Rick Pitino’s St. John’s Might Have to Worry About “Least Talented” Roster in Last 3 Years, NCAA Analyst Claims

Rick Pitino’s St. John’s has had a turbulent offseason, losing as many as five players to the transfer portal against just two additions. As such, there is a reason to believe that the Red Storm might not be able to do well in the next season.

NCAA analyst Jon Rothstein took the argument further, claiming that St. John’s 2026-27 season roster is the “least talented” in the last three years.

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“Things are trending now, in my opinion, that St. John’s is going to have its least talented roster in the last three years, based on what we’ve seen so far,” Rothstein said. “I also think you can make the case that there are no guarantees that St. John’s will have an All-Big East, first-team caliber player.”

The analyst further clarified his stance, acknowledging the presence of star players such as Ian Jackson, Donnie Freeman and Quinn Ellis.

“I’m not saying that Ian Jackson can’t have a breakout season, moving back to his natural position of shooting guard,” Rothstein added. “I’m not saying that Donny Freeman, one of the great physically imposing players I’ve seen in practices across the country the last couple years, can’t blossom under Rick Pitino. And I’m not saying that Quinn Ellis, this international point guard, can’t live up to the hype and be an All-Big East player. I’m not saying that.”

The current roster feels more projection-based. The transfer portal additions include players with upside like Donnie Freeman, Kyle Cuffe Jr., and Avery Brown. But there is a doubt if they can prove themselves on the Big East stage.

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NCAA Analyst Doubts There Will be No St. John’s Representation in All-Big East Team

Rick Pitino’s 2024-25 and 2025-26 teams featured several big names such as RJ Luis Jr., Kadary Richmond, Zuby Ejiofor, and Bryce Hopkins. All of them have an All-Big East pedigree that helped fuel back-to-back conference championships and a Sweet 16 run.

However, in the present scenario, Rothstein thinks the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rick-pitino-st-john-might-080811878.html

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Publish date : 2026-05-19 08:08:00

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