St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: No. 7/7 St. John’s vs Seton Hall
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino, forward Zuby Ejiofor and forward RJ Luis Jr. spoke with the media following the team’s 71-61 win over Seton Hall on Saturday at Madison Square Garden
Head Coach Rick Pitino
Opening statement…
“We're happy for a lot of reasons. This was a goal of ours. A lot of people share in this dream of ours from the beginning of the year. For me, looking behind the basket and seeing the students out in full force is very rewarding for me, personally. Seeing a sold-out Madison Square Garden again is very rewarding for me, personally. The last two games we haven't played great, but Seton Hall had a lot to do with it tonight.”
On the team getting back in game shape after dealing with injuries…
“First of all, about 20 to 25 percent of the reason we win is that we are always one of the best-conditioned teams in the nation. And when you have guys sit out, you go from incredible conditioning, and you miss two days. RJ [Luis Jr.] said it when he missed the time; he said, ‘Coach, I'm really rusty.’ So, if you play slow tempo and you miss a day or two, it's not a big deal. But when you play like this at optimum conditioning, and you miss two days, it's a lot, and that's why Kadary Richmond is not playing real well right now. It's conditioning-based. So, he needed to get the time off to get healed. But when you're in optimum shape, and you take two or three days off, you got to get it back. And it's this week is a blessing for us because we can get back in the condition we were in.”
On Seton Hall’s performance tonight…
“We know why we didn't play well, but you have to give Seton Hall a ton of credit. We knew what we were playing for tonight, but look at their record and to play that hard, that well, against the best team in the conference, speaks volumes for their ability.”
On what the Regular Season Championship means to St. John’s…
“For St. John's, it's a special night. It's been 40 years for our student body. It's really, really special. Our university has done a tremendous job getting them back involved, and it's going to pay huge dividends down the road. Kids are going to want to come to St John's now because they're going to be part of our team again. So, we're excited. We need this week to get ready for a tough Marquette team, and we'll get back to the basics of being one of the best-conditioned teams in the nation.”
On the crowds at Madison Square Garden this season…
“I've never seen it this good since I've been in coaching. We're so appreciative of our fans, our alumni, our subway alumni, and like I said earlier, for me, the students get behind the team because they are PHD: passionate, hungry and driven, and that's what our student body is all
about.”
On Sadiku Ibine Ayo’s play over the past few games…
“Well, you want everybody to have the attitude of Sadiku and Zuby [Ejiofor]. Obviously, everybody can't have that type of personality. That's God's gift: always being positive and always working hard. And it's a great gift to have, and he has it. I'm glad he's playing. He didn't play great defensively, but nobody did, but he did a lot of good things offensively.”
On what it took to win the BIG EAST Regular Season Title…
“We wanted to win the BIG EAST. We have our goals, but even though we had our goals, I kept telling them about getting on Broadway. I said, ‘Once you get on Broadway, the pressure's there because your show could get canceled.’ And I think the last two games, they were under a lot of pressure, and that was a great thing because now it really mounts. They see all their fans here. They don't want to disappoint them. The pressure is unbelievable. On the road, places are packed, and the pressure to win is really, really great. And for them, because they've never been in these situations before, you need them to learn it. So, even though we wanted to win the BIG EAST, we just went game-by-game-by-game, and then it finally came where we had to win these games to get it. We didn't want to hear anything about a tie.”
On RJ Luis Jr. and Zuby Ejiofor…
“You look at Zuby and RJ, they came back. So, they've been stars all year, the two of them, and they don't have up-and-down games because Zuby, if he may not shoot the ball well, he's going to get 10 or 11 rebounds. I'm proud of those two guys.”
On honoring Lou Carnesecca with a championship…
“Lou means a lot to a lot of people. I coached against him. He was the gentleman of gentlemen, a fierce competitor, great basketball coach. So, we're very proud of the fact that in the year that he passed, because he led a great life, we can honor him with this championship.”
On the progress the program has made in just two years…
“I am elated with the crowds. If you said to me at the beginning of the year, ‘Are you shocked that you won the BIG EAST?’ No, I'm not shocked. I'm mildly surprised. If you said to me, ‘Are you shocked that you won 26 games?’ I'm mildly surprised. If you said to me that Madison Square Garden would be packed for four consecutive games, I’d be very surprised because that takes a little bit of time. But that shows you how much effort the ticket people, the marketing people, the alumni, subway alumni, the student body wanted it, and I'm absolutely delighted, but I think we're just scratching the potential of St. John's.”
