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00:00This is Eye of the Storm, a St. John's video series presented by Noble.
00:05Welcome back to another edition of Eye of the Storm.
00:08We're going to break it all down following the Red Storm,
00:10improving to 2-1 on the season after they had a strong finish against William & Mary on Saturday.
00:15We're going to look at what stood out, what still needs work,
00:17and what's ahead with Bucknell coming to Karnasek Arena on Thursday night.
00:21Of course, we're going to go over all of this with the man who covers the team like nobody else.
00:26You want to know me, Zach Brzeiller, here of the New York Pro.
00:28Zach, what's going on, man?
00:29What's up, man? How are you?
00:30I'm good. I'm doing good.
00:31You're about to take a trip away from us again soon.
00:34That's right.
00:35A little holiday trip. This is like the every-year thing.
00:37I'm a little bit jealous about that, a little bit jealous.
00:39But we're going to talk about the Johnnies because you wrote about Dylan Darling recently
00:44and the growing importance that he has to this team,
00:47including stating that he might be St. John's' best offensive player,
00:52or most important offensive player, we should say.
00:54What specific areas of the half-court offense does he impact the most?
00:58And also, what stood out to you most from his performance against William & Mary?
01:02Yeah, you know, their offense, when he's in, plays with pace.
01:06You know, there's more direction.
01:08Because he's really, look, he's the only traditional point guard on this roster,
01:12and there's been talk of different guys, you know, Ian Jackson, Oziah Sellers,
01:16even Dylan Mitchell as a point forward playing that role.
01:18But that's stuff those guys have never done.
01:21And he is a point guard.
01:22He's been a point guard.
01:23And he kind of understands the position.
01:27And, look, he's, I don't think it's crazy.
01:29He's not one of their five best players, the most talented players.
01:32But their offense has more direction.
01:34It has more pace.
01:35They have someone who kind of understands the position.
01:40And right now, it's pretty clear he's the guy who's going to run the show.
01:44Now, look, in a month, two weeks, I'm not saying that's going to be different.
01:48But I think right now, when you have so many new pieces,
01:50and they're clearly a work in progress, you know,
01:53Patino trusts him and feels like he's the answer right now.
01:56I just, I liked how hard he played in the second half against William & Mary.
02:00Now, look, there's a question.
02:01He's not a great athlete.
02:02There are major questions how he's going to do against a top-notch team.
02:05Remember, he had the cash drain.
02:06He didn't play against Alabama.
02:09So Las Vegas is going to be really his first chance against high-caliber opposition.
02:15And we'll see.
02:16You know, Michigan, I thought he was decent in the exhibition.
02:19But this is going to be a very different world for him.
02:21Iowa State, who's a terrific defensive team, plays traps,
02:25uses a lot of pressure.
02:27It's going to be a big challenge for him.
02:29He's obviously not big.
02:30He's around 6 feet, maybe 5'11".
02:32So that's going to be interesting to see kind of how he performs at that level.
02:37But one thing to know, he's a tough kid.
02:39He's the son of an NFL linebacker.
02:42You know, he started at Washington State, didn't really work.
02:45He had a bad injury his sophomore year, which, you know,
02:49so he wasn't quite ready as a freshman.
02:50But it'll be interesting because, look,
02:53they have some really highly rated guys in the backcourt with Ian Jackson
02:57and Joe Sonsanen.
02:58And right now both those guys are coming off the bench.
03:00Do I expect that to continue into December, January?
03:04I don't know.
03:05But as Pitino has shown, like, he's going to play the guys that earn it.
03:10You know, he's not just because these guys are so-called highly rated,
03:14he's not just going to say you're starting no matter what.
03:17Right.
03:17And Darling has earned it.
03:19You know, the offense flows better with him right now.
03:21So it's definitely something to keep an eye on.
03:23I want to follow up with you on this.
03:24Let's say we see him do well in Bucknell and then next week in Vegas.
03:29How big is that for St. John's if he does play well?
03:32I'm saying, okay, he can solidify and be this traditional starting point guard for them
03:36and you trust him in conference play or against more elite competition.
03:39Yeah, look, it's big.
