One Area Rick Pitino Wants To See St. John’s Basketball Improve

The St. John’s Red Storm had a lot of reasons to be happy after their first preseason game of the year against the Drexel Dragons at Carnesecca Arena, in which they came away with an 81-52 victory.

First and foremost, the Red Storm had their entire roster available to play. Kyle Cuffe Jr. was the only player not to participate in the game, but everyone was eligible to play if they were healthy. There are still hurdles to overcome in that regard, but things are certainly looking up for St. John’s in the eligibility department.

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Two of the players who were in the midst of eligibility battles were point guard Quinn Ellis and forward Babacar Sane, both of whom were excellent against Drexel. Ellis is one of the best pure point guards in the country, and Sane dominated in every facet of the game.

It was a strong first outing for the Red Storm, but there is still plenty of work to do. Head coach Rick Pitino spoke about what he would like to see his team improve moving forward, with rebounding being one key area to focus on.

Rick Pitino wants to see Red Storm improve in rebounding

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; St. John’s Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino reacts in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Rutgers is obviously much bigger and more physical than Drexel,” Pitino said, via Adam Zagoria of NJ.com. “One disappointment tonight was rebounding. We gotta rebound much better to go against Rutgers and Texas.”

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Pitino’s crew lost the rebounding battle 43-42. They surrendered 14 offensive rebounds, a number that was so high in part because their opponents missed 46 shots in the contest.

The Dragons started two players who are listed at 6-foot-9 and 220 and 225 pounds. They featured a three-guard lineup with the rest of the starting lineup listed at 6-foot-2, 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-7, but none of those three…

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Publish date : 2026-10-18 00:00:00

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