After defensive issues cost the team games last year, Rick Pitino has criticized the St. -He repeatedly lamented Johns' shortcomings.
When you think of how St. John's roster has improved, the first person that comes to mind is Aaron Scott.
For seniors, defense comes first. Otherwise, you can't play at North Texas.
He has good size on the wing at 6 feet 7 inches.
His lateral speed is clearly an asset, as he can basically guard any position.
It was all on display Monday night in St. John's season opener against Fordham.
In Scott's 24 minutes, St. John's was plus-29.
He had 12 points, two 3-pointers, and added five rebounds, two steals and two assists.
He did the little things that winning players do, like diving for loose balls, creating deflections, and helping teammates when they were taken down off the dribble.
Among the rookies, Scott was overshadowed by the flashier additions of coveted point guard Cadary Richmond and Davon Smith.
He never averaged more than 11 points in his three years at North Texas.
However, he was a key part of the team that went 75-29 during that span and won the 2023 NIT.
Pitino told the Post before the season that Scott and Zubie Ejiofor were the most consistent workers on the team.
On Monday night, he struck a different tone, downplaying Scott's performance, which seemed strong to this reporter.
“I thought he was good tonight. I want to see greatness. … I love Aaron, he's a great guy. I thought he was good tonight, but I didn't think he was great,” the Hall of Fame coach said. Ta. “He has great ability as a senior, and he will attest to that.”
Pitino has very high expectations for Scott.
On opening night, he looked like the missing piece a year ago.
Here are some other takeaways from St. John's season opener.
A surprising transfer
The biggest surprise for me was how good Vince Iwchuk looked after transferring from USC.
He outperformed starter Ejiofor against Fordham and was St. John's best big man.
At 7-foot-1, Iwchuk is a fluid athlete who moves well for his size, can defend on the perimeter and has great touch at the free-throw line.
Pitino then said that Iwuchukwu and fellow reserve player Ruben Prey, a 6-foot-10 Portuguese import, have really improved over the past 10 days.
Entering the season, frontcourt depth was a question mark.
On Monday, the two showed very promising signs, scoring 12 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 25 productive minutes.
learning experience
I thought Pitino's take on Ejiofor's off night was interesting.
The new starting center had just five points and one rebound in a quiet 21 minutes.
Pitino thought Ejiofor learned more than any other St. John's player because Fordham protected him and always put his body on the line.
“I told Zuby you're not a backup anymore, you're a starter. That means they're going to block you on every shot and you have to move before you get blocked.” said Pitino. “He's no longer a backup where they don't respect him. He has to understand now that he's one of the core players on this basketball team and a target. So he has to learn from this game. Must be.”
rough 3 point shot
I wasn't too worried about the 3-point shot.
Obviously that's not a strength, but I'm not going to give too much credit to his debut game where he had 9 hits in 26 at bats.
Scott and RJ Lewis both made a few threes, and Brady Dunlap and Simeon Wilcher each hit one three.
Those four were considered the best shooters on the team, going 3-for-6 from 14.
I felt like there were a lot of hurried attempts overall, partly because I was nervous about my first actual battle.
St. John's moved the ball well in the second half, finishing with 13 assists on 20 field goals, but went 6-of-15 from deep for a 40% clip.
He needs to hit well beyond the arc to keep the defense honest and not crowd the paint.
There is a possibility.
Star players off the bench
It's clear how dynamic St. John's sixth man Davon Smith is when he just reacts without overthinking.
We saw it in the second half of the Rutgers exhibition and against Fordham.
He is still adjusting to his new surroundings after missing the preseason with shoulder and hamstring injuries.
But the 6-foot guard, who had five triple-doubles with Utah last season, has a natural talent that can't be taught.
He has incredibly quick hands, is bad with the ball, and is a strong passer.
In one stretch, he found Dunlap for a 3-pointer, set up Iwuchukwu for a dunk, and outran defenders as if he wasn't in a layup along the baseline.
He had five points, six assists, and three steals in 19 minutes. Smith will only get better as the years go on.
