University basketball in New York City has been a complicated problem for decades. The city that lives and breathes sport, but a school has not really captured the attention of the five districts in a long time.
Nyu once a Four Four arrived in 1945. CCNY (that is City College of New York) followed them two years later, then won the national title in 1950. But a series of scandals of shaving points decimated both schools (even when Nyu reached the Final Four of 1961) to the point that they no longer competed at the di level.
It is Fordham in the Bronx, which plays in one of the oldest gyms in the United States, but they have never gone beyond the Sweet 16. The University of Long Island in Brooklyn was successful before World War II, but since then they have been a last -moment idea. Losing some appearances in rare tournaments, Wagner in Staten Island has never made waves.
Then there is St. John's: the Catholic School in the Hillcrest neighborhood of Queens. The red storm has gone through flows and flows over its years. One last four in 1952 was followed by decades of mediocrity. They produced a final team Four in 1985 with legends like Walter Berry and Chris Mullin, but could not remain dominant for a long time. Even a team possibly considered its best in 1999 was eliminated in the Eight Elite and they have not gone so far since then.
But this year? There is something special elaboration of the Union's Self -Fore. Even in a year defined by the loss of Lou Carneecca, his legendary coach who died only a few days before he turned 100, the red storm has established himself as one of the best in the country. Directed by a great of all time in Rick Pitino, this St. John team can have what is necessary to finally return to the promised land.
However, there is the problem of defending its territory in the Big East tournament. In Friday's semifinal against Marquette, the Johnnies were taken from an early hole to ensure a place in the game of the conference title on Saturday night with a 79-63 victory.
Rick Pitino and his St. John's Red Storm secured a place in the Big East championship game
Zuby Ejiofor (24) launched 33 shocking points in a victory over Marquette
Who better to lead this team than a New Yorker? When he was announced as Chief of the Johnnies in 2023, Rick Pitino had established himself as a training legend.
His curriculum speaks for himself. In his first important concert, he took Providence to the Final Four in what would be his last season. He followed a job with the New York Knicks, but was unsuccessful. Then the Kentucky concert arrived, where he won the 1996 National Championship.
Pitino left that job for an unfortunate mandate with the Boston Celtics, but returned to the university game with Louisville. He led the cardinals to three Fours Fours and the national title of 2013. That title and an appearance in Final Four in 2012 were stripped in a recruitment scandal that came at the same time as a sexual scandal that involves the coach.
He spent three years in Greece with the basketball team in Panathinaikos before returning in the United States to lead Mojor Iona. Now, he is with the red storm. Last season, the Johnnies were stolen from an NCAA tournament offer where the cake will now walk.
It is a defense -based team, one of the most efficient units in the country. Red Storm has not allowed more than 80 points from a game against Baylor in November. Your total margin of defeat in four losses? Only seven points.
Of course, there are problems: offensively, they are not good in the 3 -point shot and are inefficient in the free throw line. But their physicality when defending keeps them in the game and takes them to where they are now: a classification of the 10 best for the first time in more than two and a half decades.
They have many praise. Pitino won the coach of the Conference of the Year and was matched by the honors by the player of the year RJ Luis Jr. and the most improved player in the great Zuby Ejiofor man.
Pitino arrived in Queens last year and has already built a national team
Pitino won the coach of the year. His star striker, RJ Luis JR, won the player of the year Big East
Marquette Kam Jones Guard (1) leads against Luis (12) in the first half of the game
After hitting Butler in his first game, St. John's faced a Marquette team that played in their last regular season contest. In Milwaukee, the Johnnies forced the extra time and an ejiofor setback in the bell sealed the victory.
If the Golden Eagles had any success tonight, it would come from the star Kam Jones. The first team's guard in the entire conference had not had a single game throughout the season below the two digits and put 32 in that defeat just a few days ago.
Jones and Marquette started Hot, building a 24-9 advantage that surprised Johnnies's faithful dressed in red. A wind mill tray of the number 1 of the Golden Eagles demonstrated its outstanding value.
But when half arrived, the red storm had managed to close the gap to a two -point deficit.
Leaving the break, things remained inside a basket until approximately the brand of 15:21. A shot of the Simeon Wilcher of the Red Storm led to a failure at the other end, then an Aaron Scott basket of the Johnnies. That rolling ball led to an eventual advantage of ten points.
In the middle of the final frame, Marquette began to recover a little when the stars were in the bank due to fault problems. With less than ten minutes, Jones had three fouls and his compatriot of the rear area Chase Ross had four. In front of them, Luis was sitting after collecting his third, allowing Marquette to reduce the deficit to four in the 9:50 mark.
The impulse began to swing back to St. John's for the waiting time under leisure. A monster and an ejiofor overturned led the big man hitting his chest when the red motes throughout the building jumped from their seats. He sank his and one shot, then two more free throws in the next possession so that the advantage returns to ten.
Marquette's chief coach Shaka Smart, bricks from orders to his team in Big East's semifinals
Luis had a little free night, shooting 4 of 18 from the field, but collecting two digits
They were the heroic of Ejiofor that saved the red storm and secured a place in the championship game
The sequence that essentially frozen the game focused on ejiofor. He helped Luis a massive overturned, then went up to the court to take his own overturning. A triple lost by David Joplin de Marquette was dragged, and once again the ball reached The Big Man for an emphatic blow that forced the coach of Marquette Shaka Smart to call Timeout with the game with 70-56.
Marquette never had the opportunity to recover. Shots was lost, the defense of the Johnnies resisted and the red storm sealed his return to the title game.