Aaron Scott had his first taste of the New York crowd Saturday when he suited up at Carnesecca Arena.
Queens, New York, is a long way from Texas, but the Lone Star State native said after the Johnnies’ win over Towson that he has been “comfortable” with things since arriving in the Big Apple and working with his new teammates and coach.
“I’m locked in. I’m all comfortable,” Scott said. “Early on, it was difficult. Coming from Texas, New York and Texas are two totally different states. But I got out here in June. Me and the guys hung out off the court, on the court, and we got closer. It’s time now and we’re all locked in.”
Scott finished Saturday’s win with 11 points, along with five rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal.
He is sure to play a big role in helping St. John’s on the defensive side of the ball and impressed the Johnnies staff with his two-way ability.
The allure of New York City is part of the charm of playing for St. John’s, but for Scott, he isn’t getting too caught up in what the Big Apple has to offer.
“I’m here just for basketball,” he said. “All the extra stuff, going to the city and everything, that’s cool and all, but I came here for basketball. So it’s really getting used to nothing [away from the gym] because it’s a basketball court.”
St. John’s coach Rick Pitino wanted to see what he had in Ruben Prey and Vincent Iwuchukwu and came away with the conclusion that he has “confidence in both of them.”
Pitino gave both big men significant playing time during the win over Towson to close out their exhibition calendar.
Prey was given 16:22 of time on the floor, while Iwuchukwu started and saw 15:29 of action.
The Johnnies coach noted the difference between them and said Iwuchukwu was a “totally different type of player.”
“Ruben is the better five-man on the perimeter and the other young man is better on the inside,” Pitino said, before complimenting Prey’s movement and passing ability.
Iwuchukwu finished with eight points along with one rebound and a steal, while Prey had a pair of rebounds, two points and an assist.
Pitino indicated he had seen improvement in Iwuchukwu’s offensive game, though he also pointed out that he’d like to see him react quicker to rebounds.
“He’s just got to be a quicker twitch on the glass,” Pitino said.
Saturday’s exhibition game between St. John’s and Towson raised money for Autism Speaks, an autism advocacy group.
The cause hits close to home for Towson head coach Pat Skerry, whose son was diagnosed with autism at 18 months old.