03:40Like, forget, no disrespect, but Bucknell is, like,
03:43St. John's will be, like, a 25-point favorite.
03:45I'm not, I expect them to win that game relatively.
03:48It's really next.
03:49Vegas is so intriguing for this team.
03:52You have the Darling Factor.
03:53You have, look, they played, if you count the Michigan exhibition,
03:57they played two really high-caliber teams and they lost both.
04:00Now, both were close games, especially the Michigan game that went to overtime,
04:03but they left a lot to be desired in those games.
04:05They didn't rebound the ball well.
04:06The defense was obviously an issue, especially in the Alabama game.
04:09So next week is a big challenge.
04:11And, you know, I think Iowa State, as good as they are defensively,
04:14I think St. John's matches up better with them than Alabama
04:16because Alabama has those just tremendous guards that gave St. John's so much trouble.
04:21And, look, St. John's didn't play well in that game.
04:23I don't think there's any doubt.
04:24You know, they were in it late, but they didn't play a good game.
04:27Yeah.
04:29And so, yeah, next week's interesting.
04:30Iowa State, then you have a Baylor team who's down, who's got a lot of talent still,
04:33but it's not a top-15 team like it's been for the last several years.
04:37And then the third game will probably be against another high-quality team.
04:41So next week is really important, especially when you consider the Big East isn't doing great
04:45and you need some good non-conference wins if you want a good seed.
04:49So, like, you know, they still have Ole Miss and Kentucky after Vegas,
04:52but Vegas is really important for this team.
04:55I don't think there's any question about that.
04:56Yeah, it's going to be important.
04:57We're going to get to that a little bit later.
04:59But following the Alabama game that you just mentioned,
05:01one through line I've seen in your coverage and your reporting with Patino
05:06has been his demand for greater consistency.
05:08He's been asking for that.
05:10So after the William & Mary game where St. John's had a pretty good second half there,
05:14what part of the team's performance do you think that he's still most fixated on them cleaning up?
05:19What do you think that he's looking at and saying, hey, they need more work here?
05:22Rebounding still.
05:24I say defense.
05:25I mean, first half they did not play well.
05:27You know, they're up five.
05:28You know, a team they were favored to beat by 29, and the second half was terrific.
05:33You know, they, 54-26, they played how you thought they would play.
05:37But that first half they just, they didn't have the energy, they didn't have the urgency,
05:41they weren't sharp.
05:42And the second half was like a, you know, different team.
05:45You know, they really defended.
05:46They got, like, William & Mary's not a bad mid-major.
05:49They're picked fourth in the CAA.
05:50They're a decent team that if you let them get comfortable and do what they do,
05:54shoot threes, back cuts, and all that, they could give you some problems.
05:58And they did for a half.
06:00You know, I thought the second half was good.
06:01Yeah, it's a team right now that's playing in spurts.
06:03You know, Alabama, they had some good stretches, didn't finish the game well.
06:09You know, I thought Quinnipack was pretty good for the most part.
06:11But, yeah, look, that's the thing.
06:13Like, everyone wants it to happen right away.
06:14It's a new team.
06:16You know, the one thing, and I've written about this,
06:18is people kind of are kind of romanticizing last year's team,
06:22what that team was in November or December.
06:25Last year's team didn't take off until mid-January.
06:27It took time.
06:29And this, you know, I think this team is further along than last year's team.
06:33I know some people might disagree, but I do.
06:35I mean, I think this team is definitely further along.
06:38Now, they have to be because their schedule is tougher.
06:41But I think people forget, like, look, each of Patino's, this is his third season now,
06:47each of his third seasons, he's had very different rosters every year.
06:51It takes time.
06:52You know, Alabama had four of their five stars were guys who were back.
06:56You know, Iowa State next week, their three best players are all returning players.
06:59Like, yes, a lot of teams are dealing with crazy upheaval,
07:04but there are teams that have a lot of back,
07:05and St. John's really only has one key guy back at Edge of Force.
07:08So it's probably not going to happen as fast as people want.
07:12That doesn't mean this team cannot still win big games,
07:14and I think they need to, you know, to me, it's next week you want to go 2-1.
07:18Would you love 3-0?
07:19Of course, but you really want to go 2-1 and build some real momentum.
