St. John's University Athletics
BIG EAST WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MEDIA DAY QUOTES
St. John’s Women’s Basketball Head Coach Joe Tartamella spoke to the media at the 2026-27 BIG EAST Media Day at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square.
Head Coach Joe Tartamella
Opening Statement…
“Year 15 for me still feels in many ways like year one, but it also feels like year 15 as well. This has always been a great kickoff to the season. I’m pleased to have Sa’Mya Wyatt, Brooke Moore and Daniela Abies representing our group today. We’ve got five returners that include those three, Janaya Grant and Julie Bahati, and we’ve added eight newcomers.”
“They’ve been battling really hard and competing. They remind me a lot of a group I had in 2022. The one thing I can say is that it’s been an enjoyable experience every day at practice in terms of how they have consistently shown up to work. They compete, and I’m looking forward to the year with them.”
On the expansion of the NCAA Tournament…
“I think it gives a great opportunity for others to make it, which is important. It’s obviously the most exciting thing for our players to play in and for our sport. To see how much the game has grown since I started coaching in 2002 has been incredible.”
“As a league, we feel that we’ve got a really strong group of teams this year and can continue to set the standard of where we’ve been in the past, when we’ve had four or five teams in the tournament. We have incredible coaches and incredible players, so hopefully we have the success that we think we can have as a whole.”
On the changing landscape of college basketball…
“With NIL and revenue sharing, there are things being passed now that hopefully give you some guardrails. At the same time, we continue to figure out ways to improve our team regardless of NIL or revenue sharing. You try to identify the best players you can who fit your program and fit the personality of the players that you want to coach. I think we’ve done a great job of that this year, and I’m excited to see what our group can do.”
On identifying the right newcomers for the program…
“Recruiting in general is not an exact science. In the portal, we’ve done a really good job of hitting home runs. We’ve had a few misses, but we’ve tried to identify players, whether they were in high school or coming from different programs, who exemplified the qualities we’re looking for. We want great leaders, preferably from teams or programs that have won, who have the ability to be great communicators.”
“I think we did a really good job of that in the offseason with the players we brought in. Even our three young players have been extremely impressive along with the transfers. The personality part and understanding who you want to coach has become even more paramount in trying to identify the right players.”
On what he hopes to learn from the team during its early-season tests…
“The earlier you can find out where your weaknesses are, the quicker you can try to change those into strengths and shore up those areas. To have to go on the road and play Oklahoma State will certainly be a task that will test us. Then we have the opportunity to be at Mohegan Sun and play against the reigning national champion UCLA Bruins, who will test you early.”
“I think that will give us a great benchmark as to where we are. We turn around three days later and play in a tournament against Richmond and Dayton, so we’ve got to be prepared early. That’s the message we’ve been trying to convey to our team, especially since the summer. You don’t get games back and you don’t get opportunities back, so you’ve got to be ready when you have them.”
On returning to Madison Square Garden to face UConn…
“It’s great. We had a standalone game with Connecticut last year, and the crowd was incredible. From a television standpoint, the ratings were as high as any game we had all year in the league. For us, it’s a big deal. We’ve certainly had doubleheaders in the past during my time here, but to have a standalone game that you can carry on your own was a huge step for our program and for the league.”
On utilizing the transfer portal to build this year’s roster…
“You’re always trying to replenish. The portal is there, hopefully, to improve your team and maybe improve it quickly in certain areas. The avenues you can take may be different, but our job as coaches and as a staff is to try to put the best team we possibly can on the floor, in whatever way that means.”
“When you talk about the 13 players we have right now, they’re all tremendous human beings. They love playing, they love being at practice, they love competing and they love being around each other. I feel really good about that part. That’s a huge piece because it’s not enjoyable to go to practice when you don’t have everyone locked in.”
On retaining players at St. John’s…
“I think you’ve got to find players that fit your coaching style, fit the personality type and fit the relationship building that I try to create for them. This year, we did a great job of keeping the five players that we felt really confident in and that were our core.”
“Certainly, there are other factors involved when players stay or leave. There are some things you can control and some you can’t with revenue sharing, NIL and everything else that’s out there. You try to build the strongest relationship you can with them and put them in positions to be successful. I think we do that here, and I think I’ve done that throughout my career.”
“I’ve helped a lot of players in areas where maybe they struggled somewhere else, came here and were successful. I think they can find a home here, and we want it to be their home. We have a beautiful campus in Queens, and the BIG EAST has been a great challenge and a great stage for them to showcase who they are, not just as players but as people. I try to be as authentic and genuine with them as possible, and I think they appreciate that honesty.”
