St. John's University Athletics
PREGAME QUOTES: ST. JOHN’S VS. PROVIDENCE
St. John’s men’s basketball redshirt junior guard Dylan Darling and senior forward Dillon Mitchell met with the media on Friday ahead of Saturday’s matchup with Providence at Madison Square Garden
Redshirt Junior guard Dylan Darling
On his recent shooting success…
“I’ve just been putting arc on it. Coach [Pitino] told me if I have just a little bit of air to let it fly and not care about the result. I’ve been consciously thinking about putting arc on the shot, and it’s been going in.”
On how seeing shots fall has helped his confidence…
“It’s always nice when you see the ball go in the hoop. You stop thinking and just start playing. That was big for me. At the same time, if my shot isn’t falling, I want to make sure I’m still impacting the game in other areas.”
On the team’s leadership and accountability…
“Zuby [Ejiofor] is our leader. He’s been really vocal about wanting us to be better. He’s always talking in huddles and in the locker room and we follow his lead.”
On playing through the frontcourt…
“We’ve got some ballers down there. Coach [Pitino] emphasizes throwing the ball inside and then finding open areas. When you throw it to Zuby [Ejiofor] and the double comes, you go and find an open spot and he’ll find you.”
On what makes Zuby Ejiofor special…
“He alters shots, rebounds everything, scores on the low block, shoots, passes and sets great screens. He makes everybody else’s life a lot easier.”
Senior forward Dillon Mitchell
On emphasizing getting the ball to Zuby Ejiofor…
“It’s been a big emphasis the past couple weeks, just getting Zuby [Ejiofor] the ball. When he gets it, the defense collapses. If they don’t help, he can score. If they do, he’s really good at kicking it out and getting shooters open looks.”
On Zuby Ejiofor’s impact as a playmaker…
“He’s one of the best players in the country. When he has the ball, everybody is watching. He can score, pass, rebound and start things for us.”
On the importance of the road win over Georgetown…
“It’s hard to win games on the road no matter who you’re playing. Georgetown was a really good team, and to go in there and come away with a big win was something we needed.”
On his recent shooting success…
“I’ve just been putting arc on it. Coach [Pitino] told me if I have just a little bit of air to let it fly and not care about the result. I’ve been consciously thinking about putting arc on the shot, and it’s been going in.”
On how seeing shots fall has helped his confidence…
“It’s always nice when you see the ball go in the hoop. You stop thinking and just start playing. That was big for me. At the same time, if my shot isn’t falling, I want to make sure I’m still impacting the game in other areas.”
On the team’s leadership and accountability…
“Zuby [Ejiofor] is our leader. He’s been really vocal about wanting us to be better. He’s always talking in huddles and in the locker room and we follow his lead.”
On playing through the frontcourt…
“We’ve got some ballers down there. Coach [Pitino] emphasizes throwing the ball inside and then finding open areas. When you throw it to Zuby [Ejiofor] and the double comes, you go and find an open spot and he’ll find you.”
On what makes Zuby Ejiofor special…
“He alters shots, rebounds everything, scores on the low block, shoots, passes and sets great screens. He makes everybody else’s life a lot easier.”
Senior forward Dillon Mitchell
On emphasizing getting the ball to Zuby Ejiofor…
“It’s been a big emphasis the past couple weeks, just getting Zuby [Ejiofor] the ball. When he gets it, the defense collapses. If they don’t help, he can score. If they do, he’s really good at kicking it out and getting shooters open looks.”
On Zuby Ejiofor’s impact as a playmaker…
“He’s one of the best players in the country. When he has the ball, everybody is watching. He can score, pass, rebound and start things for us.”
On the importance of the road win over Georgetown…
“It’s hard to win games on the road no matter who you’re playing. Georgetown was a really good team, and to go in there and come away with a big win was something we needed.”