3 Biggest Takeaways for St. John’s Basketball vs. Drexel

The St. John's Red Storm had a lot to like in their first exhibition game against the Drexel Dragons.

Oct 1, 2026; New York, NY, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino speaks at 2026 Big East Media Day at Marriott Marquis. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. John’s Red Storm took the court for the first time in the 2026-27 season, hosting the Drexel Dragons at Carnesecca Arena in an exhibition game.

St. John’s had a strong showing, defeating their CAA opponent 81-52. Head coach Rick Pitino had his whole roster available to play, with the only absence belonging to Kyle Cuffe Jr., who didn’t warm up and ended up not taking the court.

First impression, this team is going to be a lot for opponents to handle; there is a ton of talent up and down the roster. It was only one exhibition, but there was still plenty to evaluate. Here are three of the biggest takeaways for the Red Storm from their win.

Quinn Ellis Two-Way Impact

Final box from Sr. John’s pic.twitter.com/3fkeIxNB43

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) October 15, 2026

Just over 24 hours before St. John’s took the court against Drexel, the team received the excellent news of their point guard, Quinn Ellis, being deemed eligible. An international player, it was proven he didn’t get paid more than to live above his means.

Now that he is in the mix permanently, the Red Storm have a legitimate court general. Ellis has performed at a high level in EuroLeague and for the Great Britain National Team and brought that impact immediately to St. John’s.

He showcased his elite playmaking with six assists and only two turnovers. His impact was felt on defense with four steals and two blocks. Listed at 6-foot-5, he made an impact on the boards as well, grabbing six rebounds. Ellis won’t even need to score 10 points per game to make a major impact.

3-Point Shooting Struggles

If there was one underwhelming aspect of the Red Storm performance, it was their 3-point shooting. Babacar Sane went 3-for-4 and was the only player to knock down multiple attempts; the rest of the team combined to shoot 4-for-25 from 3-point range.

Ruben Prey and Keyshawn Hall both went 1-for-2 and can certainly function as stretch-bigs. This is going to be something to keep an eye on throughout the season; it looks to be the only true Achilles’ heel the team has entering the campaign after making only 24.1% of their attempts.

Dominant Frontcourt

Feb 24, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears guard Tounde Yessoufou (24) scores a basket against Arizona Wildcats forward Tobe Awaka (30) during the first half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There is a lot of talent on this roster, but where St. John’s is going to hold their biggest advantage is in the frontcourt. Tounde Yessoufou and Sane are going to overwhelm opponents at the forward spots with their size and strength.

Opponents won’t get a breather when the second unit comes in, with Reed Bailey and Hall coming off the bench. Slowing that group down is going to be a tall task night in and night out, before even taking into consideration having to stop Ian Jackson.