07:24Yeah, it's a process, but, you know, fans sometimes always very impatient.
07:27But speaking of fans, they always have their eye on the future.
07:30And the Johnnies recently added a top 50 recruit, Adam Udemich.
07:34What can you tell us about his game,
07:36and does the recruiting success of St. John's getting a top 50 guy here,
07:40does that reflect the current state of the program's direction under Patino here?
07:44Yeah, I'm going to call him A.O.
07:46A.O.?
07:46You're giving him a nickname already?
07:48I think that his, when we were doing the story, his guy said he calls him A.O.
07:53So I'm going A.O.
07:55Because I'm not even going to try to butcher the last name.
07:57I hope I didn't butcher your last name, Adam.
07:59I hope that A.O.
07:59Yeah, no, look, it's a good addition.
08:02He's, you know, one person told you he's one of the best scorers at the high school level.
08:08You know, he's got size.
08:09He shoots the three really well, plays with overtime, plays for overtime elite.
08:13Yeah, it's a look.
08:15They're obviously annually going to be heavily going to the transfer market.
08:20That's obviously still going to be the focus.
08:22But they want to bring in a few high school kids a year who they think can contribute,
08:26but also develop over time.
08:27You know, look at late last spring, they brought in Kelvin Odie.
08:30He was a top 75 kid.
08:32Not really playing a ton yet, but they really like him.
08:35He's tough, physical.
08:36Well, now A.O.'s a little different.
08:38He's more of an offensive player, where Odie is more of kind of like a defender, rebounder,
08:43you know, guy right now, more than a score.
08:47But, yeah, I mean, it's the focus is still the transfer portal, obviously,
08:51and they want to keep a lot of guys from this year's team.
08:53But, yeah, they want to dip their toe in the high school market, too.
08:56And they beat some good schools.
08:58You know, he told me he picked St. John's or Villanova.
09:01You also had Oregon.
09:02LSU were in the mix.
09:03Illinois.
09:04So, yeah, they beat out some really good schools for him.
09:06Ah, huge for the Johnnies there.
09:08Look at some of the tape on A.O.
09:09He looks pretty good.
09:10Good offensive player.
09:11Can shoot the rock pretty well.
09:12So, not bad at all whatsoever.
09:14Now, the Alabama game, I want to go back to that,
09:15because you, you know, it left what you call the lingering reminder for this team.
09:21What do you believe the team took from that that still applies going into this matchup
09:25against Bucknell, even though we know they're going to be 25-point favorites,
09:27like you said?
09:28What do you think they took from that game that still applies going into this one?
09:31I mean, I think it was a reminder of how far they have to go defensively.
09:35You know, especially in the backcourt, where it just really struggled defending.
09:40I thought Alabama played really well, hit some huge shots, some tough shots.
09:45But, yeah, St. John's didn't play well.
09:47And I understand Dylan Darling might not have made a difference on the defensive end,
09:51but on the offensive end, he would have.
09:53I really, I'm not saying St. John's wins the game, but remember, they got,
09:58they were down about it, they were down 11 a few times, they made a run,
10:00they got up two, I think it was about seven, eight minutes left,
10:03and the offense really struggled down the stretch.
10:06And I think if you have a, you have Darling in the way he's playing,
10:09at least directing things and getting the ball to the right people,
10:12that may be down the stretch, it's a little different.
10:15Not saying they're going to win that game, because they lost that game
10:18because of defense, they got out-rebounded.
10:21And so let's, you know, but I do think he helps them.
10:27There's no good question.
10:28I mean, I wrote about it the other day.
10:29They've outscored the opposition in the two games he's played.
10:32Obviously, low majors, Quinnipiac, William & Mary.
10:35St. John's outscored the opposition 54 points in his 48 minutes.
10:38In the, and then they've only outscored the opposition by six
10:42in the other 72 minutes he hasn't played.
10:44Now, 40 of those minutes were Alabama, so you got to take that into account.
10:49But there's no doubt they have looked like a better offensive team with him in there.
10:54Now, it's a balancing act because certain teams he's going to struggle with defending.
10:59There's no doubt.
11:00He's small.
