St. John’s is the group to beat within the Large East.
That’s in accordance with the remainder of the convention, as Rick Pitino’s Pink Storm got here in at No. 1 within the Large East preseason coaches’ ballot, amongst a flurry of further accolades introduced Tuesday.
St. John’s acquired seven of the doable 10 first-place votes to complete a spot forward of UConn.
“I really don’t pay too much attention to prognosticators,” Pitino stated Tuesday throughout the Large East’s media day at Madison Sq. Backyard.
“Because especially in this day and age, I don’t even know the names of the players from the other teams, because they all changed so much. We have 10 new players. So I think it’s a guess. Everyone’s guessing.”
The coaches additionally picked St. John’s senior ahead/middle Zuby Ejiofor because the convention’s preseason participant of the 12 months.
Graduate ahead Bryce Hopkins made the Large East’s preseason first group, whereas sophomore guard Ian Jackson was named to the second group and sophomore wing Joson Sanon and senior ahead Dillon Mitchell landed on the third group.
“Grateful for the recognition, really, and now I just use it as something to play towards,” stated Ejiofor, who completed final season on the All-Large East first group and because the convention’s Most Improved Participant.
“Modestly speaking, I’m just trying to be the best teammate, best leader, I can possibly be. This is my last year in college, so I’m trying to end it on the right note.”
Tuesday’s honors proceed the momentum round a St. John’s program that final season gained its first outright Large East regular-season and convention match titles in a long time.
That is the primary time since 1991-92 that St. John’s earned the highest spot within the convention’s preseason coaches’ ballot.
The