St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: ST. JOHN’S VS. GEORGETOWN
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino, senior forward Zuby Ejiofor and sophomore guard Joson Sanon spoke with the media after defeating Georgetown, 72-69, at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday
Head Coach Rick Pitino
Opening statement…
“It was a great win for us. Senior nights are very difficult emotionally for players. We came out flat. My biggest disappointment was that we had open shots and we constantly counted our misses. With the exception of this young man to my right, [Joson Sanon], who never met a shot he didn't like and came through for us with rebounds and shots. But, I'm a little disappointed, but elated we won. We had to make great plays down the stretch. I'm disappointed because my guys are having a very difficult time understanding styles of play. This team has played Connecticut and Villanova to the wire. They keep it close with tempo and I tried to explain that to them. They just thought it was another game. So, they weren't mature enough to understand styles and that was very disappointing, as a coach. We had to really dig deep because we didn't have it to win and that's what it's all about with a good basketball team, digging down. We did a lot of good things with 10 minutes to go in the game to come away with a victory.
Senior forward Zuby Ejiofor
On Joson Sanon’s performance…
“That's the Joson [Sanon] that we need each and every night. That's exactly how he is in practice, one of the better shooters on our team and he was able to make big-time buckets. Down the stretch and attack closeouts as well because he's a deadly shooter. We like it when Joson is aggressive especially on both sides, like he said, grabbing some difficult rebounds and just hitting timely shots and I think that's exactly who he is.”
On the pregame ceremony and fan support…
“It was an emotional night. It was everything that I thought it would be and I appreciate them. My family was obviously out there as well and guys were saying I was going to cry, but there was no tears shed. It was special.”
On his final play of the regular season at home being an assist to Joson Sanon…
“My whole thing was just do whatever it takes to win. Rebounding, assisting, throwing the ball out, finding my guys when they're wide open and that was my whole mindset, just come out to win. We came out flat, like Coach [Pitino] said, and we were able to just dig in and just down the stretch and make some big-time plays, and we were able to come out the win. That was what was most important.”
Sophomore guard Joson Sanon
On helping deliver a win on Senior Night…
“Before the game, Coach [Pitino] told us that basically we needed to be more focused on all the little details… He was telling me I need to rebound more and do all the little stuff like getting assists. I was just trying to help the team win.”
On the Madison Square Garden crowd sparking the comeback…
“You get a little adrenaline rush. It boosts you, gives you more confidence too. That's what it feels like.”
On what winning a BIG EAST Championship would mean…
“I want to experience winning a BIG EAST Championship. I'm just trying to play every possession and win every game from here.”
Georgetown Head Coach Ed Cooley
On Zuby Ejiofor…
“Give St. John's a lot of credit. Zuby, he was the difference maker. He's going to get my vote for Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year. His energy, his toughness, I just enjoy watching him.”
Opening statement…
“It was a great win for us. Senior nights are very difficult emotionally for players. We came out flat. My biggest disappointment was that we had open shots and we constantly counted our misses. With the exception of this young man to my right, [Joson Sanon], who never met a shot he didn't like and came through for us with rebounds and shots. But, I'm a little disappointed, but elated we won. We had to make great plays down the stretch. I'm disappointed because my guys are having a very difficult time understanding styles of play. This team has played Connecticut and Villanova to the wire. They keep it close with tempo and I tried to explain that to them. They just thought it was another game. So, they weren't mature enough to understand styles and that was very disappointing, as a coach. We had to really dig deep because we didn't have it to win and that's what it's all about with a good basketball team, digging down. We did a lot of good things with 10 minutes to go in the game to come away with a victory.
Senior forward Zuby Ejiofor
On Joson Sanon’s performance…
“That's the Joson [Sanon] that we need each and every night. That's exactly how he is in practice, one of the better shooters on our team and he was able to make big-time buckets. Down the stretch and attack closeouts as well because he's a deadly shooter. We like it when Joson is aggressive especially on both sides, like he said, grabbing some difficult rebounds and just hitting timely shots and I think that's exactly who he is.”
On the pregame ceremony and fan support…
“It was an emotional night. It was everything that I thought it would be and I appreciate them. My family was obviously out there as well and guys were saying I was going to cry, but there was no tears shed. It was special.”
On his final play of the regular season at home being an assist to Joson Sanon…
“My whole thing was just do whatever it takes to win. Rebounding, assisting, throwing the ball out, finding my guys when they're wide open and that was my whole mindset, just come out to win. We came out flat, like Coach [Pitino] said, and we were able to just dig in and just down the stretch and make some big-time plays, and we were able to come out the win. That was what was most important.”
Sophomore guard Joson Sanon
On helping deliver a win on Senior Night…
“Before the game, Coach [Pitino] told us that basically we needed to be more focused on all the little details… He was telling me I need to rebound more and do all the little stuff like getting assists. I was just trying to help the team win.”
On the Madison Square Garden crowd sparking the comeback…
“You get a little adrenaline rush. It boosts you, gives you more confidence too. That's what it feels like.”
On what winning a BIG EAST Championship would mean…
“I want to experience winning a BIG EAST Championship. I'm just trying to play every possession and win every game from here.”
Georgetown Head Coach Ed Cooley
On Zuby Ejiofor…
“Give St. John's a lot of credit. Zuby, he was the difference maker. He's going to get my vote for Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year. His energy, his toughness, I just enjoy watching him.”