Eye on the Storm

The games count for real now, as St. John's opens a new season against Monmouth on 11/2. Excitement is brewing since they knocked off #7 Texas in their last exhibition and as the hype builds around Rick Pitino's program, there's reason to buy in and believe. From an elite point guard to multiple guys who can score 20 on any given night. Depth and size plus a favorable schedule it's all lining up for St. John's to reach heights not seen since the 80's.

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Keyshawn Hall, Ian Jackson, and Tounde Yessoufou combine for 65 of SJU’s 87 in a statement win over the #7 Long Horns. Texas came into the season with a big budget, lots of talent and sky high expectations. Coming off a 4 OT win against Rutgers, St. John's looked the part of a team that is ready to contend on the big stage. Quinn Ellis continues to dazzle as Rick Pitino was pleased after the game with the response his group gave to being called out. With the season approaching and games that count on the horizon, St. John's fans should be feeling pretty good following Sunday's decisive victory.

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You never expect four overtimes in a game, let alone an exhibition. But in a game that felt like it was never going to end, it took an extra 20 minutes to decide a victor. St. John's took down Rutgers 104-99 in dramatic fashion at MSG improving to 2-0 in the preseason following a drubbing of Drexel earlier in the week. After a 29 point pasting of Drexel at Carnesecca Arena, St. John's faced a tougher test against the Scarlet Knights, and a brutal first half had fans despondent. Then came a 30-6 run and fire works galore. We break down the thrilling victory, major takeaways from both games, the importance of Quinn Ellis, the concerns in the front court and much more.

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A massive Tuesday in Queens - as St. John's got clarity on the status of Keyshawn Hall and Quinn Ellis ahead of their first exhibition game against Drexel. The morning of October 13th could prove to be a pivotal one we look back on in March and April as the key to success for Rick Pitino's year 4 squad. Both Ellis and Hall have been given the green light to suit up for St. John's and so the roster is full and ready to kick off the season. Zach Braziller of the New York Post and Kevin Connelly of StormThePaint.com join to preview the season ahead, a full roster, the happenings today and what the outlook for this talented team is this season!

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St. John's made another splash this off-season adding another huge name with a huge resume and big numbers to back it up. Auburn transfer Keyshawn Hall announced his commitment to St. John's on 8/25. Hall was granted a 5th year of eligibility and after exploring the NBA via the Miami Heat summer league team, he made the decision to go back to college. He will finish off his career under the tutelage of Rick Pitino and the St. John's staff.

The addition of Hall gives St. John's the 4th and 5th ranked players in the transfer portal as well as the 2nd overall class in the country by 247 sports.

Plus the recent addition of Reed Bailey, and all the eligibility questions surrounding the St. John's roster in this ever changing NCAA landscape.

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D'Angelo Harrison is back after his first appearance 4 years ago. The all-time great discusses the last few years of his career, the current outlook and what's next. Plus we get into the discussion of Euro basketball talent coming stateside specifically to St. John's and how it will translate.

The topic on everyone's mind is the awesome Alumni game that took place on July 22nd and July 23rd where Rick Pitino invited past St. John's players to take on the new guys. We'll talk about it all - what happened, who impressed, and much much more. Plus Phil Greene wants a St. John's TBT team, and D'Lo is ready to play - how we can make it happen and more exclusive details and more with the all-time leader in 3 pointers at St. John's.

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His name will be mentioned in the pantheon of St. John's greats, and now as he's on the cusp of reaching the NBA he returns to the Eye on the Storm Podcast to reflect on his journey and what awaits. As the NBA Draft commences on 6/23, Zuby Ejiofor looks to be the first player for the Red Storm taken in the first round since Maurice Harkless.

We discuss his legacy at St. John's, his thoughts on the new roster and how he's impacted it, his training for the NBA Combine and Draft, and plenty more as a dream come true is in reach.

