Loaded St. John's likely to be in AP Top 10 when preseason poll comes out
Oziyah Sellers of St. John's grabs a rebound during a scrimmage at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Credit: Ed Quinn
The St. John’s team returned to the Garden court for the first time since March when it captured its first Big East Tournament title in a quarter century. That night, which ended with them bathed in confetti and basking in the glow of their celebrating fans was one of the high points in a 31-win season that put them back in the national spotlight.
And though they were only there Wednesday for an intrasquad scrimmage, the Red Storm — and especially its current starting five — looked like a team capable of holding that spotlight again and hitting even higher peaks. They are very likely to be nationally-ranked in the Top 10 when the AP preseason poll comes out Monday.
As coach Rick Pitino and his staff scored big-time player after big-time player in the NCAA transfer portal to remake a roster that returned all-Big East first-teamer Zuby Ejiofor and three other holdovers, there emerged a vision for a starting five. Pitino didn’t see starting that group — Ejiofor, Ian Jackson, Oziyah Sellers, Bryce Hopkins and Joson Sanon — for most of the summer, but apparently does now that the first exhibition game is 10 days away and the regular season opener less than four weeks out.
They weren’t exactly in the roles everyone expected, with Stanford transfer Sellers emerging as the point guard ahead of North Carolina transfer Jackson, but the quintet was something to behold on offense. They played fast and kept making the extra pass as they shot a combined 60% from the floor and scored 98 points over four 10-minute quarters of a 103-64 decision over a group that has several players that will be major factors for the team this season.
“Today is the first time that we've had domination like this. The first time . . . since the summer,” Pitino said. “They look great.”
Asked what he likes about these five on the floor together, Pitino replied, “They have no egos and they share the ball. . . . They make the extra pass. They look for each other. . . . Out of seven [or] eight guys on his basketball team, I can't tell you who the best player is and that's a great situation.”
He added that Idaho State transfer Dylan Darling — “the backup point guard,” he said — and sophomore forward Ruben Prey were “two of the best energy guys” and should be high-impact players off the bench.
St. John’s played an intrasquad scrimmage in August to conclude summer workouts and at that time, Cincinnati transfer Dillon Mitchell and freshman Kelvin Odih started with the Providence transfer Hopkins, Ejiofor and Sellers. Pitino said then who he viewed as starters would likely change several times.
Sellers and Ejiofor shined especially bright at the Garden. Sellers had 30 points on 12-for-17 shooting plus seven assists and only one turnover. Ejiofor had 24 points on 9-for-12 shooting plus 14 rebounds and eight assists. Jackson and Arizona State transfer Sanon — both viewed as eventual first-round NBA picks — got to showcase their athleticism making plays that will surely take MSG crowds’ breath away.
Asked about this potential starting five, Ejiofor said, “We [were] sharing the ball a whole lot more than we've been doing . . . the last few practices. Coach P, he's doing a lot of switching with the lineups and trying to figure out a great [one]. Today we all just competed.”
Sellers, who made 40% on threes last season, was initially seen as part of the cure for the Storm’s abominable outside shooting in 2024-25 and was surprised at the point guard turn.
“I kind of was expecting to come here to play the shooting guard, but I told [Pitino] when I was getting recruited that I'm here to do whatever job he wants me to do,” said Sellers, who was 6-for-8 on the arc in the scrimmage. “So if that's playing point guard, I'll play point guard. And I've just been getting a lot more comfortable at point guard.”
“I just tried him . . . he’s not a big turnover guy,” Pitino said. “I said ‘have you ever played it?’ He said ‘not really,’ but he's so intelligent. He's a 6-5 point guard and he's just highly intelligent.”
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.
