St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: ST. JOHN’S VS. SETON HALL
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino, Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell spoke to the media after defeating Seton Hall, 65-60, at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday
Head Coach Rick Pitino
Opening statement…
“We’ve played better, but this is my favorite game of the season. When you’re down 15 to a team like Seton Hall, and you come back from 15 down and wind up with 20 offensive rebounds, you really wanted to win this game.”
On what Zuby Ejiofor means to the team…
“All the players said, ‘[Zuby] just outworks everybody.’ I said, ‘Well, I’ve got to get 13 guys that outwork everybody like Zuby in order for us to progress at the level we want to get to.’”
On challenging the team with an NCAA Tournament reality check…
“You’re down 15. Are you going to go home in the NCAA Tournament or are you going to move on? That’s the challenge we have right now.”
On the struggles Seton Hall caused…
“Tonight, we didn’t have it because of Seton Hall. It wasn’t because we weren’t’ trying. We were trying, but they were terrific at their style of play.”
On potentially collecting his 900th win against his son Richard Pitino and Xavier…
“What’s the chances you coach 50 years and your 900th win [could come] against your son? I think that’s a big treat for me and my family.”
Graduate student guard/forward Bryce Hopkins
On what the team learned in the comeback win…
“We discovered that there was no quit in us. We all came together and decided to play every possession like it was our last and built off that momentum.”
On playing physical…
“I pride myself in loving physicality. When opponents are aggressive, you have to attack them back. Putting my body into them was big in drawing defenders and getting other players shots.”
On Dillon Mitchell’s impact…
“His energy, his athleticism and how vocal he is has impacted us in a tremendous way. I feel like we’re playing really good basketball right now.”
Senior forward Dillon Mitchell
On what flipped during the comeback win…
“We stayed together and locked in on what we had to do. We played our hearts out, left it all on the court, and we’re happy with the results.”
On the 25-7 second-half run despite Zuby Ejiofor’s foul trouble…
“We were just playing hard, getting stops and rebounding. Down 15, you’ve got nothing else to lose. You’ve got to go out there and try and get back in the game.”
On how he’s grown his game at St. John’s…
“By playing with really skilled guys that know basketball. The competition in practice every day is something that you can’t get anywhere else.”
Opening statement…
“We’ve played better, but this is my favorite game of the season. When you’re down 15 to a team like Seton Hall, and you come back from 15 down and wind up with 20 offensive rebounds, you really wanted to win this game.”
On what Zuby Ejiofor means to the team…
“All the players said, ‘[Zuby] just outworks everybody.’ I said, ‘Well, I’ve got to get 13 guys that outwork everybody like Zuby in order for us to progress at the level we want to get to.’”
On challenging the team with an NCAA Tournament reality check…
“You’re down 15. Are you going to go home in the NCAA Tournament or are you going to move on? That’s the challenge we have right now.”
On the struggles Seton Hall caused…
“Tonight, we didn’t have it because of Seton Hall. It wasn’t because we weren’t’ trying. We were trying, but they were terrific at their style of play.”
On potentially collecting his 900th win against his son Richard Pitino and Xavier…
“What’s the chances you coach 50 years and your 900th win [could come] against your son? I think that’s a big treat for me and my family.”
Graduate student guard/forward Bryce Hopkins
On what the team learned in the comeback win…
“We discovered that there was no quit in us. We all came together and decided to play every possession like it was our last and built off that momentum.”
On playing physical…
“I pride myself in loving physicality. When opponents are aggressive, you have to attack them back. Putting my body into them was big in drawing defenders and getting other players shots.”
On Dillon Mitchell’s impact…
“His energy, his athleticism and how vocal he is has impacted us in a tremendous way. I feel like we’re playing really good basketball right now.”
Senior forward Dillon Mitchell
On what flipped during the comeback win…
“We stayed together and locked in on what we had to do. We played our hearts out, left it all on the court, and we’re happy with the results.”
On the 25-7 second-half run despite Zuby Ejiofor’s foul trouble…
“We were just playing hard, getting stops and rebounding. Down 15, you’ve got nothing else to lose. You’ve got to go out there and try and get back in the game.”
On how he’s grown his game at St. John’s…
“By playing with really skilled guys that know basketball. The competition in practice every day is something that you can’t get anywhere else.”