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00:00Welcome back to Eye of the Storm, a St. John's video series presented by the New York Post.
00:05Welcome back to Eye of the Storm. I'm Dexter Henry.
00:08And with the 2025-2026 college basketball season about to tip off,
00:11there's buzz around Queens like we haven't seen in years.
00:15Rick Pitino, St. John's, Red Storm, they've been picked just ahead of UConn to win the Big East,
00:20a sign that this program isn't just back but expected to contend.
00:24Joining me to break it all down is New York Post St. John's beat reporter Zach Rosiller,
00:28who's been tracking this team every step of the way.
00:31Zach joins me now. Zach, what's going on, man?
00:32Hey, man, how are you?
00:33I'm good, man. How was your summer? I felt like we were doing this a lot this season.
00:37Then it was no St. John's and, you know, out of it. But how are you doing?
00:40Good, good. I'm ready to go. You know, it should be a fun year.
00:45I mean, last year was incredible, and they brought a lot of good players.
00:50It's a very different team, and that's kind of college basketball in 2025.
00:54Every year is basically brand new.
00:56Yeah, I know, and this is what makes this exciting as we do the season preview,
00:59because last year you gave some hope to the St. John's fan base.
01:04Zach did that. He gave some hope to the St. John's fan base.
01:06I think Rick Pitino gave some hope. I just chronicled it.
01:09I was trying to give you some credit.
01:11I'm not taking any credit for that.
01:12I was trying to give you a little bit of credit here that you gave some hope to the fan base.
01:14No, I deserve no credit for their season.
01:17All right, so let's start with this, because St. John's, they got picked ahead of UConn to win the Big East.
01:23What do you think that says about the program's perception heading into year three under Rick Pitino?
01:28Look, they're preseason number five in the AP poll, which is the highest ever in program history.
01:34You know, it's hard to find a national ranking or poll where they're not a top ten team.
01:40I mean, they brought in the top transfer class in the country.
01:43They bring in one of the best two-way forwards out there in Zuby Edge of four.
01:47They have Rick Pitino. I think they're better on paper than they were last year.
01:53Now, is it going to translate? We'll see.
01:54They have a very different team.
01:57You know, they have better shooting. I think there's no question about that.
02:00They have more depth, especially up front.
02:02I think their front court is as good as there is in the country.
02:05Now, you know, everyone's going to wonder about the point guard situation.
02:08That's going to be the big question.
02:09You know, last year the question was shooting.
02:11This year it's going to be point guard, you know.
02:12They have Dylan Darling, big sky player there from Idaho State, Idaho State,
02:17who's probably going to come off the bench.
02:18He's like the one true point guard.
02:21And I think you'll see a lot of Dylan Mitchell as like a point forward.
02:24You'll see some of, you know, Isaiah Sellers, the Stanford transfer,
02:27Ian Jackson a little bit on the ball.
02:29But, you know, that's the real question is do they have that point guard
02:33and is that going to lower their ceiling?
02:35Yeah, that's a big question with that.
02:36We'll get to Dylan Mitchell you mentioned there.
02:38We'll get to him a little bit later.
02:39There's a lot of expectations with this team, obviously, now.
02:43You said that you think they could be better than they were last year,
02:46and a lot of people feel that that way.
02:47But what have you seen or heard from practices that validates those expectations
02:53that we have right now in the preseason?
02:54You know, they had two exhibition games,
02:56and the second one was against Michigan, who's preseason number seven.
02:59They lost in overtime, but the front court was tremendous.
03:04You know, and they're facing Michigan has a front court
03:06where they have two seven-footers, and then they have Yaksa Lenderberg,
03:09who's one of the best forwards in the country.
03:12They're not going to face a front court nearly as good as Michigan in the league all year.
03:15I mean, the only front court they're going to face that's even on par with Michigan,
03:19maybe he's Kentucky, when they go down to Atlanta and play them.
03:22I mean, this front court with Ejafor, with Dylan Mitchell, Bryce Hopkins,
03:26Reuben Prey is as good as there is in the country.
03:29I mean, they more than held their own against Michigan.
03:31Ejafor was tremendous.
03:35You saw Bryce Hopkins and Mitchell were both very good.
