Three keys to the season for the St. John's men's basketball team
St. John's coach Rick Pitino reacts in the first half of a preseason exhibition men’s basketball game against the Texas Longhorns at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 25, 2026. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
On the heels of St. John's winning Big East regular-season and tournament championships in consecutive years and reaching its first NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 since 1999, coach Rick Pitino has what he is calling his “deepest, most talented” team at St. John's and is looking to go further in 2026-27. The 13th-ranked Red Storm will play their regular-season opener against Monmouth at Carnesecca Arena on Monday at 6:30 p.m.
Here are three keys for their season:
1. Pick up the beat faster
In what has become an annual offseason trend, the Red Storm have gone through significant roster turnover. The teams haven’t jelled quickly and experienced growing pains while on the court in the sort of high-profile non-conference games that will matter when the field for the NCAA Tournament is seeded. After last Sunday's dominant win over No. 7 Texas in an exhibition game at the Garden, it looks as if St. John's will click earlier this season. Pitino has laid out a savvy schedule for the Red Storm as well. There are no huge obstacles right at the start like Alabama last season or New Mexico and Baylor the year before. They play five games over three weeks before opportunities for signature wins come against the loaded Players Era Festival field in Las Vegas in late November.
2. Get frontcourt play to match one of the nation’s best backcourts
St. John’s is loaded on the perimeter with point guard Quinn Ellis from the Euro League joined on the wings by returning junior Ian Jackson and Baylor transfer and potential lottery pick Tounde Yessoufou.
The frontcourt rotation features 6-11 returning junior Ruben Prey, 6-7 Auburn transfer Keyshawn Hall, 6-10 Indiana transfer Reed Bailey, 6-7 Babacar Sane and 6-11 freshman Theo Edema. This group must strive to deliver on both ends of the court. Hall is a prolific scorer and Prey has great offensive moves, but the group’s defense and rebounding will be essential for St. John’s to get where it wants to go.
3. Stay whole
Three players — Sane, Hall and Bailey — currently are eligible via court orders that stopped the NCAA from ruling them ineligible. Pitino is confident all three will prevail and continue to play.
Sane has a key court date Nov. 9 in Queens in which witness testimony will be heard. Bailey received a preliminary injunction from a California court clearing him for the season; the NCAA has declared it will appeal. Hall has a temporary restraining order against the NCAA until whenever his preliminary injunction is decided (the NCAA could appeal a loss).
The wild card in this is the possibility of federal legislation — the Protect College Sports Act — that was passed by the Senate and now faces high hurdles in the House of Representatives.
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.
