Quinn Ellis Doing All the Right Things to Help St. John's Basketball

The St. John's Red Storm are seeing all of the right things from Quinn Ellis so far.

Oct 25, 2026; New York, NY, USA; St. John's Red Storm guard Quinn Ellis (4) brings the ball up court in the second half against the Texas Longhorns at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. John’s Red Storm will be starting up the season against Monmouth University next week, and in their final exhibition game, the team seemingly clicked. 

With a tough summer regarding eligibility, the Red Storm were a bit behind the eight-ball in terms of their preparation for the season. Rick Pitino alluded to this recently, and some ups and downs for the team are to be expected. 

However, even though he might not have been expecting a great game against the Texas Longhorns coming in, St. John’s looked fantastic in the win. The Red Storm got off to a quick start in this one and never looked back. 

Offensively, the team was aggressive in transition, and it resulted in some early easy baskets for the team. It was a really good performance for the team, and with plenty of praise to go around, Pitino spoke about the importance of his point guard Quinn Ellis and what he brings to the team. 

“Quinn dominates the game without scoring, and Ian benefits so much,” Pitino said to St. John’s On SI. “That's a terrific backcourt. But I thought Quinn dominated the game today and got the ball moving at everybody in the game. And he plays 34 minutes and doesn't have a turnover.”

Ellis Doing All the Right Things

Oct 25, 2026; New York, NY, USA; St. John's Red Storm guard Quinn Ellis (4) drives to the basket in the second half against the Texas Longhorns at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Early on, Ellis has emerged as a true floor general for the team, and he runs the offense extremely well and efficiently. Considering how much the ball is in his hands, the talented point guard not turning it over is impressive. Furthermore, it is also clear the positive impact that he is having on Ian Jackson’s game. 

Getting Jackson off the ball has been key for him, and he had a fantastic performance against Texas. Due to the talented scorers that St. John’s has on the roster, having someone to get the ball is important. That is exactly what Ellis’ role is on the team, and he does it very well. 

“Quinn is so key because everybody wants to score, and Quinn really doesn't care about that. He cares about winning. He cares about doing the right things. He cares about playing good defense, so he's really a great point guard to have with this basketball team.”

It is very clear when Pitino is talking about Ellis about the type of player that he thinks he is and what he brings to the team. A point guard is a coach on the court many times, and he is thriving so far. 

In the win over Texas, he totaled four points, seven assists, three rebounds, and most impressively zero turnovers in 34 minutes of action. Overall, it was another really solid game for Ellis, and he is going to be one of the best point guards in the country when this year is done.