NEW YORK — It was a magical scene at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, as St. John’s beat Creighton 82-66 to claim its first Big East Tournament title in a quarter-century. The crowd was electric, erupting louder than it has for the Red Storm in a long, long time. Tears were streaming down the faces of fans as the final seconds ticked off the clock and New York’s team celebrated on the court.
“Great win for the city. Great win for our university,” coach Rick Pitino said afterward. “We hear it all along: It’s New York’s team. And it truly is. As a New Yorker myself, I’m very, very proud that St. John’s has gotten to this point.”
A long-dormant program has been completely revitalized under Pitino, who took over in 2023 and has 29 league wins in two seasons. During the preceding eight years, St. John’s had gone 50-98 in the Big East.
With each win this season, excitement in the Big Apple has continued to build. The NCAA Tournament still lies ahead, but for the city, Saturday night felt like the culmination of an improbable journey — one certainly worth celebrating, at least for a day or two. “A lot of drinks tonight!” Pitino said with a laugh at the end of his postgame news conference.
The noise in the Garden was especially deafening during a 41-25 St. John’s run in the final 12 minutes. The Johnnies scored 57 points in the second half, more than they scored in the full game in a loss at Creighton in December.
RJ Luis Jr., a 6-foot-7 junior wing, was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament after putting up 29 points and 10 rebounds in the championship game. It was the best individual scoring performance in a Big East Tournament final since Jalen Brunson dropped 31 points for Villanova in 2018.
“I don’t think it’s settled in yet,” Luis said. “Still trying to soak it in. It’s just crazy how much you can speak things into existence and just watch it all come together. This has, by far, been the most emotional, happiest week of my 22 years of existence.”
Zuby Ejiofor, a 6-foot-9 junior forward, added 20 points and Kadary Richmond, a 6-foot-6 senior guard, had his second straight double-double (12 points, 12 rebounds). Both were named to the all-tournament team, as was Creighton senior Ryan Kalkbrenner, a 7-foot-1 center who put up 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks against the Red Storm.
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It is hard to put into words just how remarkable this season has been for the Johnnies. Projected to finish fifth in the Big East, the team won the conference regular-season title for the first time in 40 years, then dominated the tournament, winning three games by an average of 17.6 points. Along the way, it recaptured the hearts of New Yorkers and went undefeated at home.
“There definitely is nothing like winning in New York,” Richmond, a Brooklyn native, told Hoops HQ earlier this week. “Everywhere you go, you get asked, ‘How is it to play for Coach Pitino?’ Everybody’s wondering how we’re doing it, how we’re winning, how we’re sticking together, how we’re doing all these things.”
Richmond and his teammates regularly have been featured on the back page of the New York Post , and graced the cover of SLAM Magazine alongside Pitino in February. Heck, they even made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “I told my guys, ‘I’ve been to seven Final Fours, we won two national championships and I was never invited to go on Jimmy Fallon,” Pitino told Hoops HQ with a chuckle.
New York’s attachment to this team goes well beyond the 30-4 record. The city has fallen in love with the way the Johnnies play — how they wear down opponents with their defense, energy and physicality, much like the beloved Knicks of the 1990s. The loudest pops from the crowd come when the Red Storm crank up the intensity on defense. They forced two five-second violations and 15 turnovers against Creighton. For the season, St. John’s ranks first in adjusted defensive efficiency on KenPom.com and is averaging 9.3 steals per game, 16th in the country.
The character of this team is the reason it continues to win, as Pitino made a point of emphasizing Saturday. “You build a team by making sure you understand the whole puzzle of what goes into it,” he said. “People just mischaracterize the NIL and (how) St. John’s has been built. St. John’s didn’t get built by NIL. St. John’s got built with the character of the players. And certainly we are excited to have these young men.”
Multiple players, including Richmond, have fought through injuries this season. After an 89-75 victory over UConn at MSG on Feb. 23, Pitino said 99 percent of players in Richmond’s condition (double groin pulls) would have sat out. Richmond had 18 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals in the contest.
Pitino’s strong distaste for losing is a quality he shares with his players. “Everybody on this team hates losing,” Ejiofor said after the Red Storm’s 79-63 win over Marquette on Friday. “‘Coach P’ the most.”
Pitino is the first coach to win Big East Tournament titles at two schools. He led Louisville to the mountaintop in 2009, ’12 and ’13. This one is particularly special because of his New York roots. Pitino was raised in Long Island and coached the Knicks from 1987-89.
“As a New Yorker, I am about as proud as any person could be,” he said. “Because when I hear St. John’s is New York’s team, we’re New York strong and we represent New York, that makes me feel awesome inside. So for New York, for St. John’s, to see that crowd tonight, it’s an extra special feeling for me.”
