St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: ST. JOHN’S VS. MARQUETTE
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino, senior guard Oziyah Sellers and Senior forward Dillon Mitchell spoke to the media after defeating Marquette, 92-68, at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
Head Coach Rick Pitino
Opening statement…
“I always judge coaches and teams by when adversity hits and they’re down, how hard do they play? I’m so impressed with Shaka [Smart] and Marquette. To have the struggles they’ve had, to be so young and inexperienced and still play that hard, we were challenged offensively on every possession. We did a lot of good things, but I’m super impressed with Marquette.”
On respecting Marquette’s effort…
“To be so young, so inexperienced and to play that hard is a tribute to understanding what Marquette is all about. Congratulations to them, they’ll get better, and they’re an impressive group.”
On Dylan Darling and Dillon Mitchell’s impact…
“I thought Dylan Darling turned the game around for us with incredible hustle. [Dillon Mitchell] gave us a big lift because it’s another guard in the game for us as a point-forward, and that’s a big thing for us right now.”
On Oziyah Sellers’ performance…
“I thought Oziyah [Sellers] from beginning to end was great. He’s constantly moving and he’s in great shape.”
On effort plays setting the tone…
“One of the best plays I’ve seen all year was when Zuby dove after the ball and beat them to it. That was an incredible play, one of the best plays of the season for us.”
Senior guard Oziyah Sellers
On seeing shots fall early…
“When I see a couple go in early, it’s definitely a good feeling. Even when they’re not, I just try to stay aggressive because I know eventually they’ll go in.”
On maintaining composure with a lead…
“That’s something we struggled with early on, playing with a lead. We’ve emphasized staying together, watching film, and I feel like we responded well in the second half.”
Senior forward Dillon Mitchell
On his role in the starting lineup…
“My main goal is just to do whatever it takes to win. Handling the ball, setting screens, rebounding, guarding, whatever it takes to help this team compete at a high level.”
On second-half intensity…
“I think we came out with a different mindset, different intensity and different effort. That’s something we’ve got to have for 40 minutes, not just one half.”
On depth and next-man-up mentality…
“It’s big having guys come in ready to play. Their intensity and effort helped us when we needed it.”
On being a point forward…
“Helping the guards out, bringing the ball up, playing in transition, that’s a strength of ours. The main thing is just taking care of the ball and doing what helps the team win.”
Marquette Head Coach Shaka Smart
On Zuby Ejiofor…
“He’s always going to have the highest motor on the floor, period. I don’t know if there will be a game this year where someone else has a better motor than him.”
Opening statement…
“I always judge coaches and teams by when adversity hits and they’re down, how hard do they play? I’m so impressed with Shaka [Smart] and Marquette. To have the struggles they’ve had, to be so young and inexperienced and still play that hard, we were challenged offensively on every possession. We did a lot of good things, but I’m super impressed with Marquette.”
On respecting Marquette’s effort…
“To be so young, so inexperienced and to play that hard is a tribute to understanding what Marquette is all about. Congratulations to them, they’ll get better, and they’re an impressive group.”
On Dylan Darling and Dillon Mitchell’s impact…
“I thought Dylan Darling turned the game around for us with incredible hustle. [Dillon Mitchell] gave us a big lift because it’s another guard in the game for us as a point-forward, and that’s a big thing for us right now.”
On Oziyah Sellers’ performance…
“I thought Oziyah [Sellers] from beginning to end was great. He’s constantly moving and he’s in great shape.”
On effort plays setting the tone…
“One of the best plays I’ve seen all year was when Zuby dove after the ball and beat them to it. That was an incredible play, one of the best plays of the season for us.”
Senior guard Oziyah Sellers
On seeing shots fall early…
“When I see a couple go in early, it’s definitely a good feeling. Even when they’re not, I just try to stay aggressive because I know eventually they’ll go in.”
On maintaining composure with a lead…
“That’s something we struggled with early on, playing with a lead. We’ve emphasized staying together, watching film, and I feel like we responded well in the second half.”
Senior forward Dillon Mitchell
On his role in the starting lineup…
“My main goal is just to do whatever it takes to win. Handling the ball, setting screens, rebounding, guarding, whatever it takes to help this team compete at a high level.”
On second-half intensity…
“I think we came out with a different mindset, different intensity and different effort. That’s something we’ve got to have for 40 minutes, not just one half.”
On depth and next-man-up mentality…
“It’s big having guys come in ready to play. Their intensity and effort helped us when we needed it.”
On being a point forward…
“Helping the guards out, bringing the ball up, playing in transition, that’s a strength of ours. The main thing is just taking care of the ball and doing what helps the team win.”
Marquette Head Coach Shaka Smart
On Zuby Ejiofor…
“He’s always going to have the highest motor on the floor, period. I don’t know if there will be a game this year where someone else has a better motor than him.”