By Jason Dimaio (@Jaydimaio)
NEW YORK — A new era dawned on St. John’s last season when Rick Pitino took over the storied Red Storm program. Its promise was furthered this year with a new athletic director who shares his Hall of Fame coach’s desire to dream big and expect success.
If the opening act for the Johnnies this season is any indication, there may not be a limit to what this season could yield in Queens.
Year two of the Pitino era kicked off Monday with a commanding 92-60 win against Fordham, the former employer of newly-minted St. John’s AD Ed Kull, who spent the past four years restoring the Rams’ athletic department in the Bronx.
All offseason, St. John’s was highly touted for its improved defensiveness and athleticism. Both were on full display tonight. The Red Storm led wire-to-wire Monday, and its blend of returning players and influx of transfers meshed well. Returning sophomore Simeon Wilcher, projected to take on a greater role within the offense, led the team with 17 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting from the field.
“One hundred percent, I have more confidence,” Wilcher said of his progression. “It’s night and day. Last year, you'd enter the game and things would just be moving so fast. Now I just have trust in myself.”
One of Wilcher’s new backcourt companions, and arguably the centerpiece of the Red Storm’s transfer haul, Kadary Richmond, impressed in his official debut wearing the Johnnies’ red and white. After stuffing the stat sheet at St. John’s expense the past three years at Seton Hall, Richmond turned in a double-double in his first act on the east side of the Hudson River, recording 16 points and 10 rebounds, which he supplemented with five assists.
“I thought Kadary and Simeon were great,” Pitino said of his two guards. “I don’t know what Kadary can’t do.”
Four different Johnnies amassed double-figure point totals. One question coming into this year was how the depth on this roster would pan out. St. John’s fans know what they’re getting in veterans the likes of Richmond, RJ Luis and Zuby Ejiofor, but still had concerns beyond the lead triumvirate. Those worries were mitigated by a 30-point contribution from the bench. Brady Dunlap led the way with 9 points on 4-of-6 shooting, Deivon Smith controlled the offense smoothly being the first man off the bench and USC transfer Vince Iwuchukwu looked very comfortable in his role as Ejiofor’s primary backup, contributing six points and four rebounds.
After a 40-26 halftime lead, St. John’s kept its foot on the gas in the final 20 minutes. Outside of a respectable 23-point showing for Jackie Johnson III, the Rams didn't have an answer elsewhere. The Johnnies defense clamped down, making life rough for Fordham by forcing 19 turnovers.
“For the first time, I was very pleased,” Pitino said with regard to the Red Storm’s performance.
Luis battled foul trouble all game, and sat much of the first half after two quick fouls. Despite the foul issues, the junior was still able to contribute 12 points. An out-of-character moment occurred as he picked up a foul in the second half and proceeded to kick the game ball directly into the first row of the student section, leading to a technical foul and his night coming to an early end, prompting a trademark Pitino quip when he addressed the mishap.
“He will pay the consequences for it,” the coach said, in jest. “Right now, he’s running to Manhattan.”
St. John’s will look to move to 2-0 on Saturday as the Red Storm plays host to Quinnipiac. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.
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