03:38They're going to create just teams in this league.
03:40There aren't teams in this league that are going to be able to match up with them inside.
03:43Now, it's on the guards to stretch the floor and, you know, hold their own
03:49so teams just can't completely collapse in the paint.
03:52But this front court is by far the best that I've seen at St. John's.
03:57When I've covered the team, it's probably as good as they've ever had.
04:00I mean, they have four really, really good forwards.
04:02And, you know, most years, if St. John's has two, it's a lot.
04:06See?
04:06See?
04:07This is Zach out here giving the people hope, getting excited about this St. John's team.
04:11Okay, so when you talk about these expectations, right,
04:14from watching the preseason, you know, games that they've had and then practices,
04:18how has Pitino balanced pushing his guys hard
04:21and then keeping them confident with those expectations
04:24and the heightened pressure of being the Biggie's favorites here?
04:26Yeah, I mean, he's never been big on rankings.
04:30You know, last year, preseason, they just missed and he didn't care.
04:33This year, they're five and he doesn't care.
04:34I mean, his focus has just been daily improvement.
04:38And, you know, they have a lot of new players, so they have a long way to go.
04:42I don't think there's any question about that.
04:43They're nowhere near a finished product, just like nobody else is at this time of year.
04:50You know, he doesn't talk about expectations and what they want to be in March.
04:56You know, his focus is just on daily improvement and, you know, being ready
05:01because their non-conference schedule is really good.
05:04It's much better than it's been in a while.
05:06You know, second game of the year, they get Alabama, top 20 team.
05:09You know, they go to Las Vegas and they play Baylor and Iowa State
05:12and then a third team that's probably going to be pretty good,
05:14depending on how the first two games are.
05:15They have Ole Miss here, arguably a top 25 team.
05:18Then they go to Atlanta and play Kentucky, who's, I think, might be the best team in the country.
05:24So, like, that's been his focus is being ready by November 3rd and daily improvement.
05:31He's not worried about January, February, or March because he knows they have to be ready.
05:35Look, they're going to lose more games.
05:37You know, they lost five games all last year.
05:38They're going to lose more games just because they're playing a much better schedule.
05:42You know, they can lose three non-conference games and still feel good about themselves
05:47because that's how good this non-conference schedule is.
05:49No, it is a really good non-conference schedule.
05:52And then, you know, you just talked about it.
05:53I caught something there.
05:54Las Vegas, you got a trip there.
05:56Not quite as good as the Bahamas last year.
05:58I'll take it.
05:59We got Zach traveling again where he's going to make me a little bit jealous here.
06:02I'll take it.
06:03In the early part of the season.
06:04I'll take it.
06:04Enjoy that trip to Las Vegas and Atlanta, too, right?
06:06Atlanta, December 20th.
06:08That'll be a really fun one.
06:09That'll be nice.
06:09Las Vegas and then the ATL.
06:11You can't be mad at that.
06:12You talked about this with the guards, Zach, and you wrote about this.
06:16Rick Pitino, he's been more vocal about wanting his guards to do more
06:19in terms of decision-making and also ball movement.
06:22You all said they need to stretch a floor.
06:23How is the staff addressing that with the guys, those guards, right now to make sure
06:28that they do those things as they get ready for the season to start on November 30th?
06:31Yeah, so Monday's film session did not harp on many positives, even though I thought there
06:38were a lot of positives to take from the game against Michigan.
06:42But, yeah, we talked to a bunch of the guys Monday night, and they all said, yeah, he was
06:46on us pretty good about not rebounding.
06:50You know, now, to be fair, two of their starting guards, Joson Sanon and Sellers, barely played
06:57in the Michigan game.
06:57The foul, the game was terribly officiated.
07:00There was a million fouls called.
07:02It was an exhibition game that took almost two and a half hours, which for a college game
07:06is ridiculous.
07:07So, like, Sellers only played eight minutes.
07:09He fouled out.
07:10Sanon only played 14.
07:12So, two of their better guards, arguably, you know, them along with Ian Jackson are their
07:17best guards.
07:18So, two of their better guards really didn't play a lot.
07:20And Dusty May, the Michigan coach, said after the game, the difference in the game was two
07:23of their best guards weren't on the court much.
