St. John's Bryce Hopkins helps Red Storm get back on track after falling out of national rankings
St. John's Bryce Hopkins going up for a layup against Harvard during the second half at Carnesecca Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
St. John’s got to open a Christmas gift two days early. Inside of it: A shiny page-turning win.
The Red Storm rinsed out the bad taste in their mouths from Saturday’s loss to Kentucky in Atlanta and any disappointment from falling out of the national rankings on Monday with Tuesday night’s game against Harvard.
St. John’s was sluggish at the start, but when it started clicking late in the first half things were never in doubt as it rolled to an 85-59 non-conference victory before a sellout crowd of 5,260 at Carnesecca Arena. St. John’s (8-4) has won three of its last four games.
The Crimson (6-7) were the last of the 11 non-conference games on a Red Storm schedule filled with tough challenges. The Storm was 7-4 in them, but it’s best win to-date is over Baylor. They didn’t manage to beat their foes that have been or are nationally-ranked: Alabama, Iowa State, Auburn and the Wildcats.
“One thing about us is we don't panic — we don't pay attention to any nonsense about where we are,” coach Rick Pitino said, referring to the fact the Storm couldn’t get a high-profile non-conference win. “We just trying to get better each day. We know, come March, we think we'll be a good basketball team, but we still have a long way to go. . . . . They're a decent to good basketball team that has the potential to take it to a new level.”
Bryce Hopkins has been the object of scrutiny during the month since he had 26 points in the win over Baylor in Las Vegas before Thanksgiving. Between beating the Bears and the win over the Crimson, Hopkins averaged 9.8 points and 2.2 turnovers. He hadn’t looked assertive and Pitino had said he needs to change his personality and become “a leader” and an “alpha dog.”
Hopkins was front and center against the Crimson, finishing with 14 points, four assists, three rebounds and just one turnovers. He also flashed a lot more assertiveness
“I was just more focused on what coach was telling me to do, to come out with effort and not focus on scoring as much,” said Hopkins, a 6-7 forward transferred before this season from Providence, where he played in only three games since a midseason knee injury in the 2023-24 season. “Focus on the defensive end more and then that's going to lead to my offense . . . playing every possession like it’s my last.”
Pitino said “I never doubted him.”
Asked about the coach’s advice to change his personality, Hopkins replied, “I knew it wasn't going to be easy coming here. I know what type of coach Coach P is . . . and I came here to be pushed. I know he's seen great players, he's coached great players, and he knows what it takes to be a great player. So, whatever he expects from me, I'm going to do it. . . . If that means changing my personality, I'm going to do it.”
“He knows we're relying on him as a leader,” Pitino said. “He’s a very talented young man with great skills. He's just getting used to coming back and he's doing it and he'll be that alpha. There's no doubt my mind.”
Zuby Ejiofor had 14 points and nine rebounds, Ian Jackson had 14 points and Joson Sannon added 10 points for St. John’s, which begins a run of 19 straight Big East games at 8 p.m. on New Year's Eve against Georgetown in Washington.
Chandler Pigge had 13 points for Harvard.
Harvard made its first six shots of the game for an eight-point lead that wouldn’t endure. Hopkins was the catalyst when the outcome of the game was forged, a 20-2 run that gave the Storm a 46-33 lead at halftime they would not relinquish.
He scored or assisted on all of the first 10 points and when he found Jackson open on the three-point arc, the sophomore drained the shot and the Storm had a 34-31 lead with 5:08 in the half, the last lead change of the game.
St. John’s defense held Harvard to 32% shooting in the second half including 1-for-10 on three-pointers. The Stom also outrebounded the Crimson by 12 after the intermission.
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.
