Before the start of the game, two matters were of particular concern to St. John’s fans. One was the defensive performance of the team, particularly the Red Storm guards defending opponents, who were both deadly from out deep and also had an attacking nature towards the rim. One fan summed it up, “We have athletes, yes, but no Kadary Richmond to control opposing guards who are aggressive-minded when having the ball.” Another fan agreed, then added, “members of the team stated that they spent the whole
past week on defense and that fans would see a different team against William & Mary.” The consensus was that an assessment of the team must be taken one game at a time.
Another group, after brief comments about the guards, expressed a primary concern that the Johnnies, like any championship team, must identify a player as point guard and develop an offense around him. When someone shared their understanding that Coach Pitino had suggested in the preseason that he might go without a point guard, there was silence. Fans were unwilling to support such a concept.
There was a reaction to Dylan Darling, who everyone agreed had skills, but some felt was more suited to be a shooting guard. One fan mentioned that Ian Jackson’s name was raised as a potential point guard at the beginning of the season. Another fan stated that it was best to wait until the season progressed, to which most agreed. It is way too early to pass judgment.
Fans were not ready to prognosticate about St. John’s’ success against Iowa State, Baylor, and Ole Miss in the near future. A couple of fans stated they are really looking forward to the Kentucky game in December. Fans would be pleased if the team could win three out of the four. Such a record would be very satisfactory to most fans.
First Half
In front of what seemed a full house at Carnesecca Arena, the Red Storm and the Tribe shared three pointers. Oziyah Sellers and Ruben Prey then hit layups to pull the Johnnies ahead by four. Kyle Pulliam made the second of seven long-range jumpers for the Tribe in the first half to draw William & Mary within one point with three minutes gone by. The Tribe was presenting a reliable touch from out deep.
In response, St. John’s displayed their quickness, pushing the ball down the court whenever the opportunity arose, often converting drives to the basket and executing dunks. At halftime, the Johnnies had scored thirty-nine points distributed quite evenly. Bryce Hopkins and Joson Sanon each led the way with nine points, and Dillon Mitchell had six. Four teammates scored five or six points. It was a well-distributed offense. Turnovers were relatively even, with five for St. John’s and nine for William & Mary.
The Tribe had hit seven threes at a 37% rate. That was too high for the athletic Johnnies. Would the team find an answer to lock down William & Mary players and force them into rushed, long-range three-point attempts? This was the question on the fans’ minds at halftime.
Second Half
Dylan Darling began to assert himself as a leader at the point guard position. Darling was a “look first” playmaker, and his teammates appeared to look for him upon breaking across midcourt, beating a half-hearted William & Mary press. Darling would go on to lead the Johnnies with 35 minutes of playing time.
The other play setter was Zuby Ejiofor, who would come out high in the post and set screens for teammates to cut off from. As the game wore on, Ejiofor found opportunities to attack the basket from the post and drew fouls, hitting five of six free throws. He also had five rebounds and four assists.
Ruben Prey was also outstanding, not so much in points scored but in all other aspects of the game. He was rebounding, particularly on the offensive boards, putting back teammate misses for scores. He had two steals, and during a five-minute period of the second half, when St. John’s spurted ahead, it was a Prey steal and feed to Hopkins that increased the Johnnies’ lead to eighteen at 54-36.
The lead ballooned to 31 with ten minutes to play on an Ejiofor jumper, and Coach Pitino began subbing his entire bench over the last ten minutes.
Five players scored in double figures, Hopkins (15 points), Sanon (15 points), and Sellers (13 points) joining Ejiofor and Darling.
Takeaway #1: The Red Storm may have found their point guard
Most fans agreed that, in the loss to Alabama, the Red Storm was outplayed by the Crimson Tide’s incredible guards. But that St. John’s team did not have Dylan Darling. Though admittedly, he has work to do on his defense, in this game, Darling stepped up on offense.
Darling, in particular, was at his best when pressured, and he had teammates on the wings who responded. Coach Pitino added in a post-game interview, “Dylan was magnificent at breaking pressure. Made us so much a better basketball team.”
In the Alabama game, the Johnnies committed more turnovers than Alabama did. Would a healthy Darling for that game have made a significant difference?
Takeaway #2: St. John’s clamped down on defense after halftime
William & Mary sank nine three-point goals in the game, but only two of those made triples came in the second half, even though three-point attempts by William & Mary would have been one way to combat a growing deficit. Adjustments made during halftime interrupted the set run by William & Mary that was easily freeing teammates behind screens. The Johnnies became more aggressive in passing lanes and quicker to loose balls.
Takeaway #3: Pitino will mix and match his backcourt
The Johnnies have three front-court players who have played well: Zuby Ejiofor, Dillon Mitchell, and Ruben Prey. They will provide defense, rebounding, and offense, often coming from put-backs after offensive rebounding. Then there are three quick, athletic guards to play off-ball: Joson Sanon, Ian Jackson, and Oziyah Sellers. The choice of lineups depends on the opponent, as Pitino might use Sanon or Jackson for more size, or Sellers if they need a confident shooter and ball-handler. Time will tell how the rotation shakes out through the season.
Looking ahead
It is way too early to make a call on how good this St. John’s team can be, as the Johnnies are no doubt a talented unit with a high ceiling that plays with an edge. It will be up to the coaching staff to mold them into a cohesive unit, much like it did with last year’s team. The talent is there. Will the commitment emerge from this squad, and will they band together like the 2024-25 Johnnies?