07:26You know, just to, just, I'd like to reiterate how awfully efficient that game was.
07:31I can tell you did not like it.
07:32I mean, it's an exhibition game.
07:33We should not be playing two and a half hours.
07:35Yeah, that's the big one.
07:36But, yeah, but, no, he was hammered them home about, look, they have the athleticism.
07:40They have the length to be, to have good rebounding guards.
07:44And he basically laid it out for them in the film session.
07:50I was told, like, we have to be better in this area because they got out-rebounded by
07:5412 by Michigan.
07:55And that's, like, Michigan's huge.
07:58But they didn't get out-rebounded because of the front court.
08:02The front court rebounded.
08:03I think the three Hopkins, Edge of Four, and Mitchell had something like, had around 20-plus
08:10rebounds together.
08:11The issue was the guards didn't rebound.
08:14And they, that's one thing they're going to have to do better because, because of St.
08:18John's's size and athleticism up front, teams are going to be taking a lot of permanent jump
08:22shots.
08:22And that's long rebounds.
08:24The guards would box out.
08:25So, and last year, look, you had Qadari Richmond, who was a really good rebounder for a guard.
08:28Davon Smith, who was a very good rebounder for a guard.
08:32So, like, that's one area that they really, that the guards need to do better in.
08:36And look, you know, their two most talented players, arguably, are Sanon and Ian Jackson.
08:43They're two guys that NBA people think have the potential to be first-round picks.
08:47They're also only sophomores.
08:48And, you know, Ian Jackson comes from North Carolina.
08:52Sanon comes from Arizona State.
08:55You know, there, there are different expectations that are being placed on these two guys here.
09:00We all know how demanding Patino is.
09:02So, it could take some time for these guys who are, who are young.
09:07You know, if you looked at the guards last year, Richmond and Smith, these are guys who
09:11have been in college for a long time.
09:13You know, who are seniors and have really been through it.
09:16But, you know, Sanon is an incredibly talented player.
09:18He had 14 points in 14 minutes.
09:20But, you know, he didn't have any assists or rebounds.
09:23Like, you know, Patino wants him to do other things.
09:25Same thing with Ian Jackson.
09:26I just think with the backcourt, people need to be patient.
09:29These are younger guys.
09:31And the strength of the team right now, no doubt, is the frontcourt.
09:34There's no question about it.
09:36All right.
09:36So, when you look at this, this is a very newish roster, you can say.
09:40Do you expect any changes in style in terms of the way Patino will play?
09:45Will they be more pressing?
09:46Will they play a faster tempo, different defensive coverages?
09:50How do you see this roster playing compared to last year?
09:53I think it's going to be very similar.
09:54I think you're going to see a lot more threes.
09:57I don't think there's any question about that.
09:59They have more guys who can shoot the three.
10:01You mentioned Jackson, Sanon.
10:02Sellers is one of the best three-point shooters in the country last year.
10:06You have left Teresley atopoulos off the bench.
10:08You know, Hopkins and Zuby can both shoot threes.
10:10You know, Dylan Darling can shoot the three.
10:14I accept more threes.
10:15But in terms of the up, no, they're going to play fast.
10:17I think they're going to play faster than last year.
10:19You know, with Mitchell atop the press, that really gives them a really athletic, long guy, you know, to create problems.
10:27And that press early was good against Michigan.
10:30It kind of fell off a little late.
10:33Michigan went over the top of it a few times.
10:35That's obviously stuff they have to work on.
10:38But, yeah, look, I think they're going to be a top 20.
10:42Last year I think they were around 50s in tempo.
10:44I think they're going to be in, like, the top 20 at least.
10:47They're going to look to play fast.
10:50You know, everyone's going to kind of handle the ball.
10:53So, like, especially you have a guy like Mitchell.
10:55He's going to get it and go.
10:57You know, they're going to really, like, with their athletes, they're going to really look to get out and transition.
11:03All right, so you can see some faster pace in terms of St. John's this year.
11:07That'll be interesting to see as well.
11:10Now, Zuby Ejiofor, I want to talk about him because he decided to return to this team instead of chasing a pro opportunity.