St John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor:
In what it took to make the leap from last season to this season…
“Everybody had to understand coach Pitino’s system, and this is and RJ [Luis Jr.] and my second year. So, we're fully aware of what it takes to compete at this level in the BIG EAST. Everybody is going to give you their best shot. So being able to apply pressure for the full 40 minutes, with the press and all that, and being one of the best-conditioned groups like Coach Pitino has said previously. So, it just takes a lot. Says countless hours of practice and preparation and film sessions, and you got to be willing to do it all.”
On what this championship means for St. John’s and its community…
“We got to experience the energy inside the arena and it's a real feeling. I haven't had the pleasure of being an impact player and winning championships, so to be able to do that and be on such a prestigious program and to see the history behind it as well means a lot. Not just to me and my teammates but to the whole community as well.”
On celebrating after today’s win…
They could clown me all they want, but you know, we BIG EAST champions, man. And like I said, this is a monster of the league. So, to see the progress that not only I myself have had individually but the whole team from year one to year two under Coach Pitino is something that's indescribable. So, yeah, I mean, I was jumping around. I was just collecting confetti.
St. John’s forward RJ Luis Jr.:
On if winning the BIG EAST Regular Season Championship is what he envisioned…
“First and foremost, I want to give the glory to God, allow me to play the sport that I love. I came here to challenge myself and try to take my game to the next level. Try to win at the highest level, which Coach Pitino knows how to do really well. So, I’m trying to learn from him. It’s just a surreal feeling. It's just a blessing. Once the confetti dropped, no matter how badly we played the game today and our mistakes, it just felt great to get it done. Like [Coach Pitino] said, we're going to prepare for Marquette and just keep on going, keep on winning and playing together as a team.”
On the defense this team brings…
“It's great, defense win championships and just the type of roster that we have - we're long, athletic, we're able to switch one through five. So, just getting it in on the defensive end, it really helps us. We like to play fast. We like to get up and down the court. So, getting it done on the defensive end translates to offense. I have grown a love for playing defense because it gets me going, and I'm just trying to sustain myself as one of the best two-way players. So, it's great. I think defense is amazing to play; it's fun to play.”
On potentially winning BIG EAST Player of the Year….
“Winning the award would be a blessing. But can't win the award without my team. I feel like as much as I get the award, my team deserves most of it. It takes more than just one person. Basketball is a team sport, and it takes the whole roster. I'm glad to play with these types of guys that we have. We've created a great bond on and off the court from the preseason to now. So, it's just great to see everybody grow individually and just get under Coach Pitino’s wing and just believe that he's going to put us in the best position and that he's not going to let us down.”
Opening statement…
“We're happy for a lot of reasons. This was a goal of ours. A lot of people share in this dream of ours from the beginning of the year. For me, looking behind the basket and seeing the students out in full force is very rewarding for me, personally. Seeing a sold-out Madison Square Garden again is very rewarding for me, personally. The last two games we haven't played great, but Seton Hall had a lot to do with it tonight.”
On the team getting back in game shape after dealing with injuries…
“First of all, about 20 to 25 percent of the reason we win is that we are always one of the best-conditioned teams in the nation. And when you have guys sit out, you go from incredible conditioning, and you miss two days. RJ [Luis Jr.] said it when he missed the time; he said, ‘Coach, I'm really rusty.’ So, if you play slow tempo and you miss a day or two, it's not a big deal. But when you play like this at optimum conditioning, and you miss two days, it's a lot, and that's why Kadary Richmond is not playing real well right now. It's conditioning-based. So, he needed to get the time off to get healed. But when you're in optimum shape, and you take two or three days off, you got to get it back. And it's this week is a blessing for us because we can get back in the condition we were in.”
On Seton Hall’s performance tonight…
“We know why we didn't play well, but you have to give Seton Hall a ton of credit. We knew what we were playing for tonight, but look at their record and to play that hard, that well, against the best team in the conference, speaks volumes for their ability.”
On what the Regular Season Championship means to St. John’s…
“For St. John's, it's a special night. It's been 40 years for our student body. It's really, really special. Our university has done a tremendous job getting them back involved, and it's going to pay huge dividends down the road. Kids are going to want to come to St John's now because they're going to be part of our team again. So, we're excited. We need this week to get ready for a tough Marquette team, and we'll get back to the basics of being one of the best-conditioned teams in the nation.”
On the crowds at Madison Square Garden this season…
“I've never seen it this good since I've been in coaching. We're so appreciative of our fans, our alumni, our subway alumni, and like I said earlier, for me, the students get behind the team because they are PHD: passionate, hungry and driven, and that's what our student body is all
about.”
