St. John’s recapturing the magic with old-school work ethic and new resolve

Far from a finished product, Rick Pitino and St. John’s have already succeeded in rebuilding inroads by playing a style that has allowed fans of all ages to unite behind once-fractured program. (Photo by St. John’s Athletics)

NEW YORK — At his introductory press conference, now some 22 months ago, Rick Pitino spoke not only of what it would take to fully resurrect a long-dormant St. John’s program, but the manner in which he would do it.

In that first address, the veteran coach spoke of the subway alumni, St. John’s fans who did not necessarily attend the Queens institution, but adopted it as their own due to a shared connection of common values and a blue-collar image that embodied the city and its people. Pitino declared, almost reverently, that he would bring that long-starved group something to once again be proud of. At the same time, he imparted a message of excitement and hope to younger fans whose memory of the Johnnies’ halcyon days may not be as tangible.

Regardless of how long you’ve followed St. John’s, or how many emotional roller coaster tickets you’ve purchased, this much is certain: The Red Storm has retaken its core audience almost two years later, and appears to be committed for the long haul.

“I think we’re, physically and mentally, a very tough team,” Pitino remarked after Saturday’s win over a resurgent Villanova team who entered Madison Square Garden with a resounding win over two-time defending national champion UConn. “That’s why we’re winning. We’re defying a lot of analytics with victories. I think what’s amazing, and why the fans are turning out in droves, is how hard these guys work. I’m really, really impressed.”

At 14-3 on the year, and 5-1 within the Big East, St. John’s is just outside the Top 25, and would most likely be a Top 10 team if not for three losses by a grand total of just five points. The beauty of the Red Storm roster is such that almost anyone can step up and lead it with no astonishment, but junior swingman RJ Luis—now healthy after an injury-plagued sophomore campaign—has proven to be a cut above most of his competition.

“He’s physically stronger than what he was,” Pitino said of Luis, the UMass transfer whose professional prospects he has lauded since he officially signed with St. John’s out of the portal. He has, and this is a good thing, it’s not a selfish thing: He has an incredible desire to score. RJ’s a pro. I think somebody’s gonna get a player that’s going to get better and better and better. Scottie Pippen couldn’t shoot past seven feet when he got out of college. Guys like Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns couldn’t shoot a lick, and they all become great 3-point shooters. RJ’s decent, but just imagine him as a pro. He’s gonna be a great pro. Somebody’s gonna get a hell of a basketball player.”

Luis backed up his coach’s plaudits Saturday with 30 points and 10 rebounds, becoming just the fifth player in program history to record such a performance. And in a local landscape where most of the area’s attention has been fixated on Rutgers’ potent freshman pairing of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, it is Luis who has held his own, and at times, been not just better than the two rookies, but more valuable to his own side.

“I’ve said this all along: RJ’s one of the most gifted players I’ve coached,” Pitino reiterated. “He just refused to not rebound the ball with the game on the line like, five different times (Saturday). His toughness was incredible, he got to the floor before everybody. I can’t say enough accolades about RJ because his hustle was amazing to me.”

Luis’ hustle was not the only takeaway of the united, working-class culture St. John’s now embodies. The Red Storm faced a notable dose of adversity Saturday when Deivon Smith—the Johnnies’ explosive senior point guard—collided with Villanova’s Wooga Poplar and appeared to injure his shoulder. Pitino later insisted the shoulder was sore and not dislocated, but hinted that Smith may not play in Tuesday’s game against Georgetown. Still, there was a sense of urgency with which his teammates not only met the moment, but redefined it.

“Just knowing what kind of player he is and how important he is to the team, having him hurting kind of hurt all of us,” Simeon Wilcher recounted as he was tasked with filling the majority of what would have been Smith’s minutes. “But we knew that we had to step up. It’s kind of like a next man up. I’m not saying there’s anything specifically wrong with Deivon, but in order for us to win this game, it had to be like that. We felt it for sure when Deivon went down.”

Luis’ reaction to the response he spearheaded was more reflective of what has been built in such a short time, something that should not be lost in translation with how volatile and fluid the landscape of the sport is, and will be for the foreseeable future.

“It just shows what type of chemistry we have, how everybody has each other’s back,” he said. “If one goes down, the next one has to step up. It sucks, I saw (Smith) get hit, I think I saw his shoulder pop out a little bit. It’s scary when plays like that happen, because we don’t know what’s gonna happen. You saw him come back with his shoulder wrapped up, so that just shows how much heart he has, too.”

The heart across the board has manifested itself in a majority of games for St. John’s. Several times, the Red Storm has erased sluggish first halves with transcendent performances in the final 20 minutes, some others with timely spurts to overcome stretches where shots don’t fall. The warlike mentality the team has demonstrated on the boards has been an integral factor in building that aforementioned stamina.

“As a team collectively, we’re all crashing the boards,” Luis imparted. “Even if the shots aren’t falling—and you guys are gonna see on paper that our 3-point percentage is lacking—I think it’s scary because we’re winning these big games and we’re not shooting the ball well. So I feel like the sky’s the limit and we’ve just gotta keep playing hard as a group.”

“When (Luis) goes to get those rebounds and goes to the line with those 20 free throws, he’s getting killed,” Pitino added. “For him to dive on the floor like that and do the things he was doing was very impressive. You always want to start a program with an incredible work ethic, and they have it. That’s why the fans are coming out in droves.”

Pitino’s desire to build a culture from the jump was so pivotal to his business plan that he reshaped nearly the entire roster last season, and still managed to win 20 games and nearly make the NCAA Tournament. His second year has almost always seen the most marked improvement, which has made the enthusiasm and anticipation for this season as high as it stands. The coach has singled out several random fans throughout the season for highlighting their support, even if just to offer a simple “Go Johnnies” in passing. But brick by brick, one corner at a time, the concept of New York’s team that was championed by the Joe Lapchick and Lou Carnesecca squads of old seems to have returned.

“It’s really refreshing to see this,” a humble Pitino said. “This program’s been injured for a long time and we lost a big fan base, so one by one, we gotta just shake their hands and say, ‘join in.’”

With a likable and resilient team such as this one, it’s getting harder to ignore.