11:16He could have done that.
11:17He didn't do that.
11:18And you're asked, how significant is his commitment to coming back to St. John's, both on the court and in the locker room?
11:24And do you look at him as somebody who can be one of the best big men in the country this year?
11:27Yeah, look, I've seen him on preseason All-American lists, second team, third team.
11:31And he's terrific.
11:34I mean, R.J. Lewis was the player of the year in the Big East last year.
11:38You could have made an argument for Ejiofor.
11:40St. John's was just a completely different team when he wasn't on the court.
11:43You know, even in the Michigan game, he went out for a few minutes is really when they had a five-point lead.
11:47And when the game turned, when Lendenberg, the Michigan star forward, kind of went off, it was with Ejiofor out of the game.
11:54You know, he's just such a difference maker at both ends of the floor.
11:58He's more skilled.
11:59He could score in the paint, score a little bit on the perimeter.
12:03I mean, yeah, it gives them a legit top 15 player in the country.
12:07I don't think there's any question.
12:08We're not talking about ceiling.
12:09We're talking about what he is right now.
12:11You know, could Saturn or Jackson become that?
12:13Bryce Hopkins?
12:14Yeah.
12:14But, like, right now, I don't think anyone would argue that they have a top 15 player in the country.
12:19And I think he's going to have an NBA career.
12:21I think he's going to play eight to ten years in the NBA.
12:23I just think he has that work ethic.
12:25He has that determination.
12:26And he's a guy that keeps getting better.
12:28I know he's kind of a tweener because he's only around 6'9".
12:30Right.
12:32But he's just, he has that team-first determination and grit that I think he will get drafted in the second round, if not higher.
12:43And I think he will have an NBA career.
12:44I think he's that, I think he has that, like, that innate, like, I will find a way to get it done that you need if you're kind of not that big-time guy.
12:54Right.
12:55Especially when you're a kind of tweener guy.
12:56You kind of need that kind of attitude to have that edge to make it in the NBA.
13:00I want to talk to you about Ian Jackson.
13:01I know Ian Jackson a little bit from watching him in high school.
13:04I saw him play for a bit.
13:06He's embraced massive expectations, right, coming back home to NYC after playing in North Carolina.
13:12What do you think is realistic to expect from him and his talent right away?
13:16And how is he handling the spotlight right now, being back in the Big Apple?
13:22Yeah, you know, Pitino's talked a lot about how much he's improved since the summer.
13:26He has not played well in the exhibition games.
13:28And he admitted he's been tentative and hasn't really played like himself.
13:33And, yeah, I just think people need to be patient.
13:35You know, he's young.
13:37He's only a sophomore.
13:41He's got incredible ability.
13:42When he just goes and doesn't think, you see the talent.
13:47He just needs to kind of find his rhythm.
13:49You know, Qadari Richmond, it took him a while last year.
13:52And he was a senior who's, you know, been through all this.
13:55And, you know, Siddiqui Ibn Ayo, one of their backups, co-captains, was talking about how it's kind of similar.
14:01Where it's a New York guy who comes home and there's a lot of expectations, a lot of pressure, and he wants to do good so bad.
14:10Sometimes that kind of gets in the way.
14:12You know, when you want to please people and you want to be that guy.
14:15And, you know, the good thing with this team is he doesn't have to do that right away.
14:19They have so many other guys.
14:20Like, just, you know, just pick your spots.
14:23You don't need to, like, be the 25-point guy right away.
14:29And, you know, Patino has raved about his work ethic.
14:31He's always watching film with the coaches after practice.
14:35He wants to get better.
14:36He wants to be better.
14:37And I think it's going to come.
14:38It just might not happen right away.
14:40All right.
14:41Be patient.
14:41Be patient with Captain Jack.
14:43Might not come right away.
14:44He's a very talented player, very athletic, can do a lot on the court.
14:47I'm sure we'll see some of that.
14:48But just got to be a little bit patient with him here.
14:50You've also mentioned Dylan Mitchell came in as a transfer.
14:54He's talked about wanting to be an X factor here for the team.
14:57Where do you see his impact being most felt in Patino's system?
15:02I think it's everywhere.
