Although he has only been in charge for two years, Rick Pitino is already finding some form of success with St. John’s basketball program. He led the team to a 20–13 record in his first year. The Johnnies went 31–5 in his second year, winning the Big East regular-season title and the Big East Tournament championship.
The 72-year-old is now focused on preparations for year three. He has made seven additions to the roster so far, including Milligan’s Handje Tamba, Cincinnati’s Dillon Mitchell, Idaho State’s Dylan Darling, North Carolina’s Ian Jackson, Stanford’s Oziyah Sellers, Arizona State’s Joson Sanon, and Providence’s Bryce Hopkins.
What will St. John’s starting five look like next season?
This was always going to be an offseason of change for St John’s due to the number of players that won’t be returning next season. Kadary Richmond, Deivon Smith, and Aaron Scott all ran out of eligibility while RJ Luis entered the transfer portal while also testing the draft.
Pitino entered the transfer portal and came back with one of the best portal hauls in the nation. Ian Jackson is expected to lead the backcourt as a score-first guard who can make it rain from three and provide some rim pressure off the bounce. He came in from North Carolina.
Joson Sanon came in from Arizona State and he has tons of scoring upside as a combo guard. He was on fire from three early in his freshman year for Arizona State before tailing off at the end of the year. He has a great frame for an off-guard, and can bully his way into mid-range shots when the offense gets stagnant.
Oziyah Sellers is the headliner of the incoming class. Sellers is a pure shooter on the wing as a thin 6’5 guard. He hit 40 percent of his threes and 90 percent of his free throws at Stanford last season. He’s a catch-and-shoot marksman who will help St. John’s balance the floor.
Zuby Ejiofor is expected to return for one more year with the Johnnies. The 6’9 240 pound center posted a block rate over five percent and finished top-30 in the country in offensive rebound rate. The battle for who to start at forward is between Bryce Hopkins from Providence and Dillon Mitchell from Cincinnati.
KEEP READING: How Much Longer Will Rick Pitino Coach?
Mitchell was a five-star recruit as a hyper-athletic 6’8 forward. He’ll be a key piece defensively for Pitino as a rim protector and rebounder. Bryce Hopkins was headed to the top before tearing his ACL. When healthy, he has a lot to offer Pitino and the Johnnies.
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