St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino, center, talks to his team during a time during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Stony Brook, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, in New York. St. John’s defeated Stony Brook 90-74. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
The St. John’s Red Storm entered Big East play with moderately high expectations under first-year Hall-of-Fame coach Rick Pitino. After a couple of bumps in the road to start the season, the Johnnies righted the ship just in time for conference play.
Now at 2-1 after an 86-70 win over Butler, the Red Storm will turn their attention to the Villanova Wildcats in a pivotal early-conference matchup on Saturday.
“We did some really, really good things,” Pitino said following the win over Butler. “We did a lot of things we must get better at.”
St. John’s is now 8-2 in their last 10 games, relying on their offensive firepower to carry the load as Pitino’s defensive scheme continues to iron out the wrinkles. Most of that firepower has come from outside as Pitino was able to attract a plethora of recruits in the offseason. After needing time to jell together and fit into the system, the transfers are starting to hit their stride as one.
The charge has been led by Daniss Jenkins, a graduate transfer from Iona who is averaging 17 points in the Johnnies’ last three games. The dynamic guard has turned into a floor general for the Red Storm, especially after going toe-to-toe with Butler guard Posh Alexander Tuesday night. Alexander, the former St. John’s guard before transferring this offseason, was held to 5-of-12 shooting and 11 points in his return to Carnesecca Arena. Jenkins and Alexander even exchanged pleasantries pregame.
“You get on the court, and I’m competitive. He said something and I said a little something back to him,” Jenkins said.
The Iona grad transfer certainly got the better of Alexander as he racked up 17 points and seven assists, leading the team in both categories.
Not…
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