St. John’s Carries Tri-State Area’s Title Hopes into Tourney

The St. John's Red Storm have taken the New York City/Tri-State area by storm as they are the only men's basketball team from either New York City or New Jersey who made it to the NCAA Tournament this season.

It's been a disappointing year for college hoops around these parts.

Rutgers men's basketball came into the year with a Top-25 preseason ranking because two NBA hopefuls, Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey were to team up in Piscataway. Instead, injuries, inconsistency, and more importantly disappointment followed as Rutgers went 15-17 this year.

Things were so dour this season,that Rutgers didn't even accept a NIT or the Fox Sports College Basketball Crown Tournament.

Rutgers' women's basketball had an equally disappointing year, as top freshman recruit Kyomi McMiller was benched in January, only to briefly return before mysteriously never playing again for Rutgers after February 6. Still the ladies (11-19) earned an NIT bid, and accepted.

Seton Hall? Well, the Pirates were a miserable 7-25 this year.

St. Peter's? Once the darling of the NCAA's just a couple of years in 2022, the Peacocks were a major disappointment in 2024-25, chalking up a 12-16 campaign.

In the Borough's of New York City, Fordham went 12-21; Manhattan went a respectable 17-13, but only qualified for the Purple College Basketball Invitational. Iona went 17-17, and didn't make it to any postseason bid. Columbia went a disappointing 12-15; and, let's be honest when you mention Columbia nowadays, you don't think of basketball.

Only one team stood tall this year. And that was St. John's.

Led by Hall of Fame Head Coach Rick Pitino, the Johnnies have turned back the clock to better days when St. John's was the biggest basketball power in this town, sometimes even bigger than the Knicks, and certainly the Nets.

MSG was roaring all season; heck even Spike Lee decided to ditch Knicks blue and orange for one night and was courtside in a red Yankees cap, and red St. John's Starter jacket as the Johnnies whooped Creighton in the Big East final.

Led by R.J. Luis Jr., who averaged 18.4 points per game, forward Zuby Ejiofor and his eight rebounds per game, the downtown shooting prowess of guard Devin Smith, and the inside presence of Kadary Richmond, the Red Storm powered their way to their a redemption arch of the ages.

St. John's won 30 games this year, the most win the team has enjoyed in a single season since 1985-86 when the club made it to the second round of the NCAA's under the late Lou Carnesecca.

In fact, St. John's is trying to do something it hasn't done since Carnesecca's famed 1984-85 squad, and that goes all the way to the Final Four.

Carnesecca is to St. John's what Babe Ruth is to the Yankees, or what Vince Lombardi is to the Green Bay Packers. Carnesecca was St. John's and still is in spirit. Carnesecca passed away at age 99 this past November.

Like Carnesecca, Pitino is a New Yorker. He was born in the city; grew up in Bayview, and has returned to the City he calls home many times throughout his career; namely as an assistant of the Knicks from 1983-85, and as Knicks Head Coach from 1987-89.

After leaving New York, Pitino became a legend. He won a national title at Kentucky in 1996 and won another at Louisville in 2013 -- only to see that title taken away over recruiting violations. From that point on it took a long time for Pitino to find his own redemption story.

He eventually returned to New York City in 2020 with Iona. He brought the Gales back to respectability, taking them to two NCAA Tournament appearances and an NIT bid, but St. John's was the cherry on top.

In many ways, by the time Pitino arrived on campus, St. John's was going through its own, prolonged search for redemption. Not since the 1999 and 2000 teams under Mike Jarvis had St. John's been a true March contender. Sure, there were a couple of appearances under Steve Lavin in 2011 and 2015, but between 2003 to now, St. John's had only three NCAA Tournament appearances.

Now, together, Pitino and St. John's have sought and received redemption. They won the Big East; beat some great teams to get there like two-time defending champion UConn, and are now a number 2 seed in the West Regional. And many have St. John's heading to San Antonio.

We'll see if they can do it. If they can carry an entire city, an entire starving basketball region. Because in March, anything can happen.