COURTESY OF ST. JOHN'S ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
St. John’s Head Coach Mike Anderson
On today’s game…
“First, I want to give credit to Coach [Bashir] Mason and his team. They were kind of undermanned. We saw they never gave up in this particular game.”
“We held [Wagner] to 19 points in the first half. That’s pretty good defense. We were sharing the basketball. In the first half, we had 13 assists on so many buckets. That means we shared the basketball. It was a good team win and on to the next.”
On Mustapha Heron’s performance after his two games at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament…
“I thought he had a good week of prepping. We had been off for a whole week, so it gave him more time to get more reps. This afternoon he had much better rhythm. That’s important. Those shots he was making, I thought it opened up the floor for our guys and we were able to attack early on and kind of set the stage.”
On his team being more than a two-man team…
“Our guys are getting the playing time. They’re playing efficient minutes. Even David [Caraher]. David had been scoring for us. Today, he had three assists. He plays with a big heart and that gets contagious with our basketball team. Marcellus [Earlington] continues to play well. Rasheem [Dunn]. We have multiple guys that can come in and impact the team and that’s what we’re starting to see and all it does is make our team a little better.”
On if he’s surprised by the sudden impact of Josh Roberts and Marcellus Earlington…
“Well, they’re doing it in practice. I think they’ve paid attention to the details of the things that we want them to do. In terms of how we’re playing, I think it puts them in a position to have some success. You have to remember, people are really keying on Mustapha [Heron] and LJ [Figueroa], so I think those guys have been the beneficiary. I think [Josh and Marcellus] are playing with confidence and they continue to develop. The thing I like about them is that they are ready. They’re listening to every word that we say. In practice they’re working really hard, so it’s good to see them go out and showcase it. We still have a ways to go, even those guys.”
On LJ Figueroa’s performance…
“I thought he had his fingerprints all over that first half. I think he had five rebounds and four assists in the first half. Sometimes it’s advancing the ball up the floor. … He was getting the ball down the floor where Mustapha [Heron] gets a layup or gets it to Nick [Rutherford] so he can make that next pass. I thought he was all over the place and that’s what I’m looking for. When the shot is not going down, how do you impact the team.”
On the pulse of this team…
“We’re progressing. … I’m a fast-paced guy, but I think the guys are doing some good things. Even in the losses we’ve had, it’s an opportunity for us to learn from it. We look at the things that we didn’t do well last game in terms of assists, sharing the basketball, and of course, turnovers. Now we have to learn how to play with a lead. Where we are at the end of November, we’ll be different at the beginning of January. It’s a team with a lot of parts and we’re trying to put these parts together and put them in a position where they can be successful.”
St. John’s Senior Guard Mustapha Heron
On when he knew Josh Roberts was going to be an impactful player…
“I knew that last summer at the first practice that we had. … He just didn't play a lot last year, but I knew that last summer.”
On scoring 18 points in just 13 minutes…
“I thought I was just moving. I thought I was moving a little bit better and took some good shots. It wasn’t anything spectacular. I just moved and took some good shots.”
On his play the last few games…
“I feel like I was pressing a lit bit at times, but I just went and watched the film and watched where I could get lost in their defense. I just shot well today.”
On if it was important to have a game like this…
“I think every night it is important that I perform or the team is not going to be successful.”
On 10 different players scoring tonight on 23 assists…
“We weren’t selfish. We were moving the ball. That was something I know we worked on in practice this week. Not being stagnant with the ball. Coach [Anderson] really emphasized that this week. I think we tried to focus on that today and it showed.”
On how good this team can be…
“We pride ourselves on our depth and that we can go to the last guy on our bench and he can give us just as much as a starter.”
On the team’s talent level…
“Coach [Mike Anderson] preaches that it could be anybody’s night on any given night. That’s what we live by.”
St. John’s Forward Josh Roberts
On the season…
“It's pretty fun. I'm enjoying it. Being out there with my teammates. We're working hard and we still have a lot to prove.”
On the team’s improvement since the beginning of the season…
“We’ve built a lot more chemistry from game-to-game. We are starting to get better and to complement each other more. That’s starting to help us on the floor.”
Wagner Head Coach Bashir Mason
On St. John’s…
“They’ve got two guys in [Mustapha] Heron and [LJ] Figueroa that can score. [Rasheem] Dunn hasn’t done it at this level, but he was a really good player in the Northeast Conference. They just play hard enough and tough enough that even if a team's more talented than them, they’ll give themselves a chance to be in the game and have a chance to win because of their defense.”