St. John's is ready to run

Good morning! May you have energy like Rick Pitino today.

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1. St. John’s is talented … and ‘positionless’?

Hope you’re ready for another season of St. John’s as a Top 10 mainstay.

As Rob Dauster and John Fanta discussed during their Offseason Grades episode, few teams boast more talent than the Johnnies. Their blend of experience, size, shooting, and defenders will make them one of the sport’s more potent lineups.

And, as always, coach Rick Pitino offered his own superlatives about his squad after an open scrimmage on Tuesday.

Who’s going to run the offense? It could be UNC transfer Ian Jackson, or Idaho State transfer Dylan Darling. Or whomever has the ball.

“The point guard is totally done in basketball,” he said. "There are no point guards anymore. If you find it, you’d probably describe it as a guy who can’t shoot

Pitino went on: “We’re positionless. I didn’t expect Dillon [Mitchell] and Bryce [Hoplkins] to lead the team in assists, but Zuby [Ejiofor]’s improved his passing, Ruben [Prey]’s improved his passing, so it’s great to see. The first month of practice, Oziyah [Sellers] was the best by far, but the last 3 weeks, it’s been Kelvin [Odih].

Pitino also went on about Odih, a 6-4 freshman.

“Kelvin Odih’s been the best motor of the summer, totally unexpected, blows everybody away," Pitino said. He’s relentless, unguardable, and improved his jump shot, but that’s so unusual for a freshman. But it’s been a high-motor summer for most of these guys.” Guess Pitino had a change of heart from earlier this year when he dismissed high school players as factors in college hoops.

Also key? The health of Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins. The 6-7 wing was an All-Big East player in 2022-23, but tore his ACL the next year and playing sparingly last season. He looks pretty good now.

Hopkins averaged 15.8 ppg and 8.5 rpg in his last fully healthy season. He could be a monster next to Ejiofor.

But it’s a Pitino-coached team. Expect defense to be the priority, and for the rotation to be deep. And if it’s a Top 10 mainstay, even better.

2. Power 4 league now have power voting

The divide between the smaller conferences and power conferences continues to grow.

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