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In one swift move, Tounde Yessoufou made the decision to pull his name out of the NBA Draft and immediately transferring and committing to Rick Pitino and St. John's. It's the cherry on top of a rollercoaster off-season that now boasts two top 15 portal transfers, and one of the best classes in the sport. A dynamic athlete that changes the entire composition of the Red Storm roster, he's a high powered scorer who brings tenacious energy on the court. St. John's adds arguably a top 3 player in the portal, someone who was being talked about as a late first round draft pick this year, and someone who said picking St. John's was a no brainer. Now the goal is to be a lottery pick next year, but first - win big in Queens.

Zach Braziller of the New York Post joins to break it all down.

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This off-season has been an interesting one to say the least. The route to bring players on has been an unconventional one by St. John's standards but is becoming more common amongst the college ranks.

Rick Pitino has completely reshaped the St. John's Red Storm roster with one of the most unique strategies in the sport: loading up on international professionals, overseas veterans, and experienced older players like Quinn Ellis, Djordije Jovanović, and Babacar Sane. Is this the blueprint for the future, or a dangerous gamble? That's the thematic question many are asking about St. John's. We break down the roster construction, fit alongside Ian Jackson, Ruben Prey and Donnie Freeman, and why Pitino may be building his most fascinating team yet.

Plus what impact with the additions of incoming freshman Theo Edema, and Lazar Stojkovic in the front court make plus Avery Brown and Kyle Cuffe Jr. in the backcourt.

A lot has been made of the players added, who was missed and what they'll do with the last two spots. We discuss the roster, what Rick Pitino said earlier this week and more as Kevin Connelly of StormThePaint joins for a little off-season recap.

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The off-season is here and the St. John's Red Storm have made their first major addition. After a season where the point guard question was asked every day, Rick Pitino and his staff have addressed it right out of the gates. Quinn Ellis has committed to St. John's, one of the best point guards overseas is headed to Queens. The 6'5 floor general picked St. John's over blue bloods and other high end programs. Joining to shed light on what Rick Pitino is getting in Ellis is his long time trainer Gary Maitland. Maitland has trained the Sheffield native since he was 16 and helped develop him into one of the premier playmakers in the EuroLeague. We discuss the kind of player he is, how his experience will lend to dominating the college game and more.

Plus some portal talk, where St. John's stands with some recruits, what's on the horizon and more.

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Just like that it's over. A 30 win season comes to an end in Washington D.C. as St. John's loses to Duke 80-75. It took heroic efforts from Cameron Boozer, Caleb Foster and Isaiah Evans as they would power the #1 overall seed passed the 5 seed Johnnies. Zuby Ejiofor, Ruben Prey, Bryce Hopkins did all they could to try and will St. John's to victory. A 10 point lead in the 2nd half was not enough as the Duke zone threw off St. John's and their paint prowess got them back into it. Ultimately the Johnnies backcourt let them down as they had too many times this season, and it was too much to overcome one more time. So we reflect on the season, the gratitude and appreciation and we look ahead to the Portal and St. John's restocking and restarting for next year.

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For the first time since 1999, St. John's is headed to the Sweet Sixteen! After leading by 14 points in the 2nd half, Kansas mounted a come back. Tied with seconds left on the clock, Dylan "Church Bells" Darling drove to the rim and scored as the buzzer sounded sending the Red Storm to Washington DC. A game which saw Darryn Peterson make shots like a top NBA draft pick, Bryce Hopkins hit a career high six threes, Zuby Ejiofor scored 18 points and Ian Jackson contributed strongly. Rick Pitino writes another chapter of greatness in his third year as a the Johnnies leader. Joined by Jason Dimaio, Roger Rubin of Newsday and Kevin Connelly of StormThePaint and SiNow we recap the historic night and preview the Sweet Sixteen match-up against Duke.