11:00He's not necessarily a great athlete.
11:02But I just like the pace he plays with.
11:05I like his toughness.
11:06He's fearless.
11:08You know, he's got that linebacker mentality that comes from his dad.
11:11Great guy, by the way.
11:12Former Jet.
11:14Actually, when the Jets were good, his dad was a Jet, which is that, it's so long ago.
11:18That is a long time ago.
11:20Nobody in New York sports remembers that anymore.
11:21James Darling was on the Chad Pennington teams, which were a really fun Jet team.
11:25That was the last, like, good era of Jets football.
11:28Well, we've got to give Rex credit.
11:29Let's give Rex credit.
11:29Oh, yeah.
11:30Sorry.
11:30My bad.
11:30Sorry.
11:31Before Rex.
11:31So, yeah, he's a tough kid.
11:37And, look, I'm not saying he's going to be a 30-minute game guy.
11:40Like, he played 31 against William & Mary.
11:42I'm not saying that.
11:43Look, to me, their ceiling is really going to depend on Jackson, Sanin playing up to their ability.
11:48And, right now, Pitino's basically challenging them.
11:52He's saying, look, you've got to earn it.
11:54You know, I'm not just going to play you 30 minutes because people say you guys are NBA prospects,
11:59because you were highly rated high school recruits.
12:01Like, I've got to see it.
12:03And so, he's challenging them, which is what he does.
12:06And we'll see how these guys respond.
12:10And, you know, they play better.
12:11It's probably going to be less minutes for Darling.
12:13But right now, the offense runs better with him.
12:16There's no doubt.
12:17Next week's going to be really, I'm fascinated to see how he's going to do against high-caliber opposition.
12:24Yeah, that's what I'm fascinated to see, and how much he can stay on the floor,
12:27how long will Pitino play him, do those other guys respond, all that stuff.
12:31So, next up, as you guys know, is Bucknell.
12:33They're coming off an 84-50 loss, too, by Pittsburgh Panthers on Monday.
12:38How did Pitino against West Virginia?
12:39I don't remember.
12:40What?
12:41We've got a plan of things like this.
12:42Now, we've got my producer, Brian, smiling about this.
12:44He doesn't need to be smiling.
12:46We're not going to talk about that.
12:47That's old news.
12:49But, St. John's plays Bucknell.
12:51They beat them in football, though, right?
12:52You beat them.
12:53You beat West Virginia in football.
12:54We didn't need that.
12:56You know what?
12:57I understand what has happened here.
12:58Our fantastic producer, Brian, must have paid him to do this, and this is what we're trying
13:04to do.
13:05I try to bring in something about the University of Pittsburgh.
13:07This is how my boys act.
13:08Big win for Pitino over Bucknell.
13:10Yeah, that's a low when we're saying big win over Bucknell.
13:13But, St. John's needs to get a big win over Bucknell.
13:15What matchup or personnel factor do you think most favors St. John's in this game, in a
13:20game that you think they should dominate?
13:22Yeah, look, I'd expect them to win easily.
13:25I'm more intrigued just kind of as we continue to follow the, you know, Jackson and Sam.
13:31You know, I'd expect them to continue to come off the bench.
13:35That's what I'm watching.
13:36You know, I'm also watching Reuben Prey.
13:37You know, he got the start.
13:39Now, he only played about 13, 14 minutes, but he got the start, and I wrote about the
13:44other day, like, I want to see him play more.
13:47I think he's, you know, Pitino's talked about how they're not physical enough.
13:50He is a guy who brings physicality.
13:51He's averaging 3.3 rebounds in only 11 minutes per game.
13:54For a 40, that's like almost 12 rebounds, that's a 12-rebound pace per 40 minutes.
13:59And, you know, he hit some big threes against Alabama.
14:01He can stretch the floor as a 6'11 guy.
14:03He rebounds.
14:03He defends.
14:04Now, I understand it's a very crowded frontcourt with Edge of Four, with Hopkins, with Dylan
14:09Mitchell, but I just think, especially when you get to next week, you know, when you're
14:14playing big physical teams, Iowa State, Baylor, I think Prey could have a bigger role in this
14:19team.
