Overview
- Coach Rick Pitino graded the preseason a C-minus after a 3-0 exhibition run in October and warned the team is “fundamentally very poor,” calling the Rutgers game an F and Drexel a D.
- St. John's rebuilt quickly in the offseason and now lists 11 new players as it replaces NBA draftees Zuby Ejiofor, Dillon Mitchell and Bryce Hopkins.
- Two key newcomers, Babacar Sane and Keyshawn Hall, are currently playing under temporary restraining orders and Sane has an eligibility hearing scheduled for Nov. 9, leaving their availability provisional.
- Exhibitions highlighted scoring from arrivals such as Sane, Hall and Tounde Yessoufou and showed a backcourt led by Ian Jackson and Quinn Ellis, but Pitino says fundamentals and cohesion remain the main issues.
- A loaded early schedule that includes the Players Era event, a home game with Arizona at Madison Square Garden and a road trip to Alabama will quickly determine whether the new roster can turn talent into consistent, March-caliber play.