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The game was out of reach shortly after the ball was thrown in the air. Before most fans were in their seats it was 13-0. Northern Iowa was dead in the water. Led by Zuby Ejiofor who had a bad game by his standards, Bryce Hopkins continued strong play, and a balanced attack from the bench, St. John's got their second NCAA tournament win in as many years under Rick Pitino. Now as a matchup with Kansas on Sunday awaits, the Red Storm will have to cram to get ready fro Bill Self and his Jayhawks.

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The Big Dance is here, March Madness is here, the NCAA Tournament is finally here. And there are plenty of storylines going into the week for the Red Storm. Much has been made of St. John's getting a 5 seed and sent out West for their first two rounds, so we'll talk about it. The Associated Press revealed their All-American teams today and Zuby Ejiofor was not on the first, second or third team. And that's nonsense, so we'll talk about it. And St. John's is a 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament and they kick it off this Friday in San Diego against the 12 Seed Northern Iowa Panthers. The players you need to know on the Panthers, how they play, what to be ready for plus how to beat their defense and more.

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St. John's did it. Back to Back Big East Tournament Champions. Back to Back Big East Conference Champions. The first team in Big East History to do so outright. It was an unbelievable performance from the boys from Queens. Three wins in three days, knocking off Providence 85-72, knocking off Seton Hall 78-68 and the cherry on top was Saturday night inside a sold out MSG, St. John's obliterating UConn 72-52 to lift that trophy one more time. Cutting down the nets at Madison Square Garden is now a yearly tradition.

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Brad Wachtel, Lead Bracketologist for Hoops HQ, joins to preview St. John's on Selection Sunday. Where will they be seeded, the important questions surrounding them, and how much does momentum of winning back to back big east tournament titles play into how far the Red Storm can go?

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March is here and there's never a more important time in basketball than now. Playing for Rick Pitino takes a special type of character. Learning under Rick Pitino has benefits well beyond the basketball court. Joining the show today is someone who knows intimately what is going on in Queens right now. On the heels for the Big East Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, St. John's is ready to go on a run. But the work that goes into it is often hidden. We take a peak behind the curtain with someone that has been there, done that, as a player and as a coach. He played under Rick Pitino at Kentucky and led the way as point guard - then he was the head coach at UMass, Oklahoma State and St. Louis. Travis Ford is here to tell us what it takes to play for Rick Pitino, win under Rick Pitino and be ready for the rigors of March!

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St. John's has done it. A tough fought game in Newark at the Prudential Center, the Red Storm would prevail 72-65 to clinch at least a share of the Big East Title as well as the #1 Seed in the Big East Tournament. Led by Zuby Ejiofor as well as clutch play from Ruben Prey, Dylan Darling, and others, the Johnnies capped off a 25-6 regular season with their 18th win in Big East play. St. John's has been battle tested and they knew they would have a rock fight on their hands. Why would they want it to come easy, as St. John's would claw and fight for greatness. An incredible roller coaster of a season has ended on a high note!

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Rick Pitino has said his teams are often slow on senior night, historically, and well they were just that on Tuesday night. As Red Storm fans said goodbye to Zuby Ejiofor and the other seniors, they would need another come from behind effort to prevail. Ejiofor's 23 points were the heavy lifting but it was Joson Sanon's 15 points in the 2nd half that won St. John's the game. With one game left in the regular season, St. John's will look to claim back to back Big East Conference titles and have their eyes set for another Big East Tournament title and a long March ahead. We're joined by Zach Braziller of the New York Post to recap and discuss.

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The question on everyone's mind was how would St. John's respond from their historic loss to UConn last Wednesday. Rick Pitino said the players took the loss as hard as he and the coaching staff did, that's how he knew they'd respond. And they responded in a big way, with a blowout win over Villanova, 89-57. It was a no nonsense ass-kicking from start to finish, St. John's making sure to remind everyone who they are. Ian Jackson had his best game of the season and Zuby Ejiofor tallied 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to notch the 5th triple double in the last 40 years for St. John's.

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