St. John’s Red Storm coach Rick Pitino is proud of a couple of his current players for their recent improvements, as it has tremendously helped the team. On Monday, Dec. 8, Pitino took to his official X/Twitter account and praised the two youngsters, while discussing the progress they have made towards becoming better defenders in the 2025-26 college basketball season.
The players that Pitino named in his recent social media post are sophomore guards Ian Jackson and Joson Sanon. The coach shared his excitement about the young standouts exerting more effort towards being a pest on defense against their opponents while instilling a winning attitude. With this, Pitino curated a hyped-up message on his page for the two of them.
Really excited with the improvement of Joson Sanon and Ian Jackson at the defensive end. Exciting to see. Awesome attitudes to learn and grow!
— Rick Pitino (@RealPitino) December 8, 2025
As it stands, Jackson is averaging 11.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in around 18.3 minutes in eight games played off the bench so far. Sanon, on the other hand, is tallying 9.8 markers, 3.0 boards, and 1.0 steals per contest and is one of the key starting rotation pieces of the Red Storm system. Together, they have contributed significantly to St. John’s current winning record.
The Red Storm are now looking to jumpstart a win streak and get win No. 6 of the year when they face coach Dan Geriot’s Iona Gaels on Saturday, Dec. 13, at Madison Square Garden in New York. St. John’s currently has an overall record of 5-3 in their non-conference schedule and is coming off a five-point victory, 63-58, over coach Chris Beard’s Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, Dec. 6, at the same venue.
Ian Jackson And Joson Sanon Both Played In Different College Basketball Programs In Their Freshman Year
It seems as though Rick Pitino is steadily building chemistry with both Ian Jackson and Joson Sanon, despite them hailing from different programs for their respective rookie seasons in the 2024-25 campaign.
Jackson was already a perennial scorer during his first stint with coach Hubert Davis’ North Carolina Tar Heels, while Sanon has steadily improved from his time with coach Bobby Hurley’s Arizona State Sun Devils.
Both players are looking to help the Red Storm uncork a deep postseason run come the 2026 national tournament.
Read More: A Major Target for Rick Pitino’s St. John’s UNC Transfer Ian Jackson Expected to Announce Commitment Today
Also Read: Calls Mount for Rick Pitino’s Retirement as St. John’s Suffer Shock Loss
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