St. John’s Basketball Triumphs Over Baylor
LAS VEGAS — Ojia Sellers describes his talks with Rick Pitino as straightforward. “Shoot the ball,” he says, is often the simple directive. This past week, Sellers transferred to Stanford but not before he played a pivotal role in St. John’s 96-81 victory over Baylor at the Michelob Ultra Arena, bouncing back from a previous loss to Iowa State.
Sellers excelled, hitting five 3-pointers for the second consecutive day, logging a team-high 36 minutes on the court. Remarkably, while on the floor, St. John’s outscored Baylor by 23 points. Just a few games earlier, Sellers had struggled with his shooting, making only three 3-pointers across the first four games. Yet, he turned it around, sinking 10 out of 13 attempts in recent outings, noting he really likes the rims at the arena.
“He really wanted me to stay open, even when it was challenging,” Sellers reflected, expressing that gaining Pitino’s trust motivates him to play freely. “If I get the chance, you better believe I’m taking it.”
Bryce Hopkins also had a strong game, scoring 26 points and making three 3-pointers, an indication that his confidence in his long-range shot is growing. He mentioned, “It’s all about consistency; the work we put in helps me feel confident as opponents strategize against us.” There’s something reassuring about knowing you’ve prepared well, right?
Pitino, acknowledging the efforts, said that in his coaching career, he rarely urges players to shoot more but felt compelled to encourage Sellers and Hopkins. “Their willingness to shoot is what we needed,” he stated.
This season has been impressive for St. John’s, which is off to the best offensive start in its history, putting up an average of 95.3 points per game through the first six contests — surpassing their previous record of 95.2 set in the 1971-72 season.
After experimenting with various starting lineups in the opening games, Pitino has solidified his starting five for the last three games, marking a noteworthy period for the Red Storm, who have now made 11-of-22 3-point attempts in a single game, a season high.