15:03You know, I think it's, you know, as a rim protector, a guy who can guard multiple positions,
15:09it's, he can be a backup center.
15:12You know, he can play, you can play a small ball, he can be a small ball five.
15:15He's at the top of the press.
15:18I, and it's, look, I think you're going to see a little bit of point forward with him,
15:22kind of the old Ben Simmons role.
15:23You know, he's 6'8".
15:25He can really handle the ball.
15:26It's kind of what he did at Montverde in high school on loaded teams.
15:31You know, he's, he's kind of a Swiss army knife.
15:33If, you know, Zuby, Edrafor called him an X factor for this team.
15:36And he's looked really good in both preseason games.
15:39And the thing you like about it, like, he can impact the game without scoring.
15:42He plays above the rim.
15:43So he's going to get some highlight dunks that people are going to love.
15:46He had two of them in the Michigan game.
15:47But I just think his value is just, like, he gives them a second elite defender up front with Edrafor.
15:55He can handle the ball, kind of see over defenses.
15:59I think he's a guy when teams are pressuring, you can really use him, you know, to kind of throw over the press.
16:05I can see him being the biggest impact of all the transfers.
16:10I think he's that.
16:11And, look, they have a lot.
16:12Like, I think Hopkins has looked really good.
16:14San and Jackson are going to have their moments.
16:16Dylan Darling's going to be important.
16:17I just think he's, he's kind of like one of those, he's like a glue piece that every really good team needs.
16:22Okay, glue guy.
16:23There you go.
16:24Could be the glue guy for the St. John's team.
16:26We'll see if that plays out.
16:27Okay, so St. John's, they're picked to win the East.
16:29They just edge out UConn as being picked to be the favorites to win the East.
16:33Beside UConn, which team poses the biggest threat to St. John's title hope trying to go back-to-back in the Big East this season?
16:41Creighton, there's no doubt.
16:42I mean, on paper, it's a three-team league.
16:45Both, all three of these schools are ranked.
16:47Creighton, not as high as St. John's and UConn.
16:50But, yeah, Creighton lost a lot, especially Ryan Kalkbrenner, their, you know, four-time Big East defensive player of the year.
16:58But they brought in some really good transfers.
17:00They have some really good players coming back.
17:03It's, it's Creighton.
17:05But it's, I'd be surprised if it's not St. John's or UConn.
17:08I really would.
17:09You'd be shocked if they're.
17:09Yeah, they're, look, they're both preseason top five.
17:12They're both loaded.
17:14I think UConn's going to be much better than it was last year.
17:16I think St. John's has the chance to be better than it was last year.
17:19You know, if you look at Patino's two years in the league, it's first year.
17:22He didn't have a team quite equipped to play with UConn.
17:25And last year, St. John's was the clearly superior team.
17:27This year, I think they're kind of on even footing, which should make those two games just awesome.
17:32Man, can't wait for those games, especially the one that, at the playing, at the St. John's playing them at the Garden this year, right?
17:37Of course.
17:38Of course.
17:38Yeah, that would be, that would just be bad business.
17:41If they did not do that, that would be bad at all.
17:43All right, before this, because we're going to get your prediction, we're going to see how happy you make the people this year.
17:46Oh, God.
17:47But, yeah, I know, prediction.
17:49What do you see as the single biggest variable that will determine whether St. John's is cutting down the nets in March,
17:56I'm saying it, winning it all, or have fans left wondering, what if, once again?
18:01What's the biggest variable between them winning a national championship or not winning a national championship?
18:05Yeah, it's the one question.
18:06It's point.
18:06You know, it's, could Dylan Darling hold up?
18:11Can Dylan Mitchell be effective as a point forward?
18:14You know, is, are Jackson Sellers going to emerge at that spot?
18:17You know, it's, you know, they play a motion offense where it's not really predicated on, like, one guy having the ball and running offense,
18:25and they're going to play really fast and be up and down.
18:27But, yeah, there are times you do need that guy, that steadying presence, kind of running the show.
18:33Dylan Darling really struggled in the Towson game, came back and looked much better against Michigan.
18:37He still felt like there were a lot of plays he left out there,
18:39but he was definitely, he definitely was better and looked like he could play at this level.
