Quote Center: Big East Teleconference #3 (St. John's)

COURTESY OF ST. JOHN’S RED STORM ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE

St. John’s Head Coach Chris Mullin…

On the NCAA’s proposal of moving the three-point line farther back:

“I’ve been an advocate of having the three-point line uniform across the board. FIBA. NCAA. NBA. I think we should all have the same rules.”

On coaching against Patrick Ewing at MSG:

“First and foremost, we’ve prepared for them. They’re a really good team. They score the ball. They’re deep, long, and athletic so it’s going to be a tough game. We’ve had close games with them and I know every game in the BIG EAST is close. … I go way back with Patrick [Ewing]. I’ve had a lot of different experiences with him. Playing with him, against him, and off the court. It’s always great to see him and I have the utmost respect and admiration for him.”

On the importance of winning Sunday’s game vs Georgetown:

“Each and every game is going to be important. A bunch of teams are 3-4. Villanova and Marquette are at the top and then there are a bunch of teams that are together. At some point, there will have to be some separation. We’re going to take it game-by-game and that’s where our focus is.”

On the impact of having Sedee Keita in the rotation:

“First and foremost, it’s another body to have on the floor. It lightens the load of minutes that guys will have across the lineup. Most importantly, with Sedee [Keita], we can play with a traditional center. He can come in and guard the opposing center. He creates a lot bad situations for the opposing offense. It’s something that we’ve been waiting for because it gives a change of pace and a different look in our lineup. Jessie Govan is one of the best players in the country. He’s very versatile and has a great right-hand jump hook. He loves face-up jumpers, all the way up to the three-point line. He’s got a knack of making shots at the end of the shot clock. We have to work on finding him early and try to force him to taking uncomfortable shots. He’s very patient and has great size that a lot of the time [uncomfortable shots] don’t bother him.”

On the keys to his team’s offensive success:

“I think having a lot of ball and body movement, just sheer energy is important. We always try and stress the pass creates a lot of energy on offense. With that being said, the games that we’ve played well, and probably every team is like this, getting a few stops and getting out on the open floor and getting a few easy [points], that just becomes more of a positive influence. Sometimes it’s not a play you run or not a shot you make, it’s like a 50-50 ball that gets some energy into the team and snowballs and gets the team on a roll.”