The new-look St. John’s Men’s Basketball team collected their first regular season win over Stony Brook in their season opener, 90-74. After months of anticipation, the Johnnies took the court in front of a sold-out crowd at Carnesecca Arena. 

Daniss Jenkins, Nahiem Alleyne, Sean Conway, Chris Ledlum and Joel Soriano made up the starting five. The starters combined for 61 points, 15 assists and 35 rebounds. 

The Johnnies got off to a hot start with graduate transfer Daniss Jenkins opening the night up with the first score of the game. Overall, he tallied 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, but committed six of the team’s 15 turnovers. Altogether the team tallied eight turnovers that led to 10 Stony Brook points. 

St. John’s led at the half, 41-30. 

Harvard graduate transfer Chris Ledlum had 11 points and nine rebounds going into the half. He was seen putting his body on the line, leaving it on the floor. The sequence from a Ledlum steal on the back end of the court down to Jenkins for an alley-oop sealed the deal in the first half. 

St. John’s came back from the locker room realigned and refocused, gradually increasing the lead to as much as 23 points. 

The Red Storm shot 100% from the free-throw line, 50% from the three-point line and 52% from the floor. The team looked cohesive, with key players coming off of the bench making a difference on the stat sheet. They played at a controlled tempo, picking the right shots throughout the night. 

Of those players coming off of the bench was Penn graduate transfer, Jordan Dingle. He made his long-awaited debut after missing both exhibition games due to injury and made an immediate impact, scoring right out of the gate. He put up 13 points on the night, recording zero assists or rebounds.

“I’m glad that he’s finally on my team and I don’t have to go against him,” Ledlum said after the game. The two played in the Ivy League conference against each other for four seasons. 

The veteran players of St. John’s made an evident impact on the floor against Stony Brook, but the second line needs some development. Zuby Ejiofor, Drissa Traore, Simeon Wilcher, Brady Dunlap, Sadiku Ibine Ayo, Cruz Davis and Glenn Taylor Jr. combined for 16 points and six assists.  

Captain Joel Soriano led the team with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Ledlum added 16 points and boasted a game-high 14 rebounds. 

“Obviously, I’m very happy for Joel and Chris Ledlum. Both guys played great,” Pitino said after the game. “They were a force inside.” 

Soriano ranked second in the nation last season with 25 double-doubles. He made nine of 12 shots against Stony Brook, including two three-point shots, the first of his career. Following the shot, he promptly pointed to the sidelines where former teammate Julian Champagnie of the San Antonio Spurs was seated. 

“The crowd is our sixth man,” Joel Soriano said in the post game press conference. “I give a lot of credit to them, because without them we wouldn’t play as hard as we play.”

After the game, Pitino said that he was most pleased with the team’s defense, and the ability to take away the three-point shot from the Seawolves. St. John’s held Stony Brook to 4-16 from the three-point line. 

“I’m a big believer in the three-point shot,” Pitino said. “But, it’s only good if you stop it.”

At 71 years old, Pitino says his coaching style has become more fun. 

“I want to be more passionate than I’ve ever been,” he said. “I also want to have more fun than I’ve had. Laughter is a very important medicine in basketball.” 

The Johnnies will face their first true test at Madison Square Garden vs. Michigan on Nov. 13.