14:19And so, I'm looking forward to maybe seeing him play a little more.
14:22Looking forward to seeing how Jackson and Sanon play.
14:25And more, I think, if you're a St.
14:26St. John's, you just want to see consistency.
14:29You don't want to see a bad 20 minutes to start and then they turn it on.
14:33You want to see them really kind of put them away early.
14:35You don't want to give this team a distinct thought that they can pull a huge upset.
14:39Start well.
14:40Play consistently.
14:41Get a lot of guys' minutes.
14:42Look, it's a tune-up game.
14:44It's a tune-up for Iowa State on next Monday.
14:47It'll be number 14 St.
14:48John's, number 16 Iowa State.
14:49Then you get a Baylor team.
14:50It's good, but definitely beatable.
14:52And then you see where you go from there.
14:55But that Iowa State game is really going to be an important game.
14:58You want to start building that resume.
15:01And that's a game that would really do that.
15:02It would do wonders for them to win that game.
15:04But you just mentioned something I wanted to get to here.
15:06Because we saw the Johnnies on Saturday not sharp in the first half, as we mentioned here.
15:12What's the one area in this game against Bucknell where if St.
15:15John's is a sharp in the first half again or doesn't come out with the right energy that
15:20Bucknell can get them?
15:20What's the one thing that worries you if they don't come out and play a sharp game?
15:23I mean, the three-point shot's the big equalizer.
15:26We saw it in William & Mary.
15:29William & Mary plays the Princeton style.
15:32And if you go under those screens, they're going to get open threes.
15:34And that first half, they went under about five or six times a game.
15:37Good looks for three.
15:38And to me, it was kind of surprising because I'm sure that was not the game plan.
15:43So I think it's attention to detail and really defending.
15:46Because I don't think this team will be what last year's team was defensively.
15:50But they have the athleticism to be a good defensive team.
15:53And they're going to be better offensively than they were last year.
15:55And you want to be just good defensively.
15:57And they should be.
15:58You know, in the second half against William & Mary, they were terrific.
16:02You know, Quinnipiac, I thought they played pretty well defensively.
16:05Alabama was in the show.
16:06But I think a lot of that was Alabama's very good and just is a bad matchup.
16:10Like, I think St. John's matches up better with some of these teams that are going to play next week in Vegas than they did with Alabama.
16:16But, you know, guys like Ian Jackson and Sanon and Oziah Sellers, they have the athleticism and the ability to be good defenders.
16:24You just got to want it.
16:25And these are guys that are being challenged now to defend better.
16:29Because we know St. John's has guys inside who are going to guard.
16:33The issue is they've got to be better on the perimeter defensively.
16:36Yeah, they've got to do that.
16:37And that kind of goes to where I wanted to shift this, too, going back to the guards.
16:40Because Patino's been pushing the guards.
16:42It's everybody.
16:43We know it's defensively, particularly with Jackson and Sanon.
16:47What are you keeping your eye on with those guys?
16:49Is it just defending on the perimeter?
16:51Is it their total effort when it comes to going up against Bucknell's guards?
16:54What are you going to be keeping your eye on with that group of guards for St. John's?
16:56Yeah, it's effort.
16:58It's not just thinking, I'm out here to score.
17:00You know, that's one thing he said about both of us.
17:02Like, they need to understand, like, scoring doesn't mean you have a good game.
17:07It's doing everything.
17:08You know, it's rebounding.
17:09It's getting assists.
17:10It's steals.
17:11It's mixing it up inside.
17:13You know, sharing the ball.
17:14Like, the points will come.
17:16And that's, I think, one thing they're trying to hammer home to these guys is, like,
17:21they need them to be, to understand, like, not to worry about offense.
17:27And not, you know, just play the right way and play the way he wants them to play, and
17:31it's going to come.
17:33And he wants them to do more, like, I feel like Sanon has been better.
17:37I did, you know, I thought he played solid in 20 minutes, especially in that second half.
17:41He had a really nice dunk, some assists.
17:43Like, he looks like he's clearly making an effort to do other things.
17:48You know, but there's no question these guys' talent, like, they're elite talents,
17:52but they're clearly adjusting to what he's asking them to do.
