St. John's University Athletics
PREGAME QUOTES: No. 22/22 St. John’s vs. No. 3/3 Connecticut
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino, Seniors Dillon Mitchell and Zuby Ejiofor met with the media prior to the No. 22/22 Red Storm’s game against No. 3/3 UConn on Friday at Madison Square Garden
Head Coach Rick Pitino
On UConn’s play as of late…
“I think Solo Ball's playing with great confidence right now and so is [Silas] Demery. They're both shooting the ball [well]. Demery's really playing well. … [UConn] played great in the beginning of the year, and they're playing great now.”
On UConn being a difficult team to defend…
“Because of their personnel [and] the way they shoot it. [Braylon] Mullins may be the best shooter in the country. [Alex] Karaban is very difficult to guard because he really understands how to play. Their two centers are as good as any two centers in college basketball. [Silas] Demary's picking up, and he's playing great. Solo Ball's playing great. So, it's more the personnel running the offense than it is the actual offense.”
Senior forward Dillon Mitchell
On the upcoming game against UConn…
“It is the next game on the schedule but it's a big game. We’re both fighting over something and playing for something. ... Every game for us we approach it the same way. We try to go in there and get the win.”
On playing UConn at Madison Square Garden…
“It's a big reason why I came here, games like this, playing for a great university and a great coaching staff, and being around, great talent and playing against competition like this. This is why you come to St. John's.”
Senior forward Zuby Ejiofor
On expectations from the Madison Square Garden crowd…
“It's going to be a great crowd and it's going to be a great experience for some of the new guys for this program to just feel that level of passion from both teams. It's just going be great basketball. Obviously, we're going to compete and looking forward to, doing whatever it takes to come out with a win.”
On how confident he is in St. John’s being ready for UConn…
“[With] our non-conference schedule, we've had a great amount of experience with some of these teams to prepare us for a team like UConn. Every game in the BIG EAST is always a challenge. it doesn't matter who it is. Each and every team is going to give you their best effort, and, I think that we're definitely excited.”
On UConn’s play as of late…
“I think Solo Ball's playing with great confidence right now and so is [Silas] Demery. They're both shooting the ball [well]. Demery's really playing well. … [UConn] played great in the beginning of the year, and they're playing great now.”
On UConn being a difficult team to defend…
“Because of their personnel [and] the way they shoot it. [Braylon] Mullins may be the best shooter in the country. [Alex] Karaban is very difficult to guard because he really understands how to play. Their two centers are as good as any two centers in college basketball. [Silas] Demary's picking up, and he's playing great. Solo Ball's playing great. So, it's more the personnel running the offense than it is the actual offense.”
Senior forward Dillon Mitchell
On the upcoming game against UConn…
“It is the next game on the schedule but it's a big game. We’re both fighting over something and playing for something. ... Every game for us we approach it the same way. We try to go in there and get the win.”
On playing UConn at Madison Square Garden…
“It's a big reason why I came here, games like this, playing for a great university and a great coaching staff, and being around, great talent and playing against competition like this. This is why you come to St. John's.”
Senior forward Zuby Ejiofor
On expectations from the Madison Square Garden crowd…
“It's going to be a great crowd and it's going to be a great experience for some of the new guys for this program to just feel that level of passion from both teams. It's just going be great basketball. Obviously, we're going to compete and looking forward to, doing whatever it takes to come out with a win.”
On how confident he is in St. John’s being ready for UConn…
“[With] our non-conference schedule, we've had a great amount of experience with some of these teams to prepare us for a team like UConn. Every game in the BIG EAST is always a challenge. it doesn't matter who it is. Each and every team is going to give you their best effort, and, I think that we're definitely excited.”