St. John's men's basketball: Five reasons why Rick Pitino's team looks to be on right course
St. John's players celebrate their win over the Utah Utes on Sunday in South Carolina. Credit: St. John's University
St. John’s completed a four-game week with Sunday’s win over Utah in the third-place game of the Charleston Classic. A lot transpired as the week unfolded.
Rick Pitino’s Red Storm went 2-2 during the week. It began with their worst game of the season to-date, the 16-point loss to Michigan at Madison Square Garden that wasn’t as close as the score. It ended with their best game thus far, the 91-82 victory over a sharpshooting Utah team that was taller at every position.
Here are five takeaways from the week that was:
1. Picking up the beat: St. John’s didn’t reach the championship game in Charleston, but it arguably got better in every contest. It found a way to win against a North Texas team with the 35th best defense in the country (per kenpom.com). The Red Storm then looked excellent against Atlantic-10 favorite Dayton for 26-28 minutes in a semifinal before falling apart late. And they closed looking great for all but the final two minutes against Utah. In the Utah game, St. John’s was strong on both ends; they found each other for good scoring opportunities and shot 54%, took away much of Utah's three-point shooting in the second half and out-rebounded a much bigger team by 10.
2. Ledlum’s game evolves: Power forward Chris Ledlum plays bigger than 6-6, but is still undersized in the low post. Before Sunday’s game he’d had a bunch of shots blocked and Pitino said that through the first four games of the season, the staff calculated he was shooting just 26% within five feet of the basket. Against Utah, he got offensive rebounds and passed out to the three-point arc instead of taking it back up against bigger defenders. And when he had the ball on the perimeter, he often eschewed the drive to take a three-point shot; he was 4-for-7 on threes in a 15-point, nine-rebound performance.
3. No designated ‘go-to’ guy: Joel Soriano last season was the St. John’s best option when it needed a basket. On this team there are many options when the big moments come and that makes the Storm very dangerous. Daniss Jenkins, Jordan Dingle and soon-to-return RJ Luis can all create a shot for themselves off the bounce. And Soriano is still a threat at the basket but also has shown jump-shot range to the three-point line.
4. Expanding roles for Alleyne and Ejiofor: Swingman Nahiem Alleyne and forward Zuby Ejiofor should be important as Pitino refines his rotation. Alleyne proved his shooting ability in the exhibition games but with no assists or steals in the Storm’s first four games, his minutes were shrinking. In a heart-to-heart initiated by Alleyne, Pitino told him the team needed more than scoring. He delivered 10 points, three assists and a steal in 17 minutes off the bench, essential contributions to beat Utah. And 6-9 Zuby Ejiofor was the first option off the bench to give Joel Soriano a break on Sunday and provided an interior presence on defense. Ejiofor is still developing and should become part of a winning equation.
5. Pitino was right: The Hall of Fame coach said that this group of 14 players had never played his system or with another and that it would be a process before things start to click. There is still likely a long way to go before the Dec. 20 Big East opener against Xavier, but the Red Storm won Sunday because the players worked together better than they had and played with Pitino’s principles. The 14 players are becoming a single entity.
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.