On Sadiku Ibine Ayo’s play over the past few games…
“Well, you want everybody to have the attitude of Sadiku and Zuby [Ejiofor]. Obviously, everybody can't have that type of personality. That's God's gift: always being positive and always working hard. And it's a great gift to have, and he has it. I'm glad he's playing. He didn't play great defensively, but nobody did, but he did a lot of good things offensively.”
On what it took to win the BIG EAST Regular Season Title…
“We wanted to win the BIG EAST. We have our goals, but even though we had our goals, I kept telling them about getting on Broadway. I said, ‘Once you get on Broadway, the pressure's there because your show could get canceled.’ And I think the last two games, they were under a lot of pressure, and that was a great thing because now it really mounts. They see all their fans here. They don't want to disappoint them. The pressure is unbelievable. On the road, places are packed, and the pressure to win is really, really great. And for them, because they've never been in these situations before, you need them to learn it. So, even though we wanted to win the BIG EAST, we just went game-by-game-by-game, and then it finally came where we had to win these games to get it. We didn't want to hear anything about a tie.”
On RJ Luis Jr. and Zuby Ejiofor…
“You look at Zuby and RJ, they came back. So, they've been stars all year, the two of them, and they don't have up-and-down games because Zuby, if he may not shoot the ball well, he's going to get 10 or 11 rebounds. I'm proud of those two guys.”
On honoring Lou Carnesecca with a championship…
“Lou means a lot to a lot of people. I coached against him. He was the gentleman of gentlemen, a fierce competitor, great basketball coach. So, we're very proud of the fact that in the year that he passed, because he led a great life, we can honor him with this championship.”
On the progress the program has made in just two years…
“I am elated with the crowds. If you said to me at the beginning of the year, ‘Are you shocked that you won the BIG EAST?’ No, I'm not shocked. I'm mildly surprised. If you said to me, ‘Are you shocked that you won 26 games?’ I'm mildly surprised. If you said to me that Madison Square Garden would be packed for four consecutive games, I’d be very surprised because that takes a little bit of time. But that shows you how much effort the ticket people, the marketing people, the alumni, subway alumni, the student body wanted it, and I'm absolutely delighted, but I think we're just scratching the potential of St. John's.”
St John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor:
In what it took to make the leap from last season to this season…
“Everybody had to understand coach Pitino’s system, and this is and RJ [Luis Jr.] and my second year. So, we're fully aware of what it takes to compete at this level in the BIG EAST. Everybody is going to give you their best shot. So being able to apply pressure for the full 40 minutes, with the press and all that, and being one of the best-conditioned groups like Coach Pitino has said previously. So, it just takes a lot. Says countless hours of practice and preparation and film sessions, and you got to be willing to do it all.”
On what this championship means for St. John’s and its community…
“We got to experience the energy inside the arena and it's a real feeling. I haven't had the pleasure of being an impact player and winning championships, so to be able to do that and be on such a prestigious program and to see the history behind it as well means a lot. Not just to me and my teammates but to the whole community as well.”
On celebrating after today’s win…
They could clown me all they want, but you know, we BIG EAST champions, man. And like I said, this is a monster of the league. So, to see the progress that not only I myself have had individually but the whole team from year one to year two under Coach Pitino is something that's indescribable. So, yeah, I mean, I was jumping around. I was just collecting confetti.
St. John’s forward RJ Luis Jr.:
On if winning the BIG EAST Regular Season Championship is what he envisioned…
“First and foremost, I want to give the glory to God, allow me to play the sport that I love. I came here to challenge myself and try to take my game to the next level. Try to win at the highest level, which Coach Pitino knows how to do really well. So, I’m trying to learn from him. It’s just a surreal feeling. It's just a blessing. Once the confetti dropped, no matter how badly we played the game today and our mistakes, it just felt great to get it done. Like [Coach Pitino] said, we're going to prepare for Marquette and just keep on going, keep on winning and playing together as a team.”
On the defense this team brings…
“It's great, defense win championships and just the type of roster that we have - we're long, athletic, we're able to switch one through five. So, just getting it in on the defensive end, it really helps us. We like to play fast. We like to get up and down the court. So, getting it done on the defensive end translates to offense. I have grown a love for playing defense because it gets me going, and I'm just trying to sustain myself as one of the best two-way players. So, it's great. I think defense is amazing to play; it's fun to play.”
On potentially winning BIG EAST Player of the Year….
“Winning the award would be a blessing. But can't win the award without my team. I feel like as much as I get the award, my team deserves most of it. It takes more than just one person. Basketball is a team sport, and it takes the whole roster. I'm glad to play with these types of guys that we have. We've created a great bond on and off the court from the preseason to now. So, it's just great to see everybody grow individually and just get under Coach Pitino’s wing and just believe that he's going to put us in the best position and that he's not going to let us down.”