Rick Pitino and St. John's are coming off one of the best regular seasons in program history, followed by a very disappointing end to the season. The Red Storm were favored to at least reach the Sweet Sixteen but were upset by Arkansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, leaving many stunned.
The game was close throughout, but in the end, the Razorbacks were able to pull away from the Johnnies. This marked another chapter in the legendary battles between John Calipari and Pitino. Arkansas simply hit shots down the stretch, while the Red Storm found it extremely difficult to score the entire game.
Pitino benched his best player, RJ Luis, which may have cost him a potential transfer. Luis spoke out about the benching incident:
“You know, just doing a better job coaching me up like he's done the whole year,” Luis said.
Pitino made more history in his second year at St. John's and is now looking ahead to year three. He warned that he would recruit heavily from the transfer portal, and he has done just that, assembling a top-tier portal class.
“A recruiting class highlighted by North Carolina transfer Ian Jackson, Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins, Arizona State transfer Joson Sanon, Cincinnati transfer Dillon Mitchell, Stanford transfer Oziyah Sellers, and international prospect Imran Suljanovic,” Gary Parrish wrote.
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Jackson, the North Carolina transfer, is a point guard entering his sophomore year but still has a lot to learn. There are many questions about whether he fits Pitino's style of play.
“I think it's gonna take time for Ian Jackson to become a Rick Pitino point guard,” Jeff Goodman said.
Jackson is being coached by one of the best in college basketball, but adjusting to a new system may take time. He is looking to make a significant leap from his first year.