NEW YORK, NY — It’s all about winning in New York.
Just ask longtime-winning head coach Rick Pitino, who has put St. John’s back on the map within his first two years of taking the job in Queens.
“Look, this is New York. It’s all about winning,” he said after the Red Storm’s monumental 79-71 overtime win over Xavier last night at Madison Square Garden, which featured the Johnnies erase a 16-point deficit in the second half.
“In New York, if you win, they’re going to show up. And we know that. And we’re winning right now. We’re bringing St. John’s back to where it needs to be.”
Zuby Ejiofor, Rick Pitino, and Kadary Richmond in the postgame press conference following the Red Storm’s OT win over Xavier on Wednesday night at MSG (Watch Here)- Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball
Winning to the point where the greater New York City area is indeed starting to notice as 14,545 were in attendance for Wednesday night’s slugfest — a wicked battle for most of regulation and OT, included with 12 lead changes, and seven occasions where the game was tied.
On the Red Storm’s end, they banked one three-pointer as a team, shooting at a clip of 8.3% (1-12), yet were able to overcome it all by zoning in on defense, forcing their way to the paint and taking what the Musketeer defense gave them in their mid-range opportunities.
An all-around gritty performance, one that was based on the team’s will to win.
St. John’s is off to their best overall start (17-3) since 1985-1986, a year in which they started 20-2 under the leadership of the late great head coach Lou Carnesecca – Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball
“It’s a shame Lou (Carnesecca) is not alive, he’d be very proud of this team, and the way they fight,” Pitino stated as St. John’s now sits 17-3 on the year, and 8-1 in Big East Conference play — matching the program’s best start to Big East play since 1998-1999.
Willing the Johnnies to the OT victory was graduate student guard Kadary Richmond, who arguably had his best game of his Red Storm career — dropping 19 points (9-17 FG, 1-2 FT), with seven rebounds, and five assists with no turnovers in nearly 44 minutes played.
Richmond, causing issues for Xavier on both sides of the hardwood all night, spent just one minute on the bench, and became the go-to weapon, scoring 11 of his 19 points in the second half and overtime. He also tallied three steals to go along with one block.
To help lead the Johnnies to victory over Xavier on Wednesday night, Kadary Richmond was as clutch as one could be in the second half and OT – Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball
“I try to approach every game the same, but tonight, I feel like I was more aggressive and took what the defense gave me,” Richmond said of his performance. “My teammates kept giving me confidence throughout the year. So, I feel this was one of my best games in a St. John’s uniform.”
In addition to Richmond, Dominican-Ecuadorian junior wing RJ Luis Jr., going scoreless in the first half, turned it up out of halftime, recording 16 points (5-13 FG, 6-6 FT) in the remaining 20 minutes of regulation and OT.
Same goes for the determined junior forward Zuby Ejiofor, totaling 12 of his 16 points (7-11 FG, 2-5 FT) throughout the second half and OT.
In the Red Storm’s OT win over Xavier, Zuby Ejiofor recorded his ninth game of the season with 16 or more points – Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball
“I’m a sore loser,” Ejiofor explained when asked what got him going in the second half. “I never want to lose any games… I think my motor keeps me going, just having a really high motor, and my will and desire to win and not let my teammates down.”
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