St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: ST. JOHN’S AT VILLANOVA
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino, graduate student Bryce Hopkins and sophomore Ian Jackson spoke to the media after defeating Villanova, 86-79, at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday
Head Coach Rick Pitino
Opening statement…
“I’m really proud of the team’s effort and how we’re playing on the road. I told Bryce [Hopkins] and Dillon [Mitchell] that everybody on this basketball team has got to play like Zuby [Ejiofor] with that type of intensity where every single play is the play of the game. These two guys did a fabulous job, and Ian [Jackson], it’s very difficult for a player who’s never played the position to make the adjustment at this level, and he’s doing great at it. I’m real proud of both of them. It was a great win. Villanova is a terrific team, so we’re very excited. We’ve played very well on the road.”
On Dillon Mitchell’s emergence…
“It’s the things that don’t show up on the stat sheet [Dillon Mitchell] does. He’s rising to the occasion. They all are.”
On his message after the Providence loss…
“I told them, ‘There’s not a team I’ve ever coached with their backs to the wall that I’d rather coach than you guys. Four minutes of bad basketball isn’t going to make who you are.”
On his confidence…
“I’ve always been confident in this team. When we can play at a higher tempo, we play our best basketball.”
Graduate student guard/forward Bryce Hopkins
On the team’s response after Providence…
“I think it’s our resilience and our preparation in practice every day. That loss left a bad taste in all of our mouths. A switch flipped for me and the guys. We’re preparing at a high level and coming together at the right time.”
On the team’s scoring burst to open the second half…
“It feels really good. It’s a testament to our defense and preparation. Once we got into our press and sped them up, that led to turnovers and transition. When we’re in transition with the talent we have, we’re very hard to stop.”
Sophomore guard Ian Jackson
On his performance…
“I feel good. Like Bryce [Hopkins] said, it’s a testament to the preparation we put in.”
On how the team weathered Villanova’s run…
“Just by staying together and not panicking. Basketball is a game of runs. We understood what we had to take away and stayed poised.”
On Joson Sanon’s late-game threes…
“That’s what he does. He’s an extremely talented scorer. Him missing shots doesn’t affect the way we see him. We want him to keep shooting, and he’ll make the next two in a row.”
Opening statement…
“I’m really proud of the team’s effort and how we’re playing on the road. I told Bryce [Hopkins] and Dillon [Mitchell] that everybody on this basketball team has got to play like Zuby [Ejiofor] with that type of intensity where every single play is the play of the game. These two guys did a fabulous job, and Ian [Jackson], it’s very difficult for a player who’s never played the position to make the adjustment at this level, and he’s doing great at it. I’m real proud of both of them. It was a great win. Villanova is a terrific team, so we’re very excited. We’ve played very well on the road.”
On Dillon Mitchell’s emergence…
“It’s the things that don’t show up on the stat sheet [Dillon Mitchell] does. He’s rising to the occasion. They all are.”
On his message after the Providence loss…
“I told them, ‘There’s not a team I’ve ever coached with their backs to the wall that I’d rather coach than you guys. Four minutes of bad basketball isn’t going to make who you are.”
On his confidence…
“I’ve always been confident in this team. When we can play at a higher tempo, we play our best basketball.”
Graduate student guard/forward Bryce Hopkins
On the team’s response after Providence…
“I think it’s our resilience and our preparation in practice every day. That loss left a bad taste in all of our mouths. A switch flipped for me and the guys. We’re preparing at a high level and coming together at the right time.”
On the team’s scoring burst to open the second half…
“It feels really good. It’s a testament to our defense and preparation. Once we got into our press and sped them up, that led to turnovers and transition. When we’re in transition with the talent we have, we’re very hard to stop.”
Sophomore guard Ian Jackson
On his performance…
“I feel good. Like Bryce [Hopkins] said, it’s a testament to the preparation we put in.”
On how the team weathered Villanova’s run…
“Just by staying together and not panicking. Basketball is a game of runs. We understood what we had to take away and stayed poised.”
On Joson Sanon’s late-game threes…
“That’s what he does. He’s an extremely talented scorer. Him missing shots doesn’t affect the way we see him. We want him to keep shooting, and he’ll make the next two in a row.”