St. John’s Receiving Excellent Play off Bench From Guard

The St. John’s Red Storm have gotten off to the exact kind of start head coach Rick Pitino and their fan base were hoping they would.

Through their first three games, they are 3-0. They haven’t faced much competition yet, defeating the Monmouth Hawks, Iona Gaels and Colgate Raiders all by at least 15 points. While tougher opponents lie ahead, there have been a lot of positive takeaways from how the team has performed thus far.

There may not be a team in the country that has a stronger quartet than Quinn Ellis, Ian Jackson, Tounde Yessoufou and Keyshawn Hall. Those four can match up with and overwhelm any opponent on both ends of the floor with their mix of experience and athleticism.

All four have gotten off to strong starts, but it takes more than four players to win on the basketball court. Depth is important, and St. John’s looks to finally have some they can rely on consistently, starting with backup guard Lefteris Liotopoulos.

St. John's receiving excellent contributions from Lefteris Liotopoulos

St. John’s University Red Storm guard Lefteris Liotopoulos (31) dribbles the ball. — Feb 14, 2026; Providence, Rhode Island, USA; St. John’s University Red Storm guard Lefteris Liotopoulos (31) dribbles during the first half of the game against the Providence College Friars at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Natalie Reid-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In Year 3 with the Red Storm, Liotopoulos has been a back-end of the rotation player for Pitino his first two seasons with the team. He played in 25 games as a freshman and 30 as a sophomore, but averaged only 4.8 and 7.8 minutes per game, respectively.

With guard Dylan Darling, Oziyah Sellers and Joson Sanon all transferring out of the program to the Grand Canyon Antelopes, SMU Mustangs and West Virginia Mountaineers, there were roles in the backcourt open behind Ellis and Jackson.

Liotopoulos has seized the opportunity early in the season, becoming an integral part of the team’s rotation. He is averaging 16.7 minutes per game, the most of any player who isn’t in the starting lineup.

In his time on the court, he is averaging 8.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 0.7 steals. Certainly not otherworldly production, but he is making a positive impact on the court and helping the team play at a high level to win games.

Z with the nice pass ➡️ Lefty triple 👏 pic.twitter.com/orP5DG215U
— St. John's Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) November 12, 2026

In fact, he has been one of the most impactful St. John’s players through the first three games of the campaign. As shared by ESPN Analytics, the junior guard has +9.2 cumulative Net Points thus far, putting him fifth on the team.

Liotopoulos is making his presence felt the most on defense, where his +4.3 Net Points are fourth on the team, just behind starting center Ruben Prey, who has +4.5.

On the offensive end, his 3-point shooting has been elite. He has made six out of his first 10 attempts, giving him +7.5 Net Points on 3-pointers, which is second on the team behind Jackson, who has +9.6.

Shooting was viewed as a weakness for the Red Storm coming into the season, which is an area Liotopoulos looks capable of excelling in and helping the team out consistently as a floor spacer, which will lead to more positive outings in terms of Net Points.

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