COURTESY OF ST. JOHN'S RED STORM ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
St. John’s Head Coach Mike Anderson
On recruiting locally…
“I’m about relationships and I think that’s big. … I’ve got a great coaching staff and I think their presence has been evident. And one other thing, I’m a worker, ain’t no one going to outwork me. … We work extremely hard and hopefully that will pay off for us.”
On the point guard position …
“Obviously, we brought in a guy by the name of Nick Rutherford. … Then I just think it’s just going to be done by committee. I think we’ve got enough guys that can handle the basketball. I think the key is, especially in crunch time, you got to have somebody that can get the ball in a position that you want to create something.”
On a strength of the team that no one is talking about…
“I think all of these guys want to have an opportunity to impact this team. They want to be successful. I think they’re working extremely hard. I mean, the things I throw at them, it’s challenging, not everyone can do those things, but these guys have done it and willingly. At the same time, I think one of our strengths is going to be our perimeter guys. ... Obviously, there’s practice time that we get after, but then you talk about the extra time that they got to put in to be a player we can count on. To me, that’s the biggest catch.”
On depth of the roster…
“I think depth is going to be really, really important on our basketball team. We’re going to have probably six-to-seven starters. I don’t know who they’re going to be right now, they’re all kind of jockeying for a position. But I’ll just say one of the more important pieces to our team is going to be our bench. Our guys have to come in and give us some quality minutes. Whether that is two minutes at a time, three minutes at a time, it depends on those individuals, but it’s important we really create some depth with the way we want to play.”
On the team’s conditioning.…
“I’ve thrown quite a bit at them. … They’re getting in game shape right now. That’s a big difference than the conditioning part and I think that’s real, real important. … When you get tired, you want out, you don’t want to do anything, so we want to be that team that’s well-conditioned and can finish strong. For 30 minutes it may go back-and-forth, but if we’re doing the things that we’re supposed to do conditioning wise, in that shape I want us to be in, in the last 10 minutes, hopefully it belongs to us.”
St. John’s Guard Mustapha Heron
On his final collegiate season...
“I’m just working on my overall game and my overall body. Just trying to get right. Trying to make sure I’m in the best shape that I've been in my whole career and make sure I’m learning every day, watching film, just trying to get better.”
On not having Shamorie Ponds this year...
“It’s definitely different. He was one of the best guards in the country last year, so you definitely lose that as a drop off but make up for it in other areas. It’s always a next man up mentality.”
On if there is someone on the team that will surprise some fans...
“I think we’ll all surprise everyone who will be watching us.”
On Coach Anderson…
“Like he said, he challenges us every day. Everything is a competition and that's something I love. I love competition. He's somebody that gets after it. So I think you know, he fits perfect with this group.”
On the impact Ian Steere and Rasheem Dunn can make on this team…
“Huge. I mean, Ian [Steere], he’s a specimen. I tell him every day that he’s a specimen. I think that he could have a huge impact down low for us, just doing a lot of different things, playing hard and things of that nature. And then Rasheem [Dunn] is a hard-nosed Brooklyn kid. I’ve been playing with him since we were in high school together. We played in ISA together. We actually won an ISA Championship together in high school, so I’m familiar with him and he’s been the same way ever since we were little.”
St. John’s Guard Rasheem Dunn
On his relationship with Shamorie Ponds...
“I spoke to him numerous times about coming here. He basically was just talking to me about the networking part and the aspects of being able to go somewhere after college, because it's more than just basketball as well. … With basketball, we basically just talked about coming back home and having an impact on the team.”
On playing at Madison Square Garden...
“It's going to feel really great. I have a lot of memorable moments at [Madison Square Garden] and made history in there. Playing at Madison Square Garden is every kid's dream. So for me to go back there where I won a high school city championship, it's great, especially playing in my hometown in front of my loved ones.”
On the impact he can provide for this team...
“I'm going bring my strength and be more of a leader on the team. … I'm trying to build relationships with my teammates, letting them understand the will to win the game and how hard it is to win a game. Coming in and being an impactful player right away with my natural scoring ability, skills, maturity, and being a coach's extension on the court.”
St. John’s Forward David Caraher
On what St. John's fans can expect from the team...
"Energy. That's been our word. Energy and effort. We're going to leave it out there every time we play, and just give these fans something to cheer about. Give them something to be excited about and bring life back to New York."
St. John’s Forward Ian Steere
On transferring to St. John’s...
"I just feel like this program is better suited for me. You're in New York. You're under the bright lights. For some that might be a lot of pressure, but for me I feel like it'll help push me to another level and elevate my game to the player I know I can be."
On the differences he sees in himself over the past year...
"Confidence. I'm much more confident now than I was before in pretty much all aspects of my game. I feel like I'm a much more complete player. I can do a lot more. My body feels good. I feel stronger, faster. I just feel like I've improved in a lot of aspects of my game.”
On the impact he can have for this team...
"I've had a lot of people tell me that St. John's hasn't had a big man or two big men in awhile. I want to fix that. I want them to start getting used to having a big man this season and just do all the things that a big man can do, presence in the paint, rebound, block shots, all that."
On the pace the team will play at this season...
"We play a very fast pace. It's a very, very exciting pace. I feel like a lot of people are going to feel excited to watch us play. We get up and down the court. We're very agile and get up on the other team on defense. I feel like I can fit into that very well. I'm faster than most bigs. I feel like I'm a little more agile and my coaches really helped me get a more defensive mindset. I feel like it's helped me a lot."
St. John’s Guard Nick Rutherford
On how excited he is to play for St. John’s...
"It’s really exciting. I mean, it’s a blessing to even be in this position, so I don’t take it for granted and it’s something I’m excited about. It feels really good."
On the impact of his leadership for the team...
"I think the biggest thing I can do is what I have been doing, which is to lead by example. Come in every day with my hardhat on, just come in to work, always be in the gym and just be a guy that’s coachable and be an extension of the coach on the floor and let your game speak for itself.
“Being a leader is having the mindset of coming in everyday to work. I think, just for me, that’s what I bring to the table, coming in everyday to work and I believe that’s leadership."
On how the team has adjusted to Coach Anderson’s coaching style...
"I think we’re getting really good at it. … It’s been a process just learning it and learning it quick and trying to play fast. Sometimes it might look like a mess, but I think it’s going to be a really good opportunity for us to impose our will on other teams. And we have the guys to do it.”