17:58Yeah, and we'll see if they're able to do that on Thursday against Bucknell.
18:02Okay, so after Bucknell, we've kind of been talking about this all through this conversation,
18:07but Zach's annual early season trip, going to Las Vegas.
18:11Yes, Johnny's, they're going to be playing in the 2025 Players' Era Championship.
18:15They're going to take on, as Zach mentioned, Iowa State and Baylor next Monday and Tuesday,
18:19respectively.
18:20How do you believe, it sounds like you really feel like this non-conference tournament
18:24is going to prepare the Red Storm for conference play.
18:27What is to come ahead?
18:29This is a big test for them coming up.
18:31How do you feel like it's going to prepare them for conference play coming up?
18:34Yeah, I mean, they're probably not going to play a team as good defensively as Iowa State
18:39again this year, at least, especially not in the regulars.
18:41In the league season, there's no one, I think UConn's very good.
18:45UConn's not as good defensively as Iowa State.
18:47Iowa State annually is one of the best defensive teams in the country.
18:51They block shots.
18:52They really pressure the ball.
18:54They trap.
18:55It's going to be a, that's going to be, now, they're not nearly as good offensively.
18:58Like, I think St. John's matches up better with them than Alabama.
19:01Like, you know, these are, they're getting real tests.
19:04Alabama's probably got the best backcourt St. John's will face all year.
19:07Iowa State might be the best defensive team they've faced all year.
19:10You know, later on, Kentucky, I don't know if there's a bigger team than, in the country
19:16than Kentucky.
19:17Like, so these are all really good tests for them, but you want to win, you got to win
19:21some of them, or they're going to, they're going to really depend on having to be incredible
19:25again in a conference season to get a good seed.
19:27So, like, you know, I think, so they're going to have six high major games, their own
19:33one right now.
19:34To me, three and three puts you in a good spot.
19:36Four and two, you'd be golden.
19:37But three and three, to me, should be the goal right now.
19:40If you go four and two, that's great.
19:41But if you can go three and three, you know, you would have three quality wins, and you're
19:47in a good spot.
19:48Now, if you have a good league season, to really have a good seed.
19:51To me, that should be the goal.
19:53And yeah, it's going to be a good test.
19:55You know, they, I wouldn't say they, the Alabama looked they lost.
19:58I, it's a results business, you know, so, but I wouldn't say they failed that test.
20:04I just think they kind of, they just didn't play, they just, they didn't bring the kind
20:08of effort they needed to win that game.
20:11And Alabama played great.
20:13They did?
20:13Alabama played phenomenal.
20:15Their guards made shot after shot after shot.
20:18Some of that was the St. John's defense.
20:20Some of that's Alabama's got some NBA players.
20:22So yeah, it's, I'm very intrigued just to see how this team responds, you know, for these
20:30next series of tests, because it's, it's big, you know, like I said, I think they're ahead
20:34of last year's team, but see, last year's team was able to, like, work through things
20:40because they didn't face this kind of schedule.
20:41Yeah.
20:42You know, they had the one, they had the one and two trip in Bahamas, but outside of that,
20:46you know, they played Kansas State, who wasn't a very good team.
20:48That was their other high major game and non-conference game.
20:52And so, like, they had time to kind of figure things out, and they were able to get going
20:56in January.
20:57But this team is different where they have this trip.
21:00They go, they play Ole Miss, who's very good.
21:01They play Kentucky, who's very good.
21:03Like, they don't have as much time to kind of find themselves.
21:06So, like, this is a big week for me, for them to kind of start to build momentum.
21:11You know, if you go two and one here, three and oh, you would love, but two and one, you
21:15start to build that momentum and feel good about yourself.
21:17So, yeah, get a couple of good wins in Vegas.
21:20Give Zach a good time in Vegas, where he'll see some Johnny's wins, hopefully.
21:24But first up, Johnny's have Bucknell at Karnasek Arena on Thursday night.
21:28Zach Brazile will be there.
21:29I should be in the building as well, too.
21:32That is the great Zach Brazile.
21:33I'll hopefully see him one more time before he heads to Vegas.
21:37I'm Dexter Henry.
21:38We'll catch you next time on Eye of the Storm.
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