Cold weather was on its way as 14,000 fans were taking their seats for an inter-conference battle between two teams hoping to change course after slow starts. The Red Storm were frustrated by two winnable games that they let slip away during the recent Players Era Festival tournament in Las Vegas. Fans were discussing the need for increased defensive intensity before the game.
The pregame video was new and full of energy, with lightning flashing over New York City and the message: “Every block, every borough… we are St. John’s.”
First Half
Starters for St. John’s were Dylan Darling, Joson Sanon, Oziyah Sellers, Bryce Hopkins, and Zuby Ejiofor. The game started slowly with Ole Miss jumping to a 5-4 lead on an Ilias Kamardine three-pointer with four minutes gone by. After the score extended to 7-4, Oziyah Sellers went up for a three from the top of the key and tied the score. A foul was called on the Rebels while jostling for the rebound. It did not have consequences, but it seemed to foreshadow foul trouble for Ole Miss as the game wore on.
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The Johnnies and Rebels traded missed baskets, and at 13:45, Sellers hit a jumper for the lead, 9-7. With thirteen minutes left in the half, Ejiofor demonstrated why he is the most valuable of the Johnnies. Ejiofor blocked an attempt to tie the score on an attempted breakaway. Knocking the ball past half court into the Rebel backcourt ignited a breakaway, drawing a foul on the Rebels with Sanon hitting one for two and a three-point lead.
Substitutes gave starters a rest with Ruben Prey, Dillon Mitchell, and Ian Jackson entering. Shortly thereafter, Mitchell intercepted the ball for a steal at mid-court and followed it with a breakaway slam dunk, and the Johnnies had a 25-16 lead. The fans were energized by Mitchell’s play and enlivened by his dunk, which followed.
The Johnnies set up an impactful full-court press after scoring, and the quickness of Jackson and Sanon was on display. Consecutive steals off inbound passes attempted by Ole Miss had the Rebels call a timeout, looking for answers. The Johnnies seemed in control, up by twelve, with six minutes to play in the half.
The Rebels were not quitting. Throughout the game, whenever St. John’s fed the ball inside, particularly to Ejiofor, the Rebels collapsed around him, giving him little space to maneuver. Despite this collapsing defense, the quickness of the Rebel guards left few open shots from distance.
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The Johnnies built their lead to fifteen at the 4:42 mark after an Ian Jackson three-pointer on a give-and-go from Dillon Mitchell. The Red Storm looked like they were in a good position up by fifteen with four to play until halftime, but Ole Miss hung in and outscored the Johnnies by seven to go into the half within striking distance.
With two minutes to play in the half and after the Rebels had converted two put-backs, cutting the lead to eleven, Coach Pitino called a timeout to stem the tide before reaching halftime.
Halftime
Despite the Johnnies’ dominance for much of the half, the halftime statistics were relatively equal. The Rebels had 13 field goals, shooting 39 percent, compared to the Johnnies’ 10 field goals, making 31 percent. Both teams shot poorly from three-point range. Rebounds were 23 for Ole Miss and 22 for St. John’s. How could the Johnnies be ahead? The Johnnies made 13 more foul shots in the half than the Rebels did.
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Despite the Rebels’ success in closing the gap, Red Storm fans were confident the team would correct its flaws at halftime and regain the dominance it had shown for much of the first half.
Second Half
The Red Storm came out of the locker room with a clear goal to build on their lead. Zuby Ejiofor had a wonderful first half on the defensive end. He took down three rebounds, made three steals, and had six blocks in the first! But on the offense? Just two points. The Rebels were double-teaming every time he touched the ball down low. Finding a way to get him involved on offense was clearly a goal from the start of the half.
The first play went to Ejiofor. He attacked the bucket, facing a double-team, perhaps another defender joining in. He missed the layup but grabbed the offensive rebound, layed it in with a lefty layup, and was fouled. Ejiofor made the free throw. Red Storm built their lead up to ten.
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Coach Pitino substituted freely in the second half as the Johnnies maintained a lead between four and 15 points. The team scored 30 points in the first half. Ejiofor scored fifteen, half of the team’s offense. Dylan Darling was in to face the pressurized defense from Ole Miss. He stood firm, driving into the middle of the paint, then spinning to the left, all the way to the basket for a left-handed layup.
The Red Storm hit their free throws at the end of the game, and behind Darling and Ejiofor hung tough to win over the Ole Miss Rebels 63-58.
Takeaway #1: The Johnnies’ defense elevated its play for the first time this season
Both Rick Pitino and Chris Beard spoke highly of the Red Storm team’s defense postgame, with Beard specifically calling St. John’s “the best defense [Ole Miss] had faced this year”. When the pattern of the contest was being established, Zuby Ejiofor was setting a tone with six blocks and three steals in the first half of play.
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Rarely did undefended shots for either team become available. The Johnnies’ press, particularly in the middle of the first half, was devastating. Ole Miss was held to 36.4% shooting, a season-worst 2-of-16 from three (12.5%), and surrendered 18 turnovers — the most they allowed in a game since facing Tennessee on January 5, 2022.
Takeaway #2: Darling’s late-game composure was huge on a forgettable night for the backcourt
Each Red Storm guard struggled to get going offensively, and there was indecisiveness when the ball was in the halfcourt. Joson Sanon, Oziyah, Sellers, Dylan Darling, and Ian Jackson scored exactly seven points in Saturday’s game. Although Darling is in a brutal shooting slump, his steady hand in the last five minutes of the game helped the team pull through for a victory, hitting five of six free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Takeaway #3: Pitino’s greatest challenges are bringing the team together… and finding his next Richmond and Luis
During the postgame press conference, Coach Pitino often referenced that the team needed time to become unified with six transfers entering the fold. Compared to the 2024-25 team, there are both similarities and significant differences. Who is the defensive stopper at the guard position that can perform like Kadary Richmond?
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For all the talk about RJ Luis’s scoring, he was an excellent defender and could protect the rim. Who on this year’s team offers the same skills? Is the challenge this year the absence of Richmond and Luis, or a lack of coordination among talented players?
The season is still young, so fans need to exercise patience and watch it play out.
Outlook
One game at a time, with growth adjustments needed. The mindset of this group is positive and team-first. As long as the mindset is in the right place, growth can be and should be expected.
Take a look at the 2024-25 team. The sum of the team’s parts in the previous year was so much greater because they worked together. Could the same become the destiny for this year’s team?
