{"id":209819,"date":"2025-10-08T19:31:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T19:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/209819\/"},"modified":"2025-10-08T19:31:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T19:31:07","slug":"rick-pitinos-red-storm-is-bigger-and-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/209819\/","title":{"rendered":"Rick Pitino’s Red Storm Is Bigger and Better"},"content":{"rendered":"

St. John\u2019s basketball<\/a> is almost back. The Red Storm open their 2025\u201326 regular season on November 3 at Carnesecca Arena against Quinnipiac, as Rick Pitino\u2019s<\/a> third year at the helm gets underway.<\/p>\n

After last year\u2019s second-round exit at the hands of Arkansas<\/a>, Pitino\u2019s squad has been revamped with an influx of new talent and high expectations as one of the nation\u2019s biggest movers in both the transfer portal and NIL activity.<\/p>\n

RJ Luis Jr.,<\/a> the team\u2019s leader scorer last year, is gone \u2014 now signed to a two-way contract with the Boston Celtics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Key contributors Simeon Wilcher and Brady Dunlap have also departed. But the Johnnies have once again capitalized on NIL opportunities, turning turnover into transformation with one of the strongest incoming classes in the country.<\/p>\n

Meet St. John\u2019s New Faces in 2025-26<\/p>\n

Headlining the new arrivals in Queens is Bronx-born Ian Jackson<\/a>, who transferred home after a freshman season at North Carolina<\/a>, where he was underutilized under head coach Hubert Davis.<\/p>\n

Jackson \u2014 once projected as an NBA lottery pick \u2014 brings explosive scoring and athleticism. Pitino\u2019s challenge will be to mold him into a complete two-way player, improving his playmaking and defensive instincts. If he succeeds, Jackson could vault back into 2026 NBA Draft<\/a> discussions.<\/p>\n

Jackson joins a reloaded roster that also features Bryce Hopkins<\/a> from Providence<\/a>, Joson Sanon<\/a> from Arizona State, Oziyah Sellers from Stanford, and Dillon Mitchell from Cincinnati \u2014 a lineup stacked with wings and forwards who can score from all levels and fit Pitino\u2019s uptempo style.<\/p>\n

Pitino also added backcourt grit in Dylan Darling, a tenacious point guard from Idaho State, and frontcourt depth with Handje Tamba, a 6\u201911\u201d rim protector who brings size and energy.<\/p>\n

St. John\u2019s Flexes NIL Power<\/p>\n

Returning starter Zuby Ejiofor<\/a> anchors the interior after re-signing under a major NIL deal, symbolizing how far St. John\u2019s has come in leveraging financial power to build a roster capable of contending deep into March.<\/p>\n

That NIL edge \u2014 fueled by longtime donor and entrepreneur Mike Repole<\/a> \u2014 has made St. John\u2019s one of the most well-funded and ambitious programs in the nation.<\/p>\n

The Red Storm once again rank near the top nationally in NIL investment, allowing Pitino to pair elite coaching with unmatched roster resources.<\/p>\n

2025-26 St. John\u2019s Basketball: Schedule and Tickets<\/p>\n

Exhibition Games<\/p>\n

Saturday, October 18, 2025 | vs. Towson | Carnesecca Arena, Queens, NY | 2:00 PM | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, October 25, 2025 | vs. Michigan | Madison Square Garden, NYC | 7:00 PM | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Regular Season<\/p>\n

Monday, November 3, 2025 | vs. Quinnipiac | Carnesecca Arena, Queens, NY | Time TBA | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, November 8, 2025 | vs. Alabama | Madison Square Garden, NYC | 12:00 PM | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, November 15, 2025 | vs. William & Mary | Carnesecca Arena, Queens, NY | 6:00 PM | | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Thursday, November 20, 2025 | vs. Bucknell | Carnesecca Arena, Queens, NY | 7:00 PM | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Monday, November 24, 2025 | vs. Iowa State | Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas | 11:00 AM | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuesday, November 25, 2025 | vs. Baylor | Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas | 11:30 AM | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, December 6, 2025 | vs. Ole Miss | Madison Square Garden, NYC | 8:00 PM | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, December 13, 2025 | vs. Iona | Madison Square Garden, NYC | Time TBA | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuesday, December 16, 2025 | vs. DePaul | Carnesecca Arena, Queens, NY | 1:00 PM | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, December 20, 2025 | vs. Kentucky | State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA | Time TBA | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuesday, December 23, 2025 | vs. Harvard | Carnesecca Arena, Queens, NY | 6:00 PM | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Wednesday, December 31, 2025 | at Georgetown | Capital One Arena, Washington, DC | TBA | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, January 3, 2026 | vs. Providence | Madison Square Garden, NYC | Time TBA | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuesday, January 6, 2026 | at Butler | Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN | Time TBA | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, January 10, 2026 | at Creighton | CHI Health Center, Omaha, NE | 1:00 PM | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuesday, January 13, 2026 | vs. Marquette | Madison Square Garden, NYC | 6:30 PM | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, January 17, 2026 | at Villanova | Xfinity Mobile Arena (formerly Wells Fargo Center), Philadelphia, PA | 1:00 PM | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuesday, January 20, 2026 | vs. Seton Hall | Madison Square Garden, NYC | 7:00 PM | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, January 24, 2026 | at Xavier | Cintas Center, Cincinnati, OH | TBA | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Wednesday, January 28, 2026 | vs. Butler | Madison Square Garden, NYC | TBA | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuesday, February 3, 2026 | at DePaul | Wintrust Arena, Chicago, IL | TBA | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Friday, February 6, 2026 | vs. UConn | Madison Square Garden, NYC | TBA | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Monday, February 9, 2026 | vs. Xavier | Madison Square Garden, NYC | TBA | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, February 14, 2026 | at Providence | Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, RI | TBA | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 | at Marquette | Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI | 8:00 PM | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, February 21, 2026 | vs. Creighton | Madison Square Garden, NYC | 12:00 PM | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 | at UConn | PeoplesBank Arena (formerly XL Center), Hartford, CT | TBA | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, February 28, 2026 | vs. Villanova | Madison Square Garden, NYC | TBA | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuesday, March 3, 2026 | vs. Georgetown | Madison Square Garden, NYC | 1:00 PM | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Friday, March 6, 2026 | at Seton Hall | Prudential Center, Newark, NJ | TBA | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Wednesday, March 11, 2026 | Big East Tournament (All Sessions, March 11\u201314) | Madison Square Garden, NYC | Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"St. John\u2019s basketball is almost back. The Red Storm open their 2025\u201326 regular season on November 3 at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":209820,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[79916,402,18365,120018,46750,4044,117214,120019,120020,398,400,401,2005,1999,31954,14601,99,53625,14603],"class_list":["post-209819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ncaa-basketball","tag-2026-nba-draft","tag-basketball","tag-big-east","tag-big-east-basketball","tag-bryce-hopkins","tag-college-basketball","tag-ian-jackson","tag-joson-sanon","tag-mike-repole","tag-ncaa","tag-ncaa-basketball","tag-ncaabasketball","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-queens","tag-rick-pitino","tag-sports","tag-st-johns-basketball","tag-zuby-ejiofor"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}