On a night that the majority of their Big East counterparts struggled to outlast weak competition, St. John’s lived up to the offseason hype in dominant fashion. A 92-60 rout of Fordham began head coach Rick Pitino’s second season in Queens and gave only a glimpse of what this year’s team might achieve.
“All we’ve been doing is working on defense,” the Hall of Famer said. “We got a long way to go, but we’re getting better.”
While Pitino may have downplayed the success, his quote doesn’t even begin to signify the defensive dominance the Red Storm put on tape. Through nine minutes of action, St. John’s only surrendered three points.
Last season played witness to the 72-year-old’s now infamous “laterally slow” comment, but the 2024-25 Red Storm won’t bear such a title.
Defense wasn’t St. John’s only calling card in the opening-night blowout. Following months of anticipation, the backcourt duo of Simeon Wilcher and Kadary Richmond were as good as advertised.
The latter effortlessly made his way into the paint time and again, gashing the Rams through crafty maneuvering. Richmond’s impact was felt beyond just his personal point total, resulting in a nine-point, four-rebound and two-assist first half.
Wilcher, in his first meaningful action as the Red Storm’s starting point guard, made a strong case for the label of best player on the floor. After appearing timid in his freshman season, the sophomore’s summer strides are evident.
“Last year I was just thinking too much,” he said. “Finding peace between my ears [has] helped me a lot.”
A 10-point opening 20 minutes from Wilcher, highlighted by sharp transition crossovers and step-back mid-range jumpers, lifted St. John’s to a 40-26 halftime lead.
Pitino was visibly frustrated with his squad, and despite the comfortable cushion, wanted more.
He got it in the second half.
The Red Storm’s defense remained disruptive, but the offense came alive out of the break. Richmond (16 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST) continued his all-around performance, torching Fordham’s interior defense with his footwork and throwing perfect outlet dimes to Wilcher (17 PTS, 3 REB, 2 STL).
It wasn’t just the backcourt duo that shined, though.
St. John’s’ supporting cast is the strongest its been in years, and performances from Aaron Scott, Brady Dunlap and RJ Luis Jr. support this.
Scott, a transfer from North Texas and potential second-round draft choice, showed off his unmatched three-and-D ability through a 12-point, two-steal performance. On a roster full of on-ball defenders, he may be the best of the bunch.
Dunlap’s sophomore campaign began in a bench role, yet he still turned in nine points on an extremely efficient 4-of-6 shooting. Most of his work came from the baseline and corner, where he’s essentially automatic.
And then there was Luis.
The Red Storm’s “lock, stock and barrel first-round pick” had the epitome of an up-and-down night, lagrely due to early foul trouble and late-game dramatics. In just 13 minutes of action, Luis posted 12 points and two rebounds, but also tallied six fouls.
NCAA rules disqualifies a player after their fifth foul, but after committing his night-ender late in the ballgame, Luis punted the basketball into Carnesecca Arena’s student section, resulting in a technical.
“He made a very selfish play by kicking the ball,” Pitino said. “But you forgive him. You move on. If he wasn’t a great person, I wouldn’t forgive him.”
St. John’s concluded the romp with the reserves on the floor, all of whom outside of true freshman Jaiden Glover added the scoreboard. While tasked with an inferior opponent, the Red Storm looked the part of a team that could advance deep into March.
Now 1-0 on the young season, St. John’s gets Quinnipiac at Carnesecca Arena on Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. EST.
To access the final box score from St. John’s’ victory over Fordham, click here.
