The most exciting time of the year is back at St. John’s and no, it’s not Christmas. The Red Storm followed up a strong afternoon from the women’s team with some dominance of their own, cruising to a 108–74 win over Quinnipiac. It was a complete 180 from their two exhibition games.
St. John’s came out swinging, jumping to a 19–3 lead and never looking back. The night ended the way students love it: chants of “Put in Photis!” echoing through Carnesecca Arena, and Rick Pitino finally gave in. Photis checked in, drilled a corner three, ending the night with a big cheesy smile on the face of Pitino.
With a looming challenge on Nov. 8 against No. 15 Alabama, here are five takeaways from a dominant performance by the No. 5 team in the nation.
Dillon Mitchell can do EVERYTHING
It’s starting to sound like a broken record but seriously, Dillon Mitchell can do everything. The Cincinnati native has been putting on a show since landing in Queens, already featured in the last two takeaway articles after strong exhibition play. But his opening night as a Johnnie was his best performance yet.
The combo forward filled the stat sheet in the blowout win against Quinnipiac: a team-high 18 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Mitchell also delivered multiple highlights, including jumping a passing lane and slowly gliding down the court for an emphatic slam.
Still, Mitchell isn’t worried about his scoring. His focus remains on defense.
“I think we have so many scorers,” Mitchell said. “I think first about the defensive end, just because we have to lock in on what the opponent is better at.”
Rick Pitino shared his admiration for Mitchell at St. John’s media day, and after an electric debut, the entire fan base understands why. His two-way energy is already proving to be a major boost for the Red Storm.
Unnecessary fouls may be a point of concern
Looking back at St. John’s exhibition contest against Michigan, there was a looming issue: fouling. In the Bad Boy Mowers contest, the Red Storm totaled 26 fouls, which limited how Pitino could group his lineups.
Against Quinnipiac, the stakes weren’t as high, but it remains a concern heading into meaningful games, including Saturday’s matchup with Alabama. St. John’s finished with 18 team fouls, with four players picking up three each. One example: guard Ian Jackson, who made a poor defensive decision that affected his minutes.
Jackson entered the second half with two fouls. Instead of letting him continue his hot offensive stretch, Pitino made the executive decision to protect his star in case the Bobcats made an extraordinary comeback.
“I didn’t want Ian to get his third foul right away,” Pitino said. “I also thought Joson Sanon was playing well.”
St. John’s already saw the cost of unnecessary fouls, a close, crushing loss that could’ve swung the other way with better discipline. The Red Storm will look to tighten that area on Nov. 8 against Alabama.
This St. John’s offense is LEGIT
When St. John’s opened the game on a 19–3 run, it was clear just how exciting this team can be offensively. It’s the complete opposite of last season’s group, one that struggled out of the gate and still went 10–3 when trailing at halftime because of slow starts.
Many of the Red Storm’s best performances came when they were behind at the break. Pitino’s squad embraced the “second-half team” label, but it eventually caught up to them, most notably in the NCAA Tournament loss to Arkansas after a poor start.
This offseason, St. John’s attacked the transfer portal to find players who would not only increase the tempo but bring consistent offense to Queens. Against Quinnipiac, the Red Storm topped 100 points for the first time since March 5, 2024, against DePaul (104) and had five players score in double figures, something they hadn’t done since their win over UConn at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 23 last season.
Pitino’s group also shot 56.5% from the field, a number that might have been even higher if the bench hadn’t emptied with about 10 minutes remaining. That figure blows last season’s 44.5% average out of the water and shows just how dominant this offense can be.
So, who’s the best guy off the bench?
Pitino and the Red Storm retooled this offseason to build their bench depth after a disappointing 2024–25 season, which saw an average of seven men playing throughout a regular game. In Game 1, St. John’s had the privilege of playing every player on the roster except Imran Suljanovic, who will miss the entire season due to an injury suffered at practice.
This is impressive, but what’s even more impressive is the fact that St. John’s had nine different players play over 10 minutes of basketball, even with true freshman Kelvin Odih playing eight promising minutes throughout the contest.
The question does loom, however, for the Red Storm: Who is the best option coming off the bench? Technically, the answer would be Joson Sanon because he was absent from the starting lineup, but the true answer is the fact that Rick Pitino has the flexibility of having a different sixth man come off the bench in every game.
Need shooting? Go to Sanon or Lefteris Liotopolis.
Need hustle and energy on defense? Go to Sadiku Ibine Ayo or Dylan Darling.
Need a consistent and solid center? Go to Ruben Prey.
Having solid depth that is capable of delivering meaningful minutes is what delivers teams to long runs during the NCAA Tournament.
The Zuby Ejiofor hype is REAL
A point-center? When was the last time we’ve heard of that? Zuby Ejiofor has molded into the perfect guy for Rick Pitino, one who plays the center position, but realistically is a five-position superstar. Ejiofor is a rare player who only comes around every so often, a player who can allow the entire offense to run through the motion of his play, even at the center position.
The hype around the big man was real this offseason, landing him the preseason Big East Player of the Year nod, along with Preseason Big East First Team, and even recognition for the potential Defensive Player of the Year by fans prior to the kickoff of college basketball. In their win over the Bobcats, Ejiofor proved just that. The hype is real.
Ejiofor finished just one point behind Dillon Mitchell for the team-high, scoring 17 on a 7-for-10 shooting night, while also snatching six rebounds and totaling three assists along with a block. Ejiofor would’ve continued his dominant night if it hadn’t been for the blowout outcome, which allowed Ruben Prey to play a total of 10 minutes.
Ejiofor again proved the strong hype in the thrilling overtime exhibition contest against Michigan, where he totaled 24 points along with six rebounds and six assists. The former co-captain of the Red Storm stayed with the program for a reason, looking to build off of his prior success, and learning from a legendary coach.
