games to play, more games coming up, and each step of the way you get better as a group and individually.”
St. John’s forward RJ Luis Jr.
On what this win proves to people…
“Just thanking the coaches and my teammates, we put in a lot of hard work in the preseason. You guys can see it now. We're a very hungry group, and we're very determined to win. We came out tonight, came out fighting, and was able to get the tough win versus a very good Marquette team.”
On staying positive when the team is not making free throws…
“I feel like that's a part of basketball. You can't make all the shots, but you can definitely bring the energy, the hustle and the defense. I think we're having a great season. We have a lot to accomplish yet. And the guys are hungry and we're going to go after it.”
On if he feels himself progressing game-by-game this year compared to last season…
“One hundred percent. I feel like the main reason for that is I'm healthy now. After I had a double shin surgery. I think it's great. There's nothing like The Garden. The atmosphere, the energy in there is crazy. Just to have the support from the fans and the whole city – I love it. I see a lot more people coming out to the games, and I think we're going to need that. We're going to need that support.”
On if people need to reevaluate St. John’s after tonight’s win…
“I feel like at the end of the day, we're going to have to take care of business. We played a very good team tonight and now we have to prepare for UConn on Friday.”
Marquette Head Coach Shaka Smart
On St. John’s tonight…
“That was a heck of a game by St John's. Hats off and much respect to Coach Pitino, their whole program and all their guys. I thought they played with incredible violence. They were just the more aggressive team for the majority of the game. We certainly had our moments, but what they did on the glass and then [RJ Luis Jr.] and [Kadary Richmond], the force with which they got downhill deep into paint, was the biggest difference in this game.”
On why St. John’s won the game…
“Make no mistake, St John's earned this win. The way that they fought on the glass was a difference-maker and again, [Kadary Richmond] specifically, but [RJ Luis Jr.] as well, the force with which they got downhill was a real problem for us.”
Opening statement…
“Obviously, I’ve been coaching a long, long time, and statistically, I see things that I don't quite believe. If you pick up the stat sheet at halftime, you would think we were down 15, we have got to come back, and we're down one. The statistical data does not mean anything with these guys. Zero. Now, Kadary [Richmond] had been very well coached at Seton Hall, as we know, but he's taken his game from a conditioning standpoint, from an offensive standpoint. Now, he plays full court, hard, the entire night, big-time basketball player. RJ [Luis Jr.], I've always felt as one of the premier talents in the country because he does so many things - great hands, great feet. The two of them really having a tremendous year. I'm really proud of this victory because they don't get down about missed free throws, they don't get down about shooting percentages, they just get on to the next play and that's exciting. The Garden was electric again tonight. We're super excited about it.”
On the effort the team exudes…
“You come in at halftime and they're shooting 56% from the field, 50% from the three, and you're probably down 14-to-16 points, and you're down one. This is a very unique team. They deny statistical data, they just defy all statistical data. In almost every single game, their effort level is so incredibly high. It's been a long time since I've seen something like this. Effort level-wise, real proud of that. Great win, great team that we beat. We shoot 17-of-31 from the foul line, but we get 50 rebounds to 28. Heck of a basketball team that just plays so hard, so hard. As a coach, I can't appreciate anything more than this. I'm so full of gratitude to see players play this hard. It's exciting.”
On Kadary Richmond’s conditioning…
“I think [Seton Hall Head Coach] Shaheen Holloway did a fabulous job preparing him, and I think that he has taken his conditioning level to an all-time high. He can play a whole game without getting tired. That wasn't the case. He doesn't take plays off. You're seeing a well, well-oiled, conditioned basketball player who makes big plays. Great player, great player, excited to have him.”
On making up for missing free throws tonight…
“You can't control missed free throws. You can't control a missed shot, but you can control what you do at the defensive end, with blocking out, with rotating, with doing all the right things, you can control those things, but you can't worry about missed free throws. Tonight, we missed a lot, but we took 31 free throws, and I thought we played a brilliant game. We just don't ever get discouraged. We stick with the game plan. It's exciting to see Madison Square Garden like this. It's exciting to see my team win in an old-fashioned way, which is good ole hard work.”
