Rick Pitino Excited for Upside of St. John’s Basketball Team

The upside of the St. John's Red Storm entering the men's basketball season is immense.

Mar 20, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino talks in a press conference after a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Northern Iowa Panthers at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There may not be a men’s basketball team in the country that has as wide-ranging expectations as the St. John’s Red Storm.

As things currently stand, the team has everyone on its roster available to play. That includes Keyshawn Hall and Reed Bailey, who are seeking a fifth year of eligibility, and international prospect Babacar Sane, who has a hearing set for Nov. 9.

In St. John’s first preseason game of the year against the Drexel Dragons, some of that upside was on display. The team won in dominating fashion, 81-52. Naturally, head coach Rick Pitino saw areas that his team could improve upon, such as rebounding.

They are going to be facing off against bigger and more physical teams with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Texas Longhorns in their next two preseason games. Those two opponents will present their own set of obstacles, but Pitino loves the upside of his squad.

St. John's has as high of upside as any team

Mar 14, 2026; New York, NY, USA; St. John's Red Storm guard Ian Jackson (11) following the men's Big East Conference Tournament Championship against the Connecticut Huskies at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I really love our upside, but we’re behind on our fundamentals,” said Pitino, via Adam Zagoria of NJ.com. “You would rather have outstanding talent that needs to learn how to play than a little bit of talent that’s fundamentally sound. We have a lot of improvements to make, but I was impressed with how hard they played defensively and did a lot of good things.”

Turnovers are assuredly one of the fundamentals Pitino is referencing. Against Drexel, the Red Storm turned the ball over 19 times while producing only 17 assists. Sane had the most turnovers with five, epitomizing the incredible upside but just how much work remains to be done.

Outside of the turnovers, he was dominant with 17 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Hall, who came off the bench in this one, scored nine points with five rebounds and two assists.

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

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) October 15, 2026

That is a lot of firepower at the forward spot before even getting to Tounde Yessoufou, the five-star transfer from the Baylor Bears. Bailey had eight points and five rebounds off the bench, as St. John’s has an embarrassment of riches in the frontcourt.

Bringing it all together is point guard Quinn Ellis. Cleared the day before the exhibition against the Dragons, his playmaking ability is going to be key to this team. He isn’t going to have to take many shots to make his presence felt, handing out six assists and turning the ball over only twice. He also had four steals and two blocks, putting his 6-foot-5 frame to use.

This team is loaded with talent. As long as everyone remains eligible, Pitino has arguably the best team of his tenure in Queens and a squad that can contend for a title.