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Seven months ago, this version of St. John’s met for the first time.
It was then, in the middle of the summer, that the bar was set incredibly high.
One of the goals was a Big East regular-season championship.
It can become a reality Saturday afternoon at what will, unquestionably, be a raucous and rocking Madison Square Garden. With a win over local rival Seton Hall, the seventh-ranked Johnnies (25-4, 16-2) will clinch the school’s first outright Big East title since 1984-85.
“This is what we spoke about when we all came together in July,” Kadary Richmond said. “It’s nice to have this feeling that it’s right there for us to take. Nobody is giving it to us. We’re not hoping or wishing for it. It’s all up to us to go out there and take it.”
An on-court celebration is expected, one that will include confetti, a trophy presentation and photos if St. John’s prevails. The Red Storm is not going to cut down the Garden nets, however.
Coach Rick Pitino doesn’t believe any of his teams have ever done that after winning a regular-season championship, and his players voted unanimously to bypass that celebratory tradition.
“It was a collective decision, everybody agreed it’s not really the end of the season,” tri-captain Zuby Ejiofor said. “We haven’t really accomplished a lot as of yet. Saturday is a great opportunity, obviously. We still got Marquette to worry about [after this game]. That’s where our mind is at, just taking care of business Saturday and moving on.”
Said Pitino: “Whatever the players want, I’m behind — unless it’s not practicing.”
That unflinching focus has been a major part of this group’s success. It hasn’t let a Top 10 national ranking or the school’s most wins in 25 years sidetrack them. It’s always been about the next game, players frequently talking about the following opponent moments after a win. That mature approach has enabled St. John’s to enjoy such a magical year.
The Johnnies haven’t lost at full strength since New Year’s Eve and are a projected No. 3 seed, according to BracketMatrix.com. That would be their highest seed since No. 2 in the 2000 NCAA Tournament. That was also the last time St. John’s won a tournament game.
The foundation was set a year ago, in Pitino’s first season as St. John’s coach. The team hit its stride too late, falling painfully short of the NCAA Tournament. That was in part because of six bid-stealers, teams that wouldn’t have reached the dance if not for winning their conference tournaments.
“It was a pretty sad moment, not just for us, but everybody [at the school] as well,” Ejiofor said. “Obviously, the seniors who didn’t get a chance to come back to college again. Now to see where we’re at, at this moment in our collegiate careers, being able to play for an outright championship, [feels great].”
St. John’s has become a national story, New York City’s lone high-major basketball program enjoying a renaissance under Pitino, the Hall of Fame coach. It has sold out its last two games at the Garden, against Creighton and Connecticut, and Saturday could be a third consecutive full house.
There were high expectations entering the season, but not to this extent, at least not from outside of the school. The Johnnies were unranked in the preseason and picked to finish fifth in the Big East by the league’s coaches.
They have nevertheless taken off as the class of the Big East, and some experts now consider them a Final Four contender. But before the school’s first trip to the main draw of March Madness in a decade, there is a regular-season title to be won.
“It’s a great feeling to know we’re right there, it’s so close we can grab it,” leading scorer RJ Luis Jr. said. “It’s been a great ride, it’s been a great season, and we just want to continue building on to that.”
