2022 Record: 18-15 (7-13)

Head Coach: Rick Pitino (Career Record 711-290)

Projected Rotation:

PG: Daniss Jenkins (Iona 15.6 Pts, 4.4 Reb, 4.9 Ast)

SG: Jordan Dingle (Penn 23.4 Pts, 3.6 Reb, 2.3 Ast)

SF: Simeon Wilcher

PF: Chris Ledlum (Harvard 18.8 Pts, 8.5 Reb, 1.6 Ast)

C: Joel Soriano (15.2 Pts, 11.9 Reb, 1.3 Ast)

6: SF Glenn Taylor (Oregon State 11.6 Pts, 3.7 Reb, 2.2 Ast)

7: SG RJ Luis (UMass 11.5 Pts, 4.6 Reb, 1.3 Ast) (Injured)

8: SG Naheim Alleyne (UConn 5.2 Pts, 1.2 Reb, 0.8 Ast)

9: C Zuby Ejiofor (Kansas 1.2 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 0.2 Ast)

10: SF Brady Dunlap

11: SG Sean Conway (VMI 12.1 Pts, 4.9 Reb, 1.4 Ast)

12: PG Cruz Davis (Iona 6.5 Pts, 1.4 Reb, 1.0 Ast)

13: SF Drissa Traore (0.6 Pts, 0.7 Reb, 0.1 Ast)

14: SF Sadiku Ibine Ayo (Iona 2.6 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.2 Ast)

The only returning starter for the Red Storm next season is big man Joel Soriano. He showcased a major jump in his production last season going from 6PPG and 5RPG to 15PPG and 12RPG. He is a great finisher around the rim and is also one of the best rebounders in the country. He should flourish once again this season and could even have a better season than last as he’s now being coached by one of the best coaches of all time. Also returning to the Red Storm this upcoming season is SF Drissa Traore. He played sparingly last season but has the size and length to make more of an impact this year.

Rick Pitino added 3 transfers from Iona this past season. The most notable being transfer PG Daniss Jenkins who may need a waiver to play this upcoming season but it was reported earlier that his waiver is likely to pass. Jenkins started every game for the Gaels last season and proved to be an efficient scorer. One of his best attributes was his passing ability where he averaged 5APG and took care of the ball really well. Another player who followed Pitino to the Red Storm is PG Cruz Davis. He showed some flashes as a freshman this past season and would fit well in a reserve roll off the bench providing backup point guard minutes. Forward Sadiku Ibine Ayo is the last Iona transfer to follow Pitino. He is more of a development project but has the chance to be an impactful player in the future.

St. John’s was really aggressive in the portal this offseason where they were able to add SG Jordan Dingle from Penn and PF Chris Ledlum from Harvard. Dingle finished 2nd in the country scoring 23PPG at Penn this past season. He is an elite efficient scorer who should have no problem transferring up a level and playing in the Big East. Dingle shot 46% from the floor and 35% from three this past season. It will also be a positive that he won’t have to do all the work like he did last year. Chris Ledlum, a Harvard transfer, was another player who was very efficient this past season. He averaged 19PPG and 9RPG while shooting 47% from the floor overall. He was originally committed to Tennessee, but opted to flip his commitment to St. John’s later in the process.

Two additional transfers that St. John’s added this offseason were Glenn Taylor from Oregon State and RJ Luis from UMass. Taylor has already been a producer during his 2 seasons at the high major level. Oregon State didn’t have the best team when he was there, but he was still able to showcase that he can be a productive player in the Pac-12. RJ Luis showed that he’s a great athlete during his lone season with UMass. He averaged double figures as a freshman showing the ability to score on all three levels. RJ Luis suffered an injury this offseason and could be out for a couple months. The Red Storm also added VMI transfer Sean Conway who will provide a bit of an offensive spark off the bench.

The final 2 transfers that St. John’s added were C Zuby Ejiofor from Kansas and SG Naheim Alleyne from UConn. Alleyne is fresh off of winning a national championship with the Huskies so he will bring that winning culture over with him to St. John’s. Alleyne also spent 3 seasons at Virginia Tech before spending this past year at UConn. Alleyne showcased better shooting splits at VT so he’s for sure capable of being a better scorer this season with St. John’s. Ejiofor is another player coming from a winning team in Kansas and will also provide some nice frontcourt depth this season. Pitino and Co also signed 2 freshman to the team this season. SF Simeon Wilcher is a top 30 recruit from New Jersey who flipped his commitment from UNC to St. John’s. He has a solid chance of being in the starting lineup. St. John’s also added Brady Dunlap who is ranked #144 in the country and is an underrated player.

St. John’s is going to be a much improved team next season which is pretty self explanatory since they brought in one of the best coaches in the country. There are always questions for a team that brings in so many new faces. This Red Storm team has the talent and a coach that can lead them to outdo expectations. St. John’s should return to the NCAA Tournament this season for the first time since 2019 where they were in the first four game. The Red Storm project to be 4th-5th in the conference standings.