One Major Takeaway for St. John's Basketball in Win Over Monmouth

The St. John’s Red Storm were able to secure their first win of the season against the Monmouth Hawks in comfortable fashion, as expected. In the victory, there was one major takeaway for the team.

Coming into their season-opener, expectations were extremely high for St. John’s. This is a team that has the talent to make it to the Final Four this year, and Monday night was that first step toward that goal.

In the win, it was by no means perfect. With it being the first game of the season, it was expected to see both good things and bad from the team. However, the start that St. John’s got off to was impressive.

The Red Storm built a double-digit lead before the first media timeout, and they never let Monmouth get into this ball game. One of the key players for the team was none other than point guard Quinn Ellis. The talented guard is living up to the hype, and his performance was key in this game.

Ellis is as Advertised

St. John's Red Storm guard Quinn Ellis driving to the hoop — Nov 2, 2026; Queens, New York, USA; St. John's Red Storm guard Quinn Ellis (4) drives past Monmouth Hawks forward Stefanos Spartalis (10) in the second half at Carnesecca Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Easily the one main takeaway for the team is about the point guard that everyone has been talking about. Ellis was one of the top additions this offseason for St. John’s, and he arguably plays the most important role for the team.

Good point guard play was something that the team struggled with at times last year. However, with Ellis in the backcourt now, that is not going to be a problem.

On a team that has a lot of good scorers, it is Ellis who is going to be the facilitator. In the exhibition matchups, the talented guard was putting on display his ability to not only dish the ball to his teammates, but protect it at the same time as well.

In the win over Monmouth, he totaled seven assists and just one turnover. However, something that everyone will need to get used to is his ability to fill the stat sheet. In addition to the seven assists, he also totaled eight points, five rebounds, and five steals.

When St. John’s got off to their hot start defensively, it was Ellis helping lead the pressure for the team. Their full-court defense was really strong, and the length of their point guard helped create turnovers.

With it being his official debut in a regular-season game, Ellis certainly lived up to the hype. It is very clear what type of player he is going to be for St. John’s, and the true point guard will be fun to watch this year.

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