St. John's University Athletics
PREGAME QUOTES: BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinal
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino, forward RJ Luis Jr. and forward Zuby Ejiofor spoke with the media on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden ahead of the BIG EAST Tournament
Head Coach Rick Pitino
On his team’s success this season…
“Well, they've worked very hard to get to this point, and you get the fruits of your labor when you work that hard. So, I'm very proud of them.”
On RJ Luis’s development over his two years at St. John’s…
“[RJ Luis Jr.] just kept getting better. RJ just kept getting better and better once he got over the shin injuries. We knew that he’s got a great vertical, that he's a good shooter, a great passer, a very good on-the-ball defender, a very good rebounder and that he runs well. So, he has the total package.”
On his message to the team before the BIG EAST Tournament…
“You’ve got to stay focused on every little thing and with the NCAA Tournament and the BIG EAST Tournament, you've got to cut out all distractions. You have to ask your family to go to the games and be supportive, but you’ll see your family for the rest of your life. You have to shut the phones off, and really have to focus in.”
On beating a team multiple times in a season…
“Well, I think if you keep doing the same things, the other team is going to change and do things better. You have to change each time you play a team and come up with new schemes, offensively and defensively. If you just do the same things over and over, then you're probably going to get beat a third time. If you're the best team, you'll win. If you change things and make them more difficult on this scouting, it'll be helpful.”
On the team’s depth…
“Well, [Lefteris Liotopoulos] and Ruben [Prey] have both gotten significantly better. [Simeon Wilcher] is playing really well. [Simeon Wilcher] was playing well prior to this, he was just getting in to foul trouble. [Simeon Wilcher] has been the best player in practice the last month by far. But, because of early foul trouble, he was taking himself out from having a good game. So very encouraged by the improvement of those guys and we’re not afraid to put them in the game. We're growing still and we're getting better. I like what I see every single day. We've had great practices this week, so I like what I see.”
St. John’s forward RJ Luis Jr.:
On getting emotional while accepting his BIG EAST Player of the Year award…
“I told my mom before I went up to take my speech, I was like, ‘Please don't cry, because once you cry, I'm gonna start crying.’ And I love my mom to death. Obviously, this is really emotional for us, not just for me, but also, you know, just the whole family. I think it's just great. I'm blessed to have both of my parents still in my life today.”
On winning BIG EAST Player of the Year…
“With determination and success, you could get anything done. And like I said, I got to give the credit to my teammates. Without them, I wouldn't be considered for this award because of how great of a season we’ve had as a whole. And like Coach Pitino says, ‘When you play for the name on the front, the name on the back is going to prosper.’ So, I'm just an example of that.”
On having the support of Zuby Ejiofor…
“That's my guy. Love Zuby. It was just great to have him here. I'm kind of mad he wasn't crying like my mom, but I think it's just a great feeling just to see him here. Zuby deserves everything coming his way. Just to see what he came from, from last year to this year, in his transition. This being our second year under Coach Patino, from him not even playing last year to becoming the captain and starting every game. And just playing with all that energy that he does, it kind of is very infectious to everybody else on the team, and everybody feeds off of it. So I'm really proud of Zuby. And you know, he won first team, and he got Most Improved Player this year. Very happy for him.”
On what people may not know about Coach Pitino…
“The perspective of people act differently in front of the cameras and stuff like that. He's the same person. He's always cracking jokes. He's very genuine. He's a family person. He's very respectful, and he's just a great coach, hands down. Just what he's been through and really, just the level of success that he has. Just to see that he still has that type of hunger, even at his age, I think it's great. I'm just very, very blessed to be coached under the Hall of Famer.”
On how his team constantly wins close games…
“I mean, you just got to give credit to the BIG EAST. The entire conference, I feel like, hands down, top to bottom, is one of the most competitive conferences in the country, and everybody's always going to put on their best show and try to play hard. And, I mean, the question that you asked about how we always win. I can't tell you the secret, but I just think it's just because we just play hard, and nobody wants to lose. I think that's the biggest thing with us is, no matter how much adversity we go through, through the game, and if shots aren't falling, guys are are still gonna try to put all their effort in on the defensive end to get the job done.”
On the pressure on the team to win the BIG EAST Tournament…
“Pressure is great. It obviously comes with success. Obviously, if we didn't want to have this type of pressure, we would have never won the regular season championship. We would have never been ranked sixth in the nation.”
