The Red Storm’s lockdown defense continues to win them games, Aaron Scott’s three-point resurgence, plus more
Among the many fans at the 1870 Club before the game was an optimistic group of young people. These young people, whose recall of stellar years of St. John’s basketball went back to the 2010 team featuring the likes of Justin Burrell, D. J. Kennedy, and Dwight Hardy, were optimistic that this year’s team could rival the success of that team. When asked for a prediction, one 26-year-old shared that an Elite Eight appearance would be considered a “successful season.” A more seasoned fan replied, “Only if we find someone to step up and shoot like Dwight Hardy.”
In pregame warmups, the Johnnies were focused on three-point shooting, not just by the guards but by everyone. The regular layup drills were shortened and replaced by repetitive shooting from the corners, the wings, and beyond the arc. It was clear where the focus of this Red Storm has recently been.
First half
Starting for the Red Storm were Kadary Richmond, Zuby Ejiofor, R.J. Luis, Simeon Wilcher, and Aaron Scott. In front of an energized crowd of 12,000, the Johnnies started well, with Richmond stepping into a passing lane for a steal and hitting Wilcher for a layup and a 2-0 lead. Tight defense by Ejiofor created a Hoya turnover. The crowd began chanting, “Let’s Go Johnnies,” and all seemed well. It was not. Over the next nine minutes, Georgetown went on a 17-1 run led by Freshman Thomas Sorber’s five points.
Hoyas on a 13-1 run #HoyaSaxa pic.twitter.com/3lUPqSKu22
— Georgetown Hoops (@GeorgetownHoops) January 15, 2025
At the 7:57 mark of the half, the Hoyas were up 21 to 9 and were surprisingly outrebounding the Johnnies 19 to 6 with as many offensive rebounds (six) as the Johnnies had total rebounds. The edge in rebounding not only cut back on the Red Storms’ usual scoring on offensive putbacks, but it also led to runouts by an athletic Hoya team, taking advantage of attacking the Johnnies’ vaulted defense before it set up.
The only positive for the Johnnies was seeing Scott hit a “three” from the top of the key. Remembering reports that Scott had been an accurate long-distance shooter in past years, a fan commented, “Boy, do we need him to get hot.”
Around-the-horn quick passing from Richmond to Ejiofor to Glover found Luis free in the right corner for a three, cutting the Hoya lead to ten 25-15. Georgetown pulled ahead 29-15 behind the game’s high score, Micah Peavy’s two layups. The Johnnies responded as Lefteris Liotopouos hit a three at 4:25, and Scott’s second three kept the game within reach, with the Johnnies down by ten, 37-27 at the half.
Lefteris “Lefty” Liotopoulos gives us some life off the bench pic.twitter.com/A6DRkH8q8x
— St. John’s Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) January 15, 2025
Halftime
The rebounding advantage of the Hoyas in the first half (23-9) was inexcusable for a Red Storm team that had recently been dominating opponents on the backboards. The only stat that favored the Johnnies was the small number of turnovers in the half (5) compared to the Hoyas nine.
One fan summarized the Johnnies’ hopes as the second half began, “With fifteen minutes to play, the Johnnies will be down by five or fifteen. Let’s hope it is five.”
Second half
In the first minute of the half, Georgetown extended its lead to 14, and the Red Storm fan’s prediction showed the game moving in the wrong direction. However, the defensive rebounding and ball movement, rarely seen in the first half, emerged with Richmond feeding Luis, who canned a corner three, dropping the Hoya’s advantage to eleven.
After two minutes in the half, Scott took down a rebound and fed Ejiofor, who forwarded it to Richmond. Richmond found Scott open in the corner and passed to him. Scott swished his third three for the day, dropping the Hoya lead to six, 41-35.
The teams traded baskets, and a Hoya turnover gave the Red Storm the ball with 16 minutes to play. Ejiofor had the ball eight feet from the basket in the paint. Richmond cut around him and freed himself from his defender, who received a short pass from Ejiofor and hit a ten-footer. Suddenly, the deficit was four.
12-2 run for the Johnnies!!!! pic.twitter.com/QymDDzv4Ym
— St. John’s Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) January 15, 2025
The Red Storm’s defense forced the Hoyas to attempt an awkward shot as the 30-second clock ran low. At the media timeout at the 15:29 mark, the St. John’s fan who predicted that with five minutes gone in the half, the Hoyas’ lead would be five or fifteen smiled.
With the lead down to two and 13 minutes to play, the Johnnies fed Ejiofor underneath. The Hoya defense collapsed, and Ejiofor found Scott alone in the left corner. Scott promptly put up a three from the left corner. Swish! The Johnnies were ahead, 44-43, for the first time since they led 2-0 in the game’s opening minute.
A. SCOTT FOR THREE‼️
→ 17-2 run for the Red Storm ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/VPiXkYzS0a
— St. John’s Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) January 15, 2025
At about this time, the videoboard above the court flashed a picture of the last, genuinely reliable St. John’s three-point shooter who happened to be present at the game, none other than Dwight Hardy. The crowd gave Hardy a round of applause, and the timing was magical.
Dwight Hardy in the house! pic.twitter.com/rOLLtzkWcA
— Rumble In The Garden (@rumbleSBN) January 15, 2025
The Johnnies’ full-court pressure was not causing turnovers, but they were bleeding time off the thirty-second clock. Instead of beginning their offensive sets with twenty-five seconds to shoot, the Hoyas found it was now closer to twenty seconds when they got into their halfcourt offense. The Johnnies were also taking care of defensive boards, and the Hoyas were not getting the breakaways they had in the first half. The tide was turning.
But Peavy of Georgetown was not giving in. He scored five points in two and a half minutes, and the Hoyas were again ahead 50-46 with 9:25 to play.
