Joel Soriano didn't like the way he looked in movies.
“Lack of energy, decreased physical activity, decreased intensity of exercise,” the St. John's Center said. “If there is no grit, there is no fight.”
Soriano hasn't been at his best lately, struggling mightily against Seton Hall on Tuesday, with just six points and four rebounds in 18 minutes, giving him a minus-31 rating.
“Tomorrow will be better,” the Johnny's leading scorer and rebounder promised. “I'm coming in with a better mindset. … Coming out of the gate with a lot of energy and high intensity. Just being a dog, that's one of the things I want to see in myself tomorrow. ”
Coach Rick Pitino, who missed the game due to COVID-19, said he feels Soriano gets too much blame when things don't go well for St. John's, and too much credit when things don't go well for St. John's.
He wasn't the only Johnny to play against Seton Hall.
“I think Joel is overdoing it,” said Pitino, who will return Saturday against No. 17 Marquette.
“You can see [Chris] Ledrum says this even more than Joel. Redrum must bring more of it, [Jordan] Dingle must bring more.Nahiem [Alleyne’s] You have to do it. They all had to do it.What I'm saying is that Joel doesn't deserve all the praise he's gotten for his double-doubles so far, and he shouldn't be praised. [all the criticism] Leading up to the Seton Hall game. He didn't play well, but neither did everyone else. ”
Coach Pitino spent much of his press conference stressing the need to give his players the kind of daily effort seen in starting point guard Danis Jenkins and reserve forward Zuby Ejiofor.
These two always play hard in practice and in games.
“If they want to be a great basketball team in March, they're all going to have to play like Danis and Zuby,” Pitino said. “I don't want Joel to bear the brunt of our loss, because it's all their fault.”
St. John's University will be without Dingle due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Penn's graduate transfer, who missed the game against Seton Hall, is still not feeling well.
Pitino said he doesn't know if the guard will return for Wednesday's game against Villanova.
Assistant coaches Van Macon, Ricky Johns and Tareek Brown will also be sidelined due to the virus.
Sophomore Cruz Davis is back with the team, but St. John's will receive a medical redshirt in preparation for transferring to Iona.
Davis broke his left hand early in the season and never fully recovered.
I still have numbness in the fingers of my left hand. Davis appeared in just four games.