Opening Statement…
“Year 15 for me still feels in many ways like year one, but it also feels like year 15 as well. This has always been a great kickoff to the season. I’m pleased to have Sa’Mya Wyatt, Brooke Moore and Daniela Abies representing our group today. We’ve got five returners that include those three, Janaya Grant and Julie Bahati, and we’ve added eight newcomers.”
“They’ve been battling really hard and competing. They remind me a lot of a group I had in 2022. The one thing I can say is that it’s been an enjoyable experience every day at practice in terms of how they have consistently shown up to work. They compete, and I’m looking forward to the year with them.”
On the expansion of the NCAA Tournament…
“I think it gives a great opportunity for others to make it, which is important. It’s obviously the most exciting thing for our players to play in and for our sport. To see how much the game has grown since I started coaching in 2002 has been incredible.”
“As a league, we feel that we’ve got a really strong group of teams this year and can continue to set the standard of where we’ve been in the past, when we’ve had four or five teams in the tournament. We have incredible coaches and incredible players, so hopefully we have the success that we think we can have as a whole.”
On the changing landscape of college basketball…
“With NIL and revenue sharing, there are things being passed now that hopefully give you some guardrails. At the same time, we continue to figure out ways to improve our team regardless of NIL or revenue sharing. You try to identify the best players you can who fit your program and fit the personality of the players that you want to coach. I think we’ve done a great job of that this year, and I’m excited to see what our group can do.”
On identifying the right newcomers for the program…
“Recruiting in general is not an exact science. In the portal, we’ve done a really good job of hitting home runs. We’ve had a few misses, but we’ve tried to identify players, whether they were in high school or coming from different programs, who exemplified the qualities we’re looking for. We want great leaders, preferably from teams or programs that have won, who have the ability to be great communicators.”
“I think we did a really good job of that in the offseason with the players we brought in. Even our three young players have been extremely impressive along with the transfers. The personality part and understanding who you want to coach has become even more paramount in trying to identify the right players.”
On what he hopes to learn from the team during its early-season tests…
“The earlier you can find out where your weaknesses are, the quicker you can try to change those into strengths and shore up those areas. To have to go on the road and play Oklahoma State will certainly be a task that will test us. Then we have the opportunity to be at Mohegan Sun and play against the reigning national champion UCLA Bruins, who will test you early.”
“I think that will give us a great benchmark as to where we are. We turn around three days later and play in a tournament against Richmond and Dayton, so we’ve got to be prepared early. That’s the message we’ve been trying to convey to our team, especially since the summer. You don’t get games back and you don’t get opportunities back, so you’ve got to be ready when you have them.”
On returning to Madison Square Garden to face UConn…
“It’s great. We had a standalone game with Connecticut last year, and the crowd was incredible. From a television standpoint, the ratings were as high as any game we had all year in the league. For us, it’s a big deal. We’ve certainly had doubleheaders in the past during my time here, but to have a standalone game that you can carry on your own was a huge step for our program and for the league.”
On utilizing the transfer portal to build this year’s roster…
“You’re always trying to replenish. The portal is there, hopefully, to improve your team and maybe improve it quickly in certain areas. The avenues you can take may be different, but our job as coaches and as a staff is to try to put the best team we possibly can on the floor, in whatever way that means.”
“When you talk about the 13 players we have right now, they’re all tremendous human beings. They love playing, they love being at practice, they love competing and they love being around each other. I feel really good about that part. That’s a huge piece because it’s not enjoyable to go to practice when you don’t have everyone locked in.”
On retaining players at St. John’s…
“I think you’ve got to find players that fit your coaching style, fit the personality type and fit the relationship building that I try to create for them. This year, we did a great job of keeping the five players that we felt really confident in and that were our core.”
“Certainly, there are other factors involved when players stay or leave. There are some things you can control and some you can’t with revenue sharing, NIL and everything else that’s out there. You try to build the strongest relationship you can with them and put them in positions to be successful. I think we do that here, and I think I’ve done that throughout my career.”
“I’ve helped a lot of players in areas where maybe they struggled somewhere else, came here and were successful. I think they can find a home here, and we want it to be their home. We have a beautiful campus in Queens, and the BIG EAST has been a great challenge and a great stage for them to showcase who they are, not just as players but as people. I try to be as authentic and genuine with them as possible, and I think they appreciate that honesty.”