Layups by Luis and Richmond tied the score at 50-50. Coming out for a brief rest, Luis returned and, driving hard to the basket, drew a foul. Hitting both free throws, the Johnnies were once again ahead by two. This time, it was for good.
With the Johnnies leading by two, defensive specialist Ruben Prey was fouled. He calmly hit two free throws, putting the Johnnies up by four. Afterward, Mack drilled a three for Georgetown. The lead was down to one. Wilcher, struggling through a poor shooting day, responded with a three from the top of the key. Fans throughout the arena started cheering, “Let’s Go Johnnies.”
SIMEON. WILCHER. pic.twitter.com/JErHLMqeW9
— St. John’s Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) January 15, 2025
Peavy, still fighting back, was fouled. With Peavy walking to the foul line, fans sitting behind the basket were noticeably quiet. The lead was only four, and two foul shots would cut it to two with 1:09 remaining. Why were the fans quiet?
However, there was a plan. Just as Peavy was about to release his shot, fifty to sixty fans jumped up from seated positions, waving their arms and yelling. Peavy, the Hoyas’ leading scorer for the game with 21 points, missed the foul shot. He made the next one, cutting the lead to three, but a Luis layup, a Wilcher steal, and a Luis block of a Hoya shot with seven seconds to play sealed a hard-fought 63-58 win between two athletic teams.
Takeaway #1: Aaron Scott’s defense — and his returning shooting touch
Scott is likely the top one-on-one defender amongst the Johnnies. In this game, he found his touch from three-point land while pulling down nine rebounds and hitting four out of seven three-point attempts. In addition, Scott had three steals. It was a suburb performance as he regained his long-distance touch. If his shooting continues, it will be a breakthrough for the team as the Big East schedule becomes more difficult in February.
Aaron Scott gets us going from beyond the arc pic.twitter.com/qThya5XlRG
— St. John’s Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) January 15, 2025
Takeaway #2: Kadary Richmond broke Georgetown’s zone defense
Kadary Richmond may not score many points, but when in the game, he often is the leader, keeping the offense focused. Richmond has an extraordinary ability to break through zone defenses, not with speed or power but with timing. He can see the court, and when a defense relaxes, Richmond takes advantage to break through. He also has excellent court vision to make pinpoint passes to teammates in advantageous positions to attack or shoot.
This ability will work well with the Johnnies as the team has scorers. As the season progresses, Richmond and teammates will become increasingly aware of each other’s skills.
Pitino on Kadary Richmond: “He’s underappreciated, he owns up to every mistake, has a superb attitude, if he gets beat back-door, he’s says ‘my bad’. He’s got a strong will to win.”
— Rumble In The Garden (@rumbleSBN) January 15, 2025
Takeaway #3: The Red Storm’s wide cast of defenders
This is a special defensive roster. The scorers on the team are also excellent defenders, and their defensive skills are different from each other. Coach Pitino can change defensive assignments as a game progresses and assign the right player to the “right opponent.”
Let’s review the primary rotation players on the team:
- Deivon Smith: Quick, good lateral movement, excellent rebounder on the defensive boards
- Kadary Richmond: Tall, good timing when stepping into passing lanes. Good rebounder and shot blocker.
- Zuby Ejiofor: Strong and quick. He can follow his man away from the basket and yet double back to assist his teammates. Top shot blocker on the team.
- R.J. Luis: Quick, lengthy, excellent shot blocker who can take his opponent out of the game while playing defense.
- Aaron Scott: Probably the best one-on-one defender on the team. He is a good rebounder and takes his opponent out of the game.
- Simeon Wilcher: Plays hard, good hands, and causes turnovers in man-to-man defense. He improved from his freshman year but sometimes overplays his man on one side, looking for a turnover. Wilcher can get beaten when he does hunt for turnovers, but this has been less likely as the season progresses. Good learner.
- Ruben Prey: Impresses on defense. Covered Eric Dixon in the Villanova game and kept him scoreless. He has shown an ability to box out and take defensive rebounds.
- Vince Iwuchukwu: Long and rangy at seven-foot-one, can clog the middle and block shots and rebounds when establishing position.
All of the reserves have taken on Pitino’s model of playing supportive defense and are energized to play it. With the variety of defensive talents among individual players, Coach Pitino can find a capable defender for almost any opponent.
And one last clip with 25 seconds left
Of course it’s Simeon Wilcher giving up his body and getting the steal
Big play in a big moment pic.twitter.com/ws99CbVNaU
— Ryan Cassidy (@ryancassidycbb) January 15, 2025
Takeaway #4: St. John’s is protecting the ball
This is the fifth straight game in which the team has had ten or fewer turnovers. The top team in the nation, Marquette, averages 9.0 turnovers per game. St. John’s now has 45 turnovers in the last five games, a rate of 9.0 per game, in this stretch, tying the nation’s leader in having the fewest turnovers per game.
Outlook
Coach Pitino said it after the game. “Any team in the Big East is a tough opponent.” He also shared his concern that any team can have an “off game.” Lastly, he summarized this year’s team as having “a will to win.” The team plays hard and never gives up. More importantly, they are in this game not for themselves but for their team. Coach Ed Cooley of Georgetown summarized that St. John’s is as tough a team as any that his team has played this year. It all sounds good.
The next game is away at Seton Hall, a team going through a down year. Then there is Xavier at home, which are two winnable games. But the hard work, viewing the film of the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses, and learning from it must continue.
At the beginning of the year, St. John’s fans hoped the team would get past the first weekend. This week, our younger St. John’s fans are dreaming of an Elite Eight appearance — perhaps something more. The three-point shooting seems to be coming around. Fans can believe in this team, but first, there is Seton Hall and Xavier. The focus must be on these two teams and only these two games.