St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: St. John’s vs. Xavier
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino and redshirt junior guard Dylan Darling spoke with the media after defeating Xavier, 87-82, at Madison Square Garden on Monday
Head Coach Rick Pitino
Opening statement…
“I’m real excited with the victory, but I’m more proud of my son, because in two games against [Xavier], he’s totally outcoached me, and their staff outcoached us. We could not guard them. We could not stop them in their offense. They got us in bad switches. They executed. We did a good job in two games with the game on the line by coming through defensively and making big plays in both games.”
On Zuby Ejiofor…
“I think Zuby [Ejiofor] is one of the leaders to be [National] Player of the Year, never mind the conference.”
On coaching against Richard Pitino…
“[I’m] happy with the victory, but I’m much more proud of my son. I thought my son, in the two times we played him, did things to really hurt our defense and did things to really hurt our press. I think he’s an extremely brilliant young coach. I come away tonight not thinking about 904 [wins], I come away being really proud of my son.”
On the preparation for Xavier…
“Our guys were ready to play tonight because they knew how difficult it was to play [Xavier]. Certain teams hurt you, and they hurt us in one-on-one, [they] get us in switches.”
On Bryce Hopkins…
“We’re very physical going to the basket with our front court. When the game was on the line, Bryce Hopkins won the game. He made big plays for us on the defensive end and he was outstanding in the final seven, eight minutes of the game.”
Redshirt junior guard Dylan Darling
On his shot creation…
“I tried to come in the game and play with energy, kind of be a spark. [I was] just taking what the defense was giving me and I was getting to the rim.”
On his development…
“I started off slow and I think Coach [Pitino] gave me the confidence to believe. I feel like Coach [Pitino] believed in me when I was lacking a little bit. I think that did wonders for me. I’m just trying to get better every single day and get more comfortable in my role with the team.”
On what it means to be a part Rick Pitino’s 904th victory…
“It’s really cool when you’re playing for the best college basketball coach of all time. I’ve only been a part of it for 19 wins, so I won’t take too much credit, but I’m happy for him. If you were to come to practice every day, it’s not hard to see why he has so many wins.”
On his favorite part of playing at St. John’s…
“It’s probably just playing with this group. This group is a lot of fun to play with. [They’re] great guys who bring it every day, great personalities. I feel like we have the best fans in the country. To be able to fill Madison Square Garden like we do, it’s unbelievable and I’m just grateful for Coach [Pitino] letting me come over here and play for the Johnnies.”
On Zuby Ejiofor…
“It’s always a point of emphasis to get Zuby [Ejiofor] the ball. He’s the best big man in the country. You can’t guard him with one person. We always are looking to get Zuby the ball.”
Opening statement…
“I’m real excited with the victory, but I’m more proud of my son, because in two games against [Xavier], he’s totally outcoached me, and their staff outcoached us. We could not guard them. We could not stop them in their offense. They got us in bad switches. They executed. We did a good job in two games with the game on the line by coming through defensively and making big plays in both games.”
On Zuby Ejiofor…
“I think Zuby [Ejiofor] is one of the leaders to be [National] Player of the Year, never mind the conference.”
On coaching against Richard Pitino…
“[I’m] happy with the victory, but I’m much more proud of my son. I thought my son, in the two times we played him, did things to really hurt our defense and did things to really hurt our press. I think he’s an extremely brilliant young coach. I come away tonight not thinking about 904 [wins], I come away being really proud of my son.”
On the preparation for Xavier…
“Our guys were ready to play tonight because they knew how difficult it was to play [Xavier]. Certain teams hurt you, and they hurt us in one-on-one, [they] get us in switches.”
On Bryce Hopkins…
“We’re very physical going to the basket with our front court. When the game was on the line, Bryce Hopkins won the game. He made big plays for us on the defensive end and he was outstanding in the final seven, eight minutes of the game.”
Redshirt junior guard Dylan Darling
On his shot creation…
“I tried to come in the game and play with energy, kind of be a spark. [I was] just taking what the defense was giving me and I was getting to the rim.”
On his development…
“I started off slow and I think Coach [Pitino] gave me the confidence to believe. I feel like Coach [Pitino] believed in me when I was lacking a little bit. I think that did wonders for me. I’m just trying to get better every single day and get more comfortable in my role with the team.”
On what it means to be a part Rick Pitino’s 904th victory…
“It’s really cool when you’re playing for the best college basketball coach of all time. I’ve only been a part of it for 19 wins, so I won’t take too much credit, but I’m happy for him. If you were to come to practice every day, it’s not hard to see why he has so many wins.”
On his favorite part of playing at St. John’s…
“It’s probably just playing with this group. This group is a lot of fun to play with. [They’re] great guys who bring it every day, great personalities. I feel like we have the best fans in the country. To be able to fill Madison Square Garden like we do, it’s unbelievable and I’m just grateful for Coach [Pitino] letting me come over here and play for the Johnnies.”
On Zuby Ejiofor…
“It’s always a point of emphasis to get Zuby [Ejiofor] the ball. He’s the best big man in the country. You can’t guard him with one person. We always are looking to get Zuby the ball.”