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NCAA MEN'S FIRST FOUR: DAYTON

March 20, 2019

Dayton, Ohio

Arizona State - 74, St. John's - 65

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by the head coach of St. John's, Chris Mullin, and student-athletes Shamorie Ponds and Justin Simon. Questions for the student-athletes.

Q. Shamorie, what kind of didn't go right tonight?
SHAMORIE PONDS: We just didn't hit shots. We didn't shoot it well. I felt like we was playing good defensively down the stretch but we just couldn't hit a shot.

Q. Shamorie, in your mind, when the gap gets big like that in the first half, it might have been 18, how does that have an impact on the way the rest of the game is going to play out?
SHAMORIE PONDS: I mean, it definitely has an impact. But with this group, we always been down big. Coach kind of compared it to the Villanova game when we got down big at the half, cut it back. We did the same, but we just couldn't get over the hump.

Q. Shamorie, I know you've thought a lot about last spring, what you would do this year and you came back. Do you think what you're going to do now?
SHAMORIE PONDS: No.

Q. Could you see yourself coming back for another year?
SHAMORIE PONDS: No comment.

Q. Justin, it seemed like tonight there were moments where you started to creep back in. What do you kind of attribute this loss to?
JUSTIN SIMON: What Shamorie said, I felt like we were fighting back, we couldn't get over the hump. Something would happen, a turnover or a missed box-out or a foul or something like that. And we really couldn't hit shots. We couldn't really hit shots throughout the whole game to get our rhythm.

Q. Justin, the game tonight was if not the lowest shooting percentage for your season, one of them. And the last game I think might have been the lowest. Is there a reason that the shooting isn't -- hasn't been happening at the end of the season?
JUSTIN SIMON: No, I don't think there's any reason behind it. It's basketball. Some games we're hot. Some games we're not. And, like you said, the past two games, we just really weren't hitting any shots.

Q. Shamorie, how would you assess this season? You make the tournament but you lose in the First Four. There were some thought you guys could contend for a Big East title. That didn't quite happen. Did you feel like you underachieved, overachieved? How would you rate this season?
SHAMORIE PONDS: I would say this year was a great season. A lot of people doubted us, didn't expect us to be here. But I feel like overall it was a great season. We achieved a lot. I'm not satisfied, but I'm happy.

Q. Shamorie, in terms of things that you wanted to accomplish at St. John's, I think probably at the top of the list was getting them back to the tournament. Even though you're disappointed right here, do you think that you will be able to look back at this season and feel pretty good about it?
SHAMORIE PONDS: Definitely. I feel like we achieved a lot of things. We won a championship early in the year. So, I mean, I'm happy with this group. We fought each and every night. Just unfortunately we couldn't come out with the win.

Q. And just to follow up, how disappointing -- can you find the words to explain to us how disappointing you are with the way the team showed up tonight?
SHAMORIE PONDS: I'm not disappointed with the guys. It happens. It's life. You go through ups and downs. Overall this group -- I'm really positive about this group. I'm just happy with this group.

Q. After the Villanova win, probably one of the high points of the season, looked like this team was really headed to big things and you followed up losing six of eight. Could you pinpoint anything that happened after that game for why maybe you guys didn't keep soaring and maybe plateaued at that point?
SHAMORIE PONDS: I don't have no answer to it. I can't really hit it on the head. But it happens.

Q. Justin, you and Marv have been very close through the whole thing. Shamorie also. But you guys went through that whole sit-out year together and seemed very, very close as a result of that. He was obviously disappointed with not scoring in this game and not really sort of finishing. How much do you feel for him at the end of his last game?
JUSTIN SIMON: Yeah, me, Marv and Shamorie, we all came here together. Marv does a lot of things that doesn't show up on the stat sheet. He affects the game in so many ways and he helps us out when we mess up.

He's our leader. He's a great guy. And like I said, he did a lot of things that didn't show up tonight in the stat sheet. But he's a great player. He's going to give it his all. I know he has no regrets on tonight.

I know he probably wanted to score, you know, whatever, but he still affected the game for us and helped us in major ways throughout this whole year.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you. Questions for Coach.

Q. I guess the place to start is, Chris, where do you think it was tonight, where do you think things didn't go right for you all?
COACH MULLIN: Across the board. We had turnovers, uncharacteristic turnovers. And then I think we shot what 31 percent. It was layups, free throws. It was everything. So it was probably one of our worst games of the season overall.

But I'll tell you what, I told the team, it was a really fun team to coach. It wasn't the most consistent, but they were really, really good guys to coach. I really appreciate their work ethic and the way they showed up each day, whether we had a really bad loss or a good win. So I appreciate them.

And gotta give Arizona State a lot of credit, and congratulations to Bobby Hurley and Arizona State. I think they played a good game. Pretty sloppy both ways, 21 turnovers, 16 turnovers. Yes, we just really couldn't get anything going. Even when we got a little spurt, we had a two on one, and then we had a dunk and things like that. We just couldn't put anything together.

Q. Can you reflect on what this group of guys has meant for you and your coaching tenure?
COACH MULLIN: Yes, the guys up here -- Justin, Shamorie and Marvin -- the last three years they've been a pleasure, they really have. I think they've conducted themselves on and off the court with class and dignity. They've all improved their basketball game. And that's through highs and lows.

I thought the way they've handled winning and losing with class and dignity. So that's something I appreciate about them. And I just wish we could have played better tonight. I wanted them to move on. I do think if we would have played a good game we could give people trouble. We showed that. But just wasn't meant to be tonight.

Q. I asked the guys since that Villanova game, you guys have lost six of eight. What did you notice that kind of led to maybe the team not playing its best the last month or so?
COACH MULLIN: I'd have to think about that. I can't really even remember the last game, quite frankly.

Q. [Inaudible]?
COACH MULLIN: It fluctuates. It fluctuates within games. You're talking about -- we didn't play well tonight. We had some type of flutter. I don't know where it came from. We scored 40 points in the second half. I don't know how. We shot 30 percent. We're missing free throws, layups. But they tried hard to stay in the game.

And so I'd have to really kind of go back and think about it. I can't even remember the last eight games, to tell you the truth.

Q. I know that Shamorie hasn't said that he's made a decision or anything. But if this was his last collegiate game, how do you think people should take a look at and assess the career he had at St. John's and what he did?
COACH MULLIN: Let's be sure -- I'm not declaring him one way or the other. I said it yesterday, before, he's had an incredible three-year career, probably the best three years of any player. I don't know what those numbers are. I don't really follow that stuff. But he's been an incredible player, had a huge impact on the program, on the school, in New York.

I think people love him. He's a kid that stayed home and he's been so good -- statistically, I think a lot of times his improvement gets overlooked. I was telling Mike yesterday, he's really improved in a lot of areas. And he's handled everything, I think, with class and dignity.

He's just a sweet kid, quiet, but he's got a great heart. And he works hard. And I want nothing but the best for him. He's going to go down as one of the best players in St. John's history. At times like this, like I told him in the locker room, it hurts. It stinks to lose. I've sat in the locker room plenty of times at every level of basketball. So this one stings and it hurts.

But these guys, as days go by, they'll appreciate what they did here. And they should be proud of themselves.

Q. Because you have the knowledge and experience of having been an NBA executive, regardless of what Shamorie decides as far as for next year, do you take a look at him and say, this is a guy who's ready?
COACH MULLIN: I'll give him all direct feedback from every GM and owner. He'll get direct feedback from everybody in the NBA, just like we did last year. He'll get the direct information from the horse's mouth, so to speak.

Q. There were a couple times in the first half where I looked over at you and it was almost like you were stunned by what you were seeing. To the point, I guess the question is did you expect your guys to go out and play well, and the way they played was puzzling to kind of figure it out?
COACH MULLIN: I wouldn't say I was stunned. I wouldn't say disappointed -- a little bit just kind of surprised, I would say. Just simple plays that I've seen our guys make each and every day, whether it be in shootaround or in practice, just very uncharacteristic.

And as the game wore on, it was something we just had to play through. And sometimes you start a game and you start off slow, whatever, and you find your rhythm. We never found it at all. And yet at one point I think we were down seven points, with the chance to lay a ball in.

So, yeah, I would say I was more surprised. I didn't think yelling or kicking or screaming was going to do anything; it was something we had to play through. So I felt kind of helpless in a way, but more surprised at just simple things that we do pretty well on a regular basis just wasn't there tonight.

Q. Want to go back to Shamorie a little bit. Do you find yourself kind of playing two parts here, because obviously him being back would benefit you next year as the coach of this team, and yet you're obviously loyal to the kid, you want to give him the best advice?
COACH MULLIN: To me that's a simple one. I sat on the other end of that as a GM and talked to college coaches. It's really where he stacks up with the NBA. It's got nothing to do with me. The good thing is I know all the GMs and most all the owners. I just want him to get all the direct, legit information for him to make a smart decision. But as far as like, no, like I said, when a kid's ready, I'm all in. He needs to go, if it's going to be the right decision for him.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

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