On learning lessons and staying positive…
“You can't get down. You've got to stay up with every single play. It's all about the next play and we've sort of taken that on. Don't worry about a missed shot. Don't worry about a mistake. We did some great things down the stretch, we dug in. They're a wonderful basketball team, extremely well coached, and we're very appreciative we came away with a victory.”
On the team’s collective defense…
“I thought all the guys played great defense. They help each other, they switch. This is a relentless defensive team, and you see it all the time with the shot clock winding down. They bank one in. This is a relentless group. A relentless group that's totally bought into stopping every play.”
On this year’s St. John’s team…
“I'm so proud of this team. I've been proud of a lot of teams, but I'm so proud of this team. They just are so refreshing with the way they play and how hard they play. They deserve all the credit in the world.”
On the fan support this year…
“This has been so much fun coaching this group. Seeing The Garden the way The Garden is, is so much fun. Seeing St. John's come back is so much fun. I'm having a blast coaching these guys. I'm having a blast seeing The Garden explode like this. I'm so happy for the fans and so appreciative of everybody coming out and being supportive of us. We have a long way to go. The great thing about coaching this team is we still have a lot of improvement to make, really a lot of improvement to make.”
On Kadary Richmond…
“He's a humble superstar. And I'll tell you, in this day and age, you don't get Kadary Richmond’s anymore. You don't get that; talking about the team, deferring the praise to somebody else, Kadary has been a joy to coach. A humble, hard-working guy who's getting better at his age, he's like a fine wine. He’s just getting better and he's just a great teammate. He doesn't look for credit, he doesn't look for praise. He makes a mistake, he goes, ‘It's on me.’ I wish they would all act like that, but he's a pro. He's a professional. He acts that way. So, I'm very lucky to have him.”
St. John’s guard Kadary Richmond:
On if a win like tonight is what he envisioned when he transferred to St. John’s…
“I envisioned special things for all of us as a group. When we all got here, we were all competitive, going at each other, working hard in individual workouts. So, I feel like what we did in the summer, what we did in the preseason, is showing off now, and that we're close as a group and we play together.”
On the feeling of being first place in the BIG EAST…
“I would say it's a nice feeling. It's good to enjoy it, but we know we’re not done. We have more games to play, more games coming up, and each step of the way you get better as a group and individually.”
St. John’s forward RJ Luis Jr.
On what this win proves to people…
“Just thanking the coaches and my teammates, we put in a lot of hard work in the preseason. You guys can see it now. We're a very hungry group, and we're very determined to win. We came out tonight, came out fighting, and was able to get the tough win versus a very good Marquette team.”
On staying positive when the team is not making free throws…
“I feel like that's a part of basketball. You can't make all the shots, but you can definitely bring the energy, the hustle and the defense. I think we're having a great season. We have a lot to accomplish yet. And the guys are hungry and we're going to go after it.”
On if he feels himself progressing game-by-game this year compared to last season…
“One hundred percent. I feel like the main reason for that is I'm healthy now. After I had a double shin surgery. I think it's great. There's nothing like The Garden. The atmosphere, the energy in there is crazy. Just to have the support from the fans and the whole city – I love it. I see a lot more people coming out to the games, and I think we're going to need that. We're going to need that support.”
On if people need to reevaluate St. John’s after tonight’s win…
“I feel like at the end of the day, we're going to have to take care of business. We played a very good team tonight and now we have to prepare for UConn on Friday.”
Marquette Head Coach Shaka Smart
On St. John’s tonight…
“That was a heck of a game by St John's. Hats off and much respect to Coach Pitino, their whole program and all their guys. I thought they played with incredible violence. They were just the more aggressive team for the majority of the game. We certainly had our moments, but what they did on the glass and then [RJ Luis Jr.] and [Kadary Richmond], the force with which they got downhill deep into paint, was the biggest difference in this game.”
On why St. John’s won the game…
“Make no mistake, St John's earned this win. The way that they fought on the glass was a difference-maker and again, [Kadary Richmond] specifically, but [RJ Luis Jr.] as well, the force with which they got downhill was a real problem for us.”