18:45But, yeah, I don't think there's any question, you know, do they have enough playmaking?
18:47Do they have that guy?
18:49You know, last year they had two of them in Richmond and Smith,
18:52and this year it's, you know, it's kind of uncertain.
18:55It's, to me, it's really the only question.
18:58You know, they have enough shooting.
18:59The front court's great.
19:00They have depth.
19:01They obviously have the coach.
19:03It's, do they have that answer?
19:05You know, is that going to kind of limit how far they can go?
19:08We will see.
19:09That will be answered.
19:10What does St. John's have at the point guard position?
19:14We'll see.
19:14But, you know, I'm not letting Zach get out of here without a prediction.
19:16That's not going to happen here on High of the Storm.
19:19Zach, Zach's breathing heavy, so you know he's stressed about this right here.
19:24What, okay, first thing, I'm going to take it with the conference.
19:27All right.
19:28What does St. John's do in the conference this year?
19:30Do they win the conference?
19:32I'm going to say they finished high with UConn.
19:36Nobody wants to hear that.
19:36They split down the middle.
19:37They split the season series.
19:39Co-Big East champs.
19:40They both go 17-3.
19:41All right.
19:42So, co-Big East champs you have.
19:43All right.
19:44Then what do you think they can do in the tournament?
19:47I'm going to go with a two-seed in the tournament and the Elite Eight.
19:52Two-seed and the Elite Eight.
19:55Yes.
19:55Do you think St. John's fans are going to be happy with your prediction here?
19:57Yeah, I think.
19:58You think so?
19:59I think most, like, you know, to me this year is all about March.
20:04Yeah.
20:04They could win the Big East.
20:05They could not win the Big East.
20:07To me, it doesn't really matter.
20:08They hit all the benchmarks last year of things they haven't done in so long.
20:12You know, they won a Big East regular season.
20:14They won the postseason tournament.
20:15They won an NCAA tournament game.
20:17You know, the one thing they left on the table, they haven't been to a Sweet 16 since the Elite Eight team in 99.
20:21Yep.
20:21You know, so to me, this year is all about March.
20:24They're going to make the tournament.
20:25Whether they have a great regular season or a mediocre one or whatever it is, they're going to make the tournament.
20:30There's no, in my opinion, there's no question about that.
20:33It's all about March.
20:34It's about playing deep into March.
20:36It's about getting, to me, if they get to the second weekend, I think you're happy.
20:40You know, obviously you want to get to the Final Four.
20:43You want to win a national championship.
20:44And I think they have the potential to do that.
20:46But I think if you get to a Sweet 16, most fans will be, like, happy because that hasn't happened in so long.
20:52Yeah.
20:54And, yeah, I think Elite Eight people will be happy.
20:56Yeah, they'll be like, oh, we should have made the Final Four.
20:58Yes.
20:59But in time, when you look back at the season, I think most fans would feel like that's a good year.
21:04All right.
21:05So maybe you should feel good about what Zach is predicting.
21:08Look, I mean, I think you should feel good no matter what.
21:10I mean, like, you're top five of the country entering the year.
21:13You have a loaded roster.
21:14You have Rick Pitino as coach.
21:15I mean, like, you're viewed by most people as, like, a lock to make the NCAA tournament.
21:22I mean, if you're a St. John's fan, you're not happy.
21:24I don't really understand why.
21:27Come on.
21:27You know some people are just miserable all the time.
21:29You could be a Mets and Jets fan.
21:30Come on.
21:31This is true.
21:31This is true.
21:32I used to know that life.
21:33Half of that.
21:34That's another story for another day.
21:36That is Zach Brasile.
21:38Check him out.
21:39He is going to be covering St. John's, as he's been doing for years, this entire season.
21:43He'll be with me on Ida Storm.
21:44We'll be at a lot of games together.
21:45We'll be doing a lot of these videos.
21:46It's going to be fun.
21:47And you know what?
21:48Every week, people are going to be checking to see if your predictions are good and right.
21:52If not, they're going to come for you in the comments.
21:53Yeah, well, what else is new?
21:55What else is new?
21:56That's a lot.
21:56We'll see you next time on Ida Storm.
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