New look St. John’s men’s basketball stifles Drexel in preseason opener

Wednesday’s contest against Drexel looked every part like a mid-October exhibition, yet St. John’s came away with plenty to be excited about ahead of the new season and plenty of kinks to iron out.

Touting ten newcomers on their fully eligible roster (for now), the Red Storm showcased their athleticism in an 81-52 blowout win over the Dragons, holding them to 25.8% shooting from the field and 12.5% (3-of-24) from three.

After a leaky first six minutes of defense, the Johnnies separated from the Dragons midway through the first half with a punishing 11-minute, 28-second field-goal drought as part of an extended 24-5 run. They never let their lead shrink to within a dozen points for the rest of the night.

Veteran forward Babacar Sane was, in Rick Pitino’s words, “a manchild” on the court. The 6-foot-8 forward bullied the Dragons with his physicality whenever he stepped on the court and showed off his shooting stroke, scoring a team-high 17 points (5-of-10 from the field, 3-of-4 from three), eight rebounds, and two assists in only 20 minutes of action. If his Wednesday night performance didn’t confirm it, his scheduled eligibility hearing on November 9 will decide whether St. John’s can be a Final Four contender.

Fresh off gaining full eligibility for the 2026-27 season, Quinn Ellis didn’t let a donut hole in made field goals prevent him from making a major impact on both ends of the floor. The former EuroLeague guard dished out a team-high six assists, ripped away four steals, and even chipped in two blocks.

“We’ve got a long way to go, obviously ten new guys getting used to playing with each other,” Ellis told the media postgame. “We got a lot of talent, and I feel like we can do great things if we all get on the same page and play hard for 40 minutes.”

Of course, the Red Storm’s performance wasn’t without its warts. The Johnnies couldn’t take the lid off from beyond the arc, shooting 7-of-29 (or 2-of-25, if you exclude Sane) from three, coughed up 19 turnovers, and were matched by the Dragons on the glass with 43 rebounds. Even Sane, the night’s standout, had five giveaways.

Rick Pitino acknowledged as much, stating the team was about “three weeks to a month” behind where he wants them to be in his postgame press conference. Still, he knows the potential for this year’s team is tantalizing, even before they can become more disciplined.

“We’re just so far behind on the fundamentals, but we would rather have outstanding talent that needs to learn how to play than little talent that’s fundamentally sound,” Pitino said after the game.

The Red Storm will tip off their second exhibition contest against Rutgers on Sunday, October 18 at Madison Square Garden (12 p.m., ESPN+).