There were stretches in Tuesday’s scrimmage when Ruben Prey was St. John’s best forward. The most active of the Red Storm’s big men, cleaning up the glass, making shots, creating shots for others.
Coming off a freshman year in which he progressed late in the season, the Portuguese forward was impressive. Early on, he blocked a shot on one end and hit a 3-pointer on the other. He finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists, and a plus-33 rating.
Later on, Dillon Mitchell shined as a rim protector, ball handler and finisher. Zuby Ejiofor, the likely Big East preseason player of the year, and Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins also had strong moments.
At least in Tuesday’s open practice, the frontcourt has the makings of being elite. Ejiofor, the backbone to St. John’s second-ranked defense a year ago, was always the given after his breakout winter. Prey appears to have made a leap.