Charles Wenzelberg
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There was an innocence about this St. John’s season, an unbridled joy as the victories piled up.
It had been so long since the program had so much success. In a way, it was unexpected, despite Rick Pitino’s well-documented history of his teams taking massive leaps in his second season.
The NCAA Tournament was viewed as the goal, and the Johnnies achieved so much more than that. They won 31 games, equaling the most wins in program history. They set a number of other benchmarks, from their first outright Big East regular-season crown since 1985 to their first Big East Tournament title in 25 years to their first NCAA Tournament win dating back to 2000.
This was a team, remember, that was picked to finish fifth in the league. Instead, they dominated the conference, going 18-2 and cruising to the tournament championship with three double-digit victories. RJ Luis Jr. and Zuby Ejiofor became major stars in their second seasons in Queens, while transfers Kadary Richmond, Deivon Smith and Aaron Scott were immediate difference-makers. The city wrapped its arms around this hard-working group, filling up the Garden, following the team to Providence for the NCAA Tournament.