St John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor:
On RJ Luis Jr.’s development since returning from injury over the summer…
“Just the continuous hours of rehab sessions that [RJ Luis Jr.] went through, with consecutive days of not practicing was really tough. You could just see him on the sidelines that he wanted to go out there, and be active. He wanted to be part of the team, but his shins didn't allow him to fully function the way that he wanted to. So, just to see him fight through adversity and be able to share this moment with his family being the BIG EAST Player of the Year, There's nobody more deserving of that award than RJ Luis Jr. The amount of time that he's put in and everything that he's gone through throughout the past year. So it was just an emotional moment for him and his family, and I couldn't be more proud of him.”
On the team’s ability to win close games…
“I think we're in the best shapes of our lives with the practice sessions that Coach Pitino puts us through. We're a little bit more conditioned than most teams and we do whatever it takes to win. We're a gritty team. We enjoy playing off each other. Our whole motto all year is just ‘Do whatever it takes to win’. We have found ways to win, especially in the toughest moments when the game is not necessarily going our way, but when that buzzer sounds, you know, you got to be the team on top that ends up winning the game.”
On Coach Pitino being named the BIG EAST Coach of the Year…
“He's more than deserving of the award and we know exactly the passion that he brings., night in, night out and every single day in practice he pushes each and every one of us to our limits. He guides us, not just on the court, but off the court as well. He's more than deserving of that award, and I'm really proud of you know, Coach [Pitino] and RJ [Luis Jr.] for what they've done this year.”
On how conference play has prepared the team for the BIG EAST Tournament…
“[The regular season] is a great preparation. Throughout the entire year, we've been in that one-two range. I couldn't have pictured this moment, but we all believed that we were going to be the best team in the league and that we were going to win the BIG EAST. To see that come to fruition is really special. We just have to stick to our identity and stay level-headed because we still have a lot more to prove and now the start of the BIG EAST tournament is tomorrow for us, and we're trying to win that too. As [RJ Luis Jr.] said we want to see how far we could go in NCAA Tournament.”
On how Coach Pitino has helped him develop…
“The player development sessions never hurt. [Coach Pitino] is always, there. He's always present leading the player development sessions with me and the rest of the guys. He just holds me to a high standard. Just to see my growth, not just on the court, but as a person and as a leader, that's all Coach [Pitino] is doing. I'm really just appreciative to have played two years under Coach [Pitino] and I'm looking forward to what we got left.”
On if he believes the team can win the BIG EAST Tournament…
“Absolutely, that's our goal. We set a goal before the season and we accomplished that goal. This is yet another goal that we have in mind to win the BIG EAST Tournament. We gotta stick to the same principles that got us to this moment, and everybody has to have the same level of focus and just enhance it and just do whatever it takes to win like we've done all year.”
On his team’s success this season…
“Well, they've worked very hard to get to this point, and you get the fruits of your labor when you work that hard. So, I'm very proud of them.”
On RJ Luis’s development over his two years at St. John’s…
“[RJ Luis Jr.] just kept getting better. RJ just kept getting better and better once he got over the shin injuries. We knew that he’s got a great vertical, that he's a good shooter, a great passer, a very good on-the-ball defender, a very good rebounder and that he runs well. So, he has the total package.”
On his message to the team before the BIG EAST Tournament…
“You’ve got to stay focused on every little thing and with the NCAA Tournament and the BIG EAST Tournament, you've got to cut out all distractions. You have to ask your family to go to the games and be supportive, but you’ll see your family for the rest of your life. You have to shut the phones off, and really have to focus in.”
On beating a team multiple times in a season…
“Well, I think if you keep doing the same things, the other team is going to change and do things better. You have to change each time you play a team and come up with new schemes, offensively and defensively. If you just do the same things over and over, then you're probably going to get beat a third time. If you're the best team, you'll win. If you change things and make them more difficult on this scouting, it'll be helpful.”
On the team’s depth…
“Well, [Lefteris Liotopoulos] and Ruben [Prey] have both gotten significantly better. [Simeon Wilcher] is playing really well. [Simeon Wilcher] was playing well prior to this, he was just getting in to foul trouble. [Simeon Wilcher] has been the best player in practice the last month by far. But, because of early foul trouble, he was taking himself out from having a good game. So very encouraged by the improvement of those guys and we’re not afraid to put them in the game. We're growing still and we're getting better. I like what I see every single day. We've had great practices this week, so I like what I see.”
St. John’s forward RJ Luis Jr.:
On getting emotional while accepting his BIG EAST Player of the Year award…
“I told my mom before I went up to take my speech, I was like, ‘Please don't cry, because once you cry, I'm gonna start crying.’ And I love my mom to death. Obviously, this is really emotional for us, not just for me, but also, you know, just the whole family. I think it's just great. I'm blessed to have both of my parents still in my life today.”
On winning BIG EAST Player of the Year…
“With determination and success, you could get anything done. And like I said, I got to give the credit to my teammates. Without them, I wouldn't be considered for this award because of how great of a season we’ve had as a whole. And like Coach Pitino says, ‘When you play for the name on the front, the name on the back is going to prosper.’ So, I'm just an example of that.”
On having the support of Zuby Ejiofor…
“That's my guy. Love Zuby. It was just great to have him here. I'm kind of mad he wasn't crying like my mom, but I think it's just a great feeling just to see him here. Zuby deserves everything coming his way. Just to see what he came from, from last year to this year, in his transition. This being our second year under Coach Patino, from him not even playing last year to becoming the captain and starting every game. And just playing with all that energy that he does, it kind of is very infectious to everybody else on the team, and everybody feeds off of it. So I'm really proud of Zuby. And you know, he won first team, and he got Most Improved Player this year. Very happy for him.”
On what people may not know about Coach Pitino…
“The perspective of people act differently in front of the cameras and stuff like that. He's the same person. He's always cracking jokes. He's very genuine. He's a family person. He's very respectful, and he's just a great coach, hands down. Just what he's been through and really, just the level of success that he has. Just to see that he still has that type of hunger, even at his age, I think it's great. I'm just very, very blessed to be coached under the Hall of Famer.”
On how his team constantly wins close games…
“I mean, you just got to give credit to the BIG EAST. The entire conference, I feel like, hands down, top to bottom, is one of the most competitive conferences in the country, and everybody's always going to put on their best show and try to play hard. And, I mean, the question that you asked about how we always win. I can't tell you the secret, but I just think it's just because we just play hard, and nobody wants to lose. I think that's the biggest thing with us is, no matter how much adversity we go through, through the game, and if shots aren't falling, guys are are still gonna try to put all their effort in on the defensive end to get the job done.”
On the pressure on the team to win the BIG EAST Tournament…
“Pressure is great. It obviously comes with success. Obviously, if we didn't want to have this type of pressure, we would have never won the regular season championship. We would have never been ranked sixth in the nation.”
St John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor:
On RJ Luis Jr.’s development since returning from injury over the summer…
“Just the continuous hours of rehab sessions that [RJ Luis Jr.] went through, with consecutive days of not practicing was really tough. You could just see him on the sidelines that he wanted to go out there, and be active. He wanted to be part of the team, but his shins didn't allow him to fully function the way that he wanted to. So, just to see him fight through adversity and be able to share this moment with his family being the BIG EAST Player of the Year, There's nobody more deserving of that award than RJ Luis Jr. The amount of time that he's put in and everything that he's gone through throughout the past year. So it was just an emotional moment for him and his family, and I couldn't be more proud of him.”
On the team’s ability to win close games…
“I think we're in the best shapes of our lives with the practice sessions that Coach Pitino puts us through. We're a little bit more conditioned than most teams and we do whatever it takes to win. We're a gritty team. We enjoy playing off each other. Our whole motto all year is just ‘Do whatever it takes to win’. We have found ways to win, especially in the toughest moments when the game is not necessarily going our way, but when that buzzer sounds, you know, you got to be the team on top that ends up winning the game.”
On Coach Pitino being named the BIG EAST Coach of the Year…
“He's more than deserving of the award and we know exactly the passion that he brings., night in, night out and every single day in practice he pushes each and every one of us to our limits. He guides us, not just on the court, but off the court as well. He's more than deserving of that award, and I'm really proud of you know, Coach [Pitino] and RJ [Luis Jr.] for what they've done this year.”
On how conference play has prepared the team for the BIG EAST Tournament…
“[The regular season] is a great preparation. Throughout the entire year, we've been in that one-two range. I couldn't have pictured this moment, but we all believed that we were going to be the best team in the league and that we were going to win the BIG EAST. To see that come to fruition is really special. We just have to stick to our identity and stay level-headed because we still have a lot more to prove and now the start of the BIG EAST tournament is tomorrow for us, and we're trying to win that too. As [RJ Luis Jr.] said we want to see how far we could go in NCAA Tournament.”
On how Coach Pitino has helped him develop…
“The player development sessions never hurt. [Coach Pitino] is always, there. He's always present leading the player development sessions with me and the rest of the guys. He just holds me to a high standard. Just to see my growth, not just on the court, but as a person and as a leader, that's all Coach [Pitino] is doing. I'm really just appreciative to have played two years under Coach [Pitino] and I'm looking forward to what we got left.”
On if he believes the team can win the BIG EAST Tournament…
“Absolutely, that's our goal. We set a goal before the season and we accomplished that goal. This is yet another goal that we have in mind to win the BIG EAST Tournament. We gotta stick to the same principles that got us to this moment, and everybody has to have the same level of focus and just enhance it and just do whatever it takes to win like we've done all year.”