St. John’s Head Coach Mike Anderson
Opening Statement…
“I have to give Niagara a lot of credit. They came in here with nothing to lose and everything to gain. They wouldn’t go away. They had some opportunities early on and I thought we got a little stagnant, especially offensively. That puts a lot of pressure on our defense. I thought our bench came in and gave us a big lift. Joel [Soriano], if you look at his numbers, they were outstanding. He had an advantage [down low], and when we did take advantage of it, it was to our liking. That’s one of those games where, as a coach, you worry about it. I was up all night worrying about it because we were coming off a high and our guys are human, but the end of the day, we made enough plays. We’ll take the win and continue to try to get better.”
On challenges coming into today’s game…
“Our team was in a different position, not having [Posh Alexander and Rafael Pinzon]. Posh is a leader of this team, so it was good to see our guys respond in the way they gutted it out. The free-throw line could have been a difference maker. We missed some and they hung around.”
On Joel Soriano’s rebounding…
“He’s got a mindset that every rebound is his. I love it because he’s playing with his length now. I think, early on in his career, he was playing a little stiff, but now [with a] little more athletic ability. It helps when you have good players and guys that can put you in positions to score. The biggest thing is his confidence; it’s soaring.”
On the team’s performance without Posh Alexander…
“They rallied together. You saw Montez [Mathis] handling the ball a lot more than he has been. I think Dylan [Addae-Wusu] was pretty good for the most part today. It was all about the experience. O’Mar [Stanley] did what he does. AJ [Storr] came out and he can score points in bunches. Kolby [King] had a chance to get some minutes. These guys are going to be critical to what we’re doing.”
Senior center Joel Soriano
On his career-high 19 rebounds…
“It just goes to show that hard work pays off, but this is only the beginning. It’s early in the season. I want to give credit to my coaching staff and my teammates for believing in me. Like I said, it’s early, so I just want to keep my foot on the pedal.”
On his improvement from last season to this season…
“I look back at last season a lot. Last year, if I’m being honest, I wasn’t as confident as I am now. I feel like that plays a big part. I’m working much harder than I was last year. My biggest thing is that my coaches don’t let me get complacent. I’m just trying to stay consistent.”
On the team’s performance…
“I felt like we were a bit sluggish as a whole. We didn’t have Posh, and you could see just how much he means to us. I feel like our defense has to get better. We have to get better every day. We can’t slack off, especially on the defensive end. We just have to finish games. Give credit to [Niagara]. They’re a good team, but we have to get better.”
Junior guard Dylan Addae-Wusu
On his defensive performance…
“Coach [Anderson] puts a lot of emphasis on defense. I’ve been taking it a little more personally, to keep my man in front of me and make it harder for him to score. It’s about making it hard for them to get what they want.”
On Joel Soriano’s improvement as a player…
“He’s more confident now. He’s looking to be the big bully that he is. He’s looking to impose his will on both sides of the floor. He’s become more of a vocal leader. When things are not going well, he tends to keep the guys together and keep us motivated with positive thoughts.”
