QUEENS — College basketball made its return to New York City Tuesday night and the new face of the St. John’s Red Storm has everyone keeping an eye on Carnesecca Arena for the 2023-24 season.
Rick Pitino’s debut as Red Storm head basketball coach couldn’t have gone any better if the team had tried. Behind a double-double from First-Team All-Big East big man Joel Soriano, and a 50% success rate from three, the Johnnies overwhelmed the Stony Brook Seawolves to kick off their season, 90-74.
“For 90% of the game I was extremely pleased,” Pitino said after his first career win as the Red Storm coach. “I’m extremely pleased with our first-half defense. Unfortunately, we’re coaching on the fly. We’re trying to teach them habits. They’re learning when they come down the court.”
St. John’s came out red-hot in Pitino’s unveiling in front of a packed Carnesecca Arena by shooting 51% from the field for the entire game. While the Hall-of-Fame coach has made his career emphasizing both the three-point shot on offense, it was holding the Seawolves to just four made threes on the night that left him most impressed.
“I’ve never gotten credit for the other aspect of being one of the original guys but it’s only good if you stop it. Tonight, they made four, we made 11. It’s a weapon. Only if you stop it does it become a weapon.”
Pitino received major contributions from several newcomers from the transfer portal on Tuesday evening. Guard Daniss Jenkins, a player who followed Pitino from Iona, got the ball rolling for the Johnnies though. Jenkins finished with 17 points on 7-13 shooting. Add in eight assists and six rebounds and it was a complete kind of night for the graduate guard.
St. John’s jumped out to a 21-point halftime lead thanks in part to Jenkins and transfer Chris Ludlum. The former First-Team Ivy Leaguer out of Harvard finished the game with 16 points and 14 rebounds while making two of his three attempted three-pointers.
In the second half, the Red Storm turned to their returning big man in Soriano to carry them to a win the rest of the way. After recording just six first-half points, the senior out of Yonkers carried the torch to 16 second-half points and proper respect from his head coach.
“Quite a special night,” Pitino said of Soriano. “I told him he was out of shape for missing practice. He should be out of shape because he’s nursing plantar fasciitis and a bad calf. That wasn’t a negative I was saying about him. I told him he needed to dig in and he sure did.”
Tuesday night was the 10th straight season-opening win for St. John’s. They also moved to 10-0 lifetime against the Seawolves who were led in scoring by Dean Noll with 15 points. The next matchup for the Johnnies though? A marquee matchup against Michigan at Madison Square Garden.
“We know now that when you beat Marquette (Michigan beat Marquette in a scrimmage), you’ve got a great team..they are big and strong. It’s going to be a hell of a game,” Pitino concluded.
