BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 8, 2023

Mike Anderson

Joel Soriano

Posh Anderson

Madison Square Garden

St. John's Red Storm

Postgame Media Conference

St. John's - 76, Butler - 63

COACH ANDERSON: We had an opportunity (indiscernible). As a coach you always wonder how your team's going to come out. But our guys I thought came out with good energy and made some shots early, established inside, did a good job getting to the glass. I thought that was going to be a big stat in this particular game.

We played them recently. I thought they did a good job of attacking the glass, and it enabled them to get to the free-throw line.

But coming into the tournament play, survive and advance. The first game is out of the way, so now we have a chance to play a second game.

Q. Posh, you had a few good games in a row here. Could you talk about how you went about turning the page on what was kind of an inconsistent start and what your mindset is now?

POSH ALEXANDER: Just getting on my own. I was in my head in the beginning of the year. (Indiscernible) and I just talked to my family, and I just told them I was just trying figure out things to do to try to win and to try to help my team. And that's what I've been doing lately.

Q. Your 3-point shooting you took a bunch against Marquette. Took a bunch tonight. You really haven't taken 3s for much of the year. Was it a health thing? Was there any reason you've really been taking more lately?

POSH ALEXANDER: Just confidence, just confidence.

Q. Where does the confidence come from?

POSH ALEXANDER: Just being in the gym.

Q. Mike, when Posh is making those 3-pointers, how does it change the flow of your half-court offense?

COACH ANDERSON: People have to guard him. And now it creates space. When you've Joel inside and you've got him knocking shots down, you've got obviously AJ is a pretty good shooter and then you've got Dylan out there as well.

It just spaces to throw, and I think it allows him to get in and do the things that he can do for us, not only shooting the ball but creating for others. I think that's one of the things that I think he's doing. So that's important for our basketball team.

Q. Posh, can you sort of describe, I know it hasn't been the regular season that you wanted it to be, but how do you view the opportunity the conference tournament presents?

POSH ALEXANDER: (Indiscernible) probably taking this day-by-day. Just trying to win games. That's really it.

Q. The winner of the conference tournament gets to go to the NCAAs. I know this is a thing that you guys wanted. Do you see this as a window to maybe get what you wanted in the end?

POSH ALEXANDER: That's the goal, like I said before, just trying to take it day-by-day. We've got another big game tomorrow. That's really it.

Q. You have Marquette tomorrow and you nearly stole one from them in Milwaukee. Now it's here in the Garden, in your backyard. How do you feel about getting a chance to steal one from the regular season champions in this tournament?

JOEL SORIANO: We know Marquette. Marquette will come in give us a great fight. They're a very well coached team. They demonstrated that.

I think we just have to play our game. That's the team that likes to speed other teams up, forced to make turnovers, make errors. I think if we play our style of basketball we'll be all right. See tomorrow at 12:00.

Q. When you have such a quick turnaround like this, the fact that you played Marquette on Saturday, just a handful of days ago, does that help a little bit when you have a quick turnaround is it better to be playing a team that you just faced?

COACH ANDERSON: I think under the circumstances, I think you're playing to advance into the tournament. Is it an advantage? I think it could be. But at the same time it's a quick turnaround for us just playing today. We played at 3 and now turn around play at 12.

Marquette is a rested team and as the guys alluded to a well-coached team. They're a very good basketball team. We have our work cut out for us, but at the same time you're in one of the greatest events there is, that's the Big East Tournament.

Q. Joel, you guys were really close to getting to the semifinals last year. You had Villanova down. St. John's hasn't been to the semifinals in over two decades. Do you think about last year at all as you go into tomorrow? And what's the motivation like to make a run here?

JOEL SORIANO: To answer your question, I mean I think about it at times, but I'm trying to think about the present. I'm in the present. We've got a great team coming in tomorrow. We know what's at stake and what we have to do to perform.

And we'll go back to the hotel, rest up, watch film and see what we didn't do last game against them when we played them at their place and just try to come out with a win. We know what we have to control. We'll see tomorrow.

Q. Both games were pretty close games against them. You almost won up there. Does that give you confidence going into that game that you guys, if you play your game, you can beat them?

JOEL SORIANO: Yeah, definitely does. I think we just -- we have to play better defense. Both times they scored 96 points so I think it was really us defensively. But if we play our brand of defense and we control our turnovers I think we'll come out (indiscernible).

Q. Being down a couple guards, how impressed have you been with AJ Storr's progression throughout the year?

COACH ANDERSON: I think somebody's -- one guy is going out, such as Montez, it's an opportunity for AJ, and I think he took advantage of it. And I think we see his development, his confidence has continued to grow. And it's been a big plus for our basketball team. It's another weapon that we have in our basketball team.

And kudos to our bench today. And I think our bench is going to be big in playing in the game tomorrow. I thought guys came out and gave us some great effort, whether it be a minute, two minutes, three minutes. All those guys off the bench were big for us today.