St. John’s renewed commitment results in fourth straight win as Johnnies top ’Nova

St. John’s has won four straight since Rick Pitino notably said Red Storm had its back to the wall two weeks ago. (Photo by St. John’s Athletics)

PHILADELPHIA — It is, for those who have seen this movie before, a tale as old as time.

Rick Pitino calls out a glaring concern with one of his teams, his players respond with a performance more in line with the legendary coach’s expectations, and the momentum carries over through multiple games.

Pitino’s first season at St. John’s produced the now-infamous rant about his players’ lack of lateral quickness following a loss to Seton Hall two years ago. The Red Storm would not lose again until the Big East tournament. This time, the coach said his team’s collective back was against the wall after a deflating loss to Providence on January 3. Since then, commanding road wins at Butler and Creighton, plus a home rout of Marquette, have gotten the Johnnies out of any precarious position they may have entered.

St. John’s latest encore, an 86-79 win at Villanova Saturday, whose final score was much closer than the tenor of the second half let on, was additional proof that the reigning Big East champion and preseason conference favorite is still not a side that should be taken lightly.

“They’re all rising to the occasion,” a proud Pitino remarked. “I’ve always been confident in this team. We played a very tough schedule, I’m disappointed we didn’t beat Iowa State, but one of the keys for us is when we can play at a high tempo, we play our best basketball. We’re really focused in on the next game, the next possession. The future, if you play hard, will take care of itself.”

Senior forward Bryce Hopkins hinted at a players-only meeting after the Providence loss, intimating that neither he nor his teammates wanted to experience the feeling of coming up short. So what, exactly, has turned the tide?

“I think our resilience and our preparation in practice every day,” he said. “After the Providence game, that was a bad taste in all our mouths and we didn’t want to feel that type of pain again, so a switch flipped for me and the guys. I feel like the guys are coming together at the right time, and we’re playing really good basketball right now.”

Bryce Hopkins has been reinvigorated during St. John’s win streak, and led Johnnies with 22 points in win over Villanova. (Photo by St. John’s Athletics) 

Hopkins’ own growth has taken center stage in this latest resurgence. The Providence transfer led St. John’s with 22 points Saturday, and has demonstrated an ability to raise his game after halftime, something his coach attributes to an evolution on a personal level in connecting with the rest of the team.

“It’s tough for a 35-year-old to keep getting better,” Pitino joked. “He’s really coming out of his shell, and I think it just takes a little time. I think he’s developing a much better personality. He’s really getting into the team and the emotion of the team. We leave the locker room very emotional, and he’s really getting into it. He went after some rebounds (Saturday) that were pure toughness.”

Since playing a three-big lineup with Dillon Mitchell inserted alongside Hopkins and Zuby Ejiofor, the Red Storm has a more imposing look to its front line, and an almost unsolvable matchup for opposing teams who are not as physically endowed or as muscular in the paint. Villanova head coach Kevin Willard exhibited that firsthand, crediting St. John’s for enforcing the need to play physical, something his own group admittedly struggles with due to personnel.

“They’ve been doing it the last five games, ever since they’ve put Mitchell in there,” Willard said. “He’s kind of really changed their gear. He doesn’t score that much, he just does so much other stuff, but Zuby’s just phenomenal. I think with Hopkins and Mitchell out there, and Zuby, that front line is a MFer. It really is. A front line like that is different.”

Winners of four straight, St. John’s is in prime position to potentially carry this win streak into a marquee matchup on February 6 at Madison Square Garden against a UConn team still undefeated in Big East play. Before that, however, the Red Storm has one singular focus, a scrappy Seton Hall team that will attempt to limit an offense that averages 86 points per game.

“It feels good, but the job isn’t finished,” Hopkins said. “Our eye is on a bigger goal and we have to keep preparing at a high level, no matter who our opponent is.”

Through last season’s renaissance, Pitino harped on the need to stay humble and not get too caught up in his team’s own hype. The coach has emphasized that message once more in this stretch, not taking anything for granted after the buzz from a Top 5 preseason ranking fizzled out after a non-conference season some might find disappointing. That showing may as well have come months prior, because the master motivator has yet again found the right buttons to press as he retools his group for the heat of battle.

“The greatest gift in life for any basketball team is humility,” Pitino declared. “I think when you’re humble, you coach better, you play better. Good is the enemy of great in most circumstances. If I say we’re a great team, we’re gonna get our asses beat the next game. If you keep that message to them, they’ll stay hungry and humble, and that’s what I’m after. Just be humble, be hungry, and get after it.”