Chris Ledlum's subpar results for St. John's aren't due to lack of effort
St. John's guard Chris Ledlum (8) drive stop the hoop against Dayton forward Petras Padegimas (12) during the Charleston Classic basketball tournament in Charleston, South Carolina Friday, November 17, 2023. Dayton won 88-81. Credit: Sean Rayford
CHARLESTON, S.C.
The first thing you notice when you watch Chris Ledlum on a basketball court is the effort. He stands just 6-6, but the St. John’s starting power forward attacks the glass for rebounds and constantly comes away with the ball despite going up against taller opponents.
Ledlum was at it again on Friday as St. John’s lost to Atlantic 10 favorite Dayton, 88-81, in the semifinals of the Charleston Classic. Ledlum finished tied for the game high with nine rebounds. He also might have picked up a couple of floor burns while diving for loose balls.
On offense, however, he had his third tough night of a four-game week. He shot 2-for-10 and finished with nine points. He is 5-for-24 in the past three games and is averaging 8.3 points.
The Brooklyn product runs his motor into the red but isn’t getting the results. Not the kind Red Storm fans expected when the leading scorer from Harvard and unanimous All-Ivy selection ultimately chose St. John’s over Tennessee. And certainly not the kind he expects from himself.
“Obviously, I haven’t been playing to my potential,” he said during a break from preparation for Sunday’s 5:30 third-place contest against Utah. “But that’s basketball: There’s ups and downs.”
Rick Pitino’s faith in him is unshaken. He explained that Ledlum will need to add some finesse to his power to be successful in the low post against taller players. Like every other member of the Red Storm, Ledlum is working hard to learn the Hall of Fame coach’s style of defense.
“So he’s got to change his game based on the competition now because they’re all gigantic,” Pitino said. “He’s good enough to do it.”
“I’ve been playing against high-level talent my whole life, so I don’t necessarily think that’s an adjustment,” Ledlum said. “I think it’s more of an ‘I’m not playing like myself’ thing, in all honesty.”
The Dayton loss was a bitter pill to swallow for Pitino and the Red Storm. They played an excellent game for 26 or 28 minutes, started to tire and, as a result, made defensive mistakes. Ledlum was one of several Red Storm players whom Pitino mentioned afterward for not following the scouting report and making miscues on the defensive end.
“If I had to look back on mistakes I’ve made, I played him too many minutes,” Pitino said. “And I’m not confident in who to put in [as a replacement]. He played 34 minutes [Thursday] in a war of a game and I think he made mistakes defensively because he was tired, not because he’s a bad defensive player. I think most players make mistakes . . . . because of fatigue, not because of knowledge.”
In a lot of ways, the story of Ledlum’s season is the story of St. John’s. The Red Storm (2-2) play with noticeable passion but haven’t been consistent and hasn’t gotten results.
And, as with Ledlum, Pitino’s belief in the Red Storm is undeterred.
“I’m very confident they’re going to learn it and do it,” he said. “Every first year I’ve ever been in, it’s been this way. This is nothing different from any year I’ve ever coached . . . And I’m not down at all . . . I’m thankful for the effort level. They’re busting their [butts] and I think it’s taken a lot out of them.”
Asked if he thinks St. John’s is an NCAA Tournament team, Pitino replied, “I think we have a chance.”
Utah (3-1) is going to be a challenge for the Red Storm because of its size and strong shooting. Pitino said, “They are gigantic. They shoot it at five positions. They play five out with two 7-footers, which you very rarely see in basketball.”
St. John’s also needs to buck an emerging trend: It has started well and struggled late in three straight games. It was outscored by nine in the second half of Thursday’s 53-52 win over North Texas and by nine in the second half in the Dayton loss.
“We have to be better closing,” Ledlum said. “We come out strong and then as the second half fades, we kind of fade with it. So we just have to stay on top of our assignments, stay on top of our scout, and just really dig in.”
Count on Ledlum to do exactly that. He’s been getting encouragement from teammates, and the effort will always be there.
“Everybody knows what I can do — they’ve seen it — so nobody’s down on me,” he said. “They’re all picking me up. They know I can play better. I know I can play better. They’re confident in me and I’m confident in myself.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
