Roger Rubin: Rick Pitino finds Quinn Ellis, point guard of his dreams for St. John's
St. John's Quinn Ellis controls the ball during the first half of an exhibition game against Drexel's Dillon Tingler at Carnesecca Arena on Wednesday in Jamaica, Queens. Credit: Jim McIsaac
After what has seemed like endless weeks of going to court over issues of eligibility, St. John’s finally took to the court on Wednesday night.
Since he committed to the Red Storm in April while still finishing his season with Olimpia Milano in the Euro League, Quinn Ellis has loomed as perhaps the most important piece for this 2026-27 team that coach Rick Pitino had been building. After our first glimpse of him in a Red Storm uniform, we see no reason to think otherwise.
Ellis finished the game with three points, six assists, six rebounds, four steals, two blocked shots and just two turnovers in 27 minutes. But there’s much more to what Ellis is bringing to the table for St. John’s and one could begin to see it before the ball even went up for the 81-52 exhibition game victory over Drexel at Carnesecca Arena.
After the starters were introduced, a group that included the recently elected team captains Ian Jackson and Babacar Sane, and the team had come out to start the game it was Ellis who called them all together for a quick pre-jump huddle, a sign of leadership.
“The captains, with us, it’s controlling the locker room, controlling the attitude . . . Quinn's the leader on the court,” Pitino said. “He's a great, great basketball player. I walked away tonight saying ‘he's outstanding’ and I didn't say that about anybody else.”
Pitino’s teams are never better than when they have an excellent point guard and the British import is an elite one. Among the raft of European pros making the move this season to college basketball, Ellis is considered one of the best. Sought by Duke, Kentucky, Louisville and Houston, he wanted to play for Pitino.
“Coach Pitino is a legend. [He] has NBA, Euro League, and college experience,” Ellis said. “He's a Hall of Famer and I think he pushes [us] every day to be the best versions of ourselves, all 15 guys. . . . I feel he’s going to push, especially me, to have the confidence and [skill] to get to the next level.”
This was the first full day with the entire roster eligible, the last piece Ellis finally getting the NCAA clearance required for players who played professionally overseas, and there was a lot to like, as well as a few to cringe at, during the dismantling of the Dragons.
Sane had 17 points including 3-for-4 three-point shooting plus eight rebounds, Jackson finished with 10 points and three assists and Baylor transfer and prospective NBA lottery pick Tounde Yessoufou had nine points, four rebounds and three steals. Drexel may not be a great measure, but the Storm defense looked more advanced than it did at this time a year ago, holding Drexel without a basket for an 11-minute stretch, flashing a full-court press and limiting the Dragons to 26% shooting from the floor.
The negatives? St. John’s committed 19 turnovers and shot just 7-for-29 on three-pointers.
“A lot of upside with this basketball team,” Pitino said. “Quinn's the only one on the team that really understood how to play. He didn't even care about looking at the basket. He knew it was the first game. He played like a veteran. . . . Nobody understood that you got to make the defense work, tire their legs out, run them into screens [but] Quinn understood that. That’s why he's a great player.”
The most memorable Ellis moment for the crowd was a pretty alley-oop pass from Ellis to Yessoufou for a highlight-reel quality dunk late in the first half. And he probably could have finished with a few more assists, were it not for the poor shooting. There also was a nifty dish to Theo Edema that ended up with the freshman center shooting free throws.
“It's amazing to play with Quinn [with] his ability to find you and get you open shots,” Sane said. “I always tell him every assist he makes for me is a dollar. He gave me three assists on my shots, so I owe him three bucks when we get to the locker room. I got cash for him. I just love to play with these guys, man, especially him.”
Sane could be a very important cog for this team though right now he is only eligible through Nov. 9 after a New York Supreme Court judge issued a temporary restraining order against the NCAA after it initially ruled him ineligible. At issue is the Exhibit 10 deal he signed with the Utah Jazz and his play in the G League. The TRO means he can play through the first two regular season games.
“It's a little bit frustrating,” Sane said. “I’ve got to go back to court next month, but I'm praying every night that everything's going to turn out good for me.”
And that would be good for the Storm.
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.
