Level guard stays an issue for St. John’s.
The Crimson Storm’s lack of a premium ground normal was once more a think about Saturday afternoon’s 78-66 loss to Kentucky, throughout which No. 22 St. John’s dedicated 12 turnovers, together with eight within the second half.
“That’s our fault in recruiting,” Pitino stated after the loss at State Farm Area in Atlanta. “We lost out on four different big-time point guards that we went after, and we’ve got to make the best of the situation by, collectively, other people handling the ball and bringing it up.”
The St. John’s offense stagnated within the second half of Sunday’s defeat, significantly throughout an almost nine-minute stretch wherein it didn’t make a area objective.
Throughout that drought, St. John’s dedicated six turnovers and missed seven consecutive pictures.
The distinction was stark as Kentucky pulled away with a 14-0 run shortly after its play-making level guard, Jaland Lowe, returned from a first-half shoulder damage.
“That’s our fault as a staff for not having a big-time point guard that makes people better,” Pitino stated.
St. John’s (7-4) opened the season with Oziyah Sellers, who’s a wing by commerce, as its de facto level guard.
Dylan Darling, the one true level guard on the roster, then joined the beginning lineup for the Crimson Storm’s third recreation of the season — his first of six consecutive begins. However the 6-1 Darling, whom St. John’s added within the offseason to be a backup, is undersized and thus restricted defensively and susceptible to foul bother.
Saturday marked the third recreation in a row wherein St. John’s began Ian Jackson, a combo guard, and had Darling come off the bench.
Getting into the season, Pitino cited the necessity to play positionless basketball wherein the offense depends on ball motion as an alternative of a standard ball-handler.
“That’s what you have to do when you don’t have one,” Pitino stated Saturday. “You make a positive from a negative and say, ‘We’ve got to do it collectively, as a team.’ You want me to just complain and get their confidence down?”
St. John’s obtained robust level guard play in its first two years below Pitino, with Daniss Jenkins in 2023-24 and Kadary Richmond final season.
When Jackson transferred from North Carolina in April, Pitino hailed him as “our next great point.”
Jackson, a sophomore from the Bronx, is averaging 11.3 factors and a couple of.3 assists per recreation since rejoining the beginning lineup. He has dedicated one turnover in each of the final two video games.
“As he keeps improving, if we can get some wins, we’ll have ourselves a respectable point guard,” Pitino stated.
