St. John’s Basketball Has Concerning Achilles Heel Arising

One key skill set looks to be lacking from the St. John's Red Storm men's basketball roster.

Mar 20, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino reacts in the second half against the Northern Iowa Panthers during a first 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 have played two exhibition games thus far against the Drexel Dragons and Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

They have come away victorious in both contests, defeating Drexel 81-52 at Carnesecca Arena before beating Rutgers in a four-overtime marathon contest, 104-99 at Madison Square Garden. While both games were wins, the path to get there was vastly different.

St. John’s dominated the Dragons from the opening tip, using their athleticism to their advantage. The Scarlet Knights were a bigger, more physical team that gave the Red Storm some real fits in the first half. It was encouraging to see them settle in and battle back in the second half to get a win.

However, there is one concerning development that arose in both contests: 3-point shooting. An Achilles’ heel for St. John’s in recent years has been their inability to consistently shoot from long range, and it looks to be an issue again for this roster.

3-point shooting looks to be weakness for St. John's

Jan 3, 2026; New York, New York, USA; The center court logo for the St. John's Red Storm at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It is still incredibly early, with players developing chemistry, given some of the eligibility concerns on the roster. However, this roster looks to be short on legitimate shooting threats from the perimeter.

Against Drexel, the Red Storm shot only 7-of-29 from 3-point range. Babacar Sane connected on three out of his four attempts, meaning the rest of the team shot 4-of-25 combined. Two of those makes were from Ruben Prey and Keyshawn Hall, who both went 1-for-2.

Unfortunately, against Rutgers, it was more of the same. St. John’s shot 6-of-30, with Ian Jackson and Hall being the only players to knock down multiple attempts from distance. Jackson was 2-for-7, making him 2-of-12 through two exhibition games, while Hall was 2-for-6.

Sane’s inconsistency with his jumper was on full display, as he missed all four of his 3-point attempts. Tounde Yessoufou was 1-for-7 after a 1-for-5 debut, giving him an identical 2-for-12 line as Jackson.

St. John’s outlasts Rutgers in an exhibition at MSG, 104-99.

This one went to QUADRUPLE OT. What’s your biggest takeaway? ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/141yadw0JZ

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) October 18, 2026

Both Yessoufou and Jackson are dynamic scorers who will be tough to slow down when attacking the rim. But defenses are going to dare them to shoot, and they will have to start knocking some shots down to keep their opponents honest.

The Johnnies are going to need more from Ruben Prey as well. He fouled out in 27 minutes against the Scarlet Knights and missed his one 3-point attempt. His shooting is key to the starting lineup reaching its potential.

Having a point guard as talented as Quinn Ellis running the show will certainly help get them open looks; it will be up to them to then knock those shots down.

However, 22% from 3-point range is not going to cut it. The team has to improve its shooting; otherwise, it will face some real challenges once the games start to count.