St. John’s basketball is back, and so is Rick Pitino’s flair for stirring conversation. The Hall of Fame coach, who transformed the Red Storm from a struggling Big East squad to a 31-5 powerhouse last season, kept the momentum rolling as they kicked off the 2025-26 campaign.
The Red Storm went up against Towson in an exhibition match and won 73-63. It wasn’t pretty with offensive struggles early on, but it was a win. And for a team with 10 new faces and massive expectations, that’s enough to make things interesting.
Despite the win, Pitino’s post-game comments struck a different chord with the fandom.
Rick Pitino Calls It a ‘Good Win’, But Was It Too ‘Sloppy’ for Fans to Agree?
After the final buzzer had gone off, the Red Storm may have finished strong, but not everyone in Queens was celebrating. So much so that Pitino went to X to share his thoughts about the game. “What do I think? Good win over a well-coached team. 10 new players that must learn each other in a hurry,” wrote Pitino.
To Pitino, the game was exactly what preseason basketball should be. It was messy, fast, and full of lessons. However, the word “good” might’ve been a stretch for fans. One fan who claimed to be at Carnesecca Arena said what many thought.
“Hey, coach! Was at the game today, and you can tell the guys need some time to become cohesive… Question: Why were Captain Jack (Ian Jackson) and Odih (Oziyah Sellers) on such short leashes?” wrote the fan. It is a fair question, considering that Pitino swapped lineups real quick.
The quick rotations were part of Pitino’s strategy to test chemistry, but they also made it hard for anyone to find rhythm early. With so many new faces on the team, the offensive struggle was almost painful in the first half.
To make things worse, there was a mix-up between Sellers and Jackson, which saw Sellers fire a pass straight into Jackson’s back within seconds of play. Moments later, Jackson airballed the team’s first shot. The team shot just 33% in the first half, 12% from three-point range, and had a 29-21 deficit to Towson, with fans questioning everything.
As another fan puts it, “They looked sloppy.” Despite what could be called ‘sloppy’, Pitino’s squad came back with a 33-8 run in the second half, led by Bryce Hopkins. Hopkins alone made 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Glimpses of Red Storm’s athleticism and depth, which were major offseason talking points, were finally seen.
In Pitino’s mind, that second-half surge justified his calm post-game approach. But not everyone was buying it. One fan even wrote, “Coach, what have you been doing the past six months? These kids should be ready to play together by now.” That is an expected reaction purely because of the expectations Pitino has built.
In Pitino’s first season at St. John’s, he took the team from an 18-15 overall team in 2022-23 to a 20-13 team in 2023-24. Then, he followed that with a 31-5 overall season. And with a top-five national ranking to start the year, patience isn’t something fans are packing this fall.
Then came the sarcasm, with a fan writing, “Good luck with those drama queen divas, coach!” That jab, perhaps, was for the parade of new transfers. Pitino himself admitted the players were “tight” and nervous in front of the home crowd, suggesting the chemistry issues were more about jitters than ego. Still, the grumbles didn’t stop.
Summing up the frustration, one fan wrote, “Coach, start with layup lines. Particularly Zuby. WTF.” Despite his rough early moments, Zuby Ejiofor ended the night with nine points. For Pitino, that’s the story worth telling.
“I couldn’t ask for a better opener,” Pitino said post-game. “It was a great first game for us because we learned so much.” Learning seems to be Pitino’s mantra as the Red Storm looks ahead to their next test against Michigan at Madison Square Garden.
Fans may not be ready to celebrate just yet. But if history is testimony, Pitino usually finds a way to turn early criticism into late-season praise. And with this much talent on the floor, he might just do it again.
