One Area Rick Pitino Wants To See St. John’s Basketball Improve

The St. John's Red Storm dominated the Drexel Dragons, but Rick Pitino wasn't pleased with his team's performance in one regard.

Mar 22, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino looks on in the first half against the Kansas Jayhawks during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. John’s Red Storm had a lot of reasons to be happy after their first preseason game of the year against the Drexel Dragons at Carnesecca Arena, in which they came away with an 81-52 victory.

First and foremost, the Red Storm had their entire roster available to play. Kyle Cuffe Jr. was the only player not to participate in the game, but everyone was eligible to play if they were healthy. There are still hurdles to overcome in that regard, but things are certainly looking up for St. John’s in the eligibility department.

Two of the players who were in the midst of eligibility battles were point guard Quinn Ellis and forward Babacar Sane, both of whom were excellent against Drexel. Ellis is one of the best pure point guards in the country, and Sane dominated in every facet of the game.

It was a strong first outing for the Red Storm, but there is still plenty of work to do. Head coach Rick Pitino spoke about what he would like to see his team improve moving forward, with rebounding being one key area to focus on.

Rick Pitino wants to see Red Storm improve in rebounding

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino reacts in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Rutgers is obviously much bigger and more physical than Drexel,” Pitino said, via Adam Zagoria of NJ.com. “One disappointment tonight was rebounding. We gotta rebound much better to go against Rutgers and Texas.”

Pitino’s crew lost the rebounding battle 43-42. They surrendered 14 offensive rebounds, a number that was so high in part because their opponents missed 46 shots in the contest.

The Dragons started two players who are listed at 6-foot-9 and 220 and 225 pounds. They featured a three-guard lineup with the rest of the starting lineup listed at 6-foot-2, 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-7, but none of those three weighed more than 200 pounds.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have the 6-foot-10, 265-pound Christian Gurdak expected to anchor their lineup, which will give St. John’s a different look. Their roster has nine players who are listed at 6-foot-7 or taller.

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

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) October 15, 2026

The Texas Longhorns are projected to have a massive starting unit as well. Four of their players are listed at 6-foot-5 or taller, including their towering center Matas Vokietaitis, who is 7 feet and 255 pounds.

They also struck gold on the transfer portal, landing David Punch, a power forward from the TCU Horned Frogs, listed at 6-foot-7 and 245 pounds. They have seven players listed at 6-foot-7 or taller.

Both Power Conference programs, while Drexel hails from the CAA, it isn’t too big of a surprise that they have bigger and more physically imposing players. It will be a good challenge for the Red Storm in the early going to face off against teams with different playing profiles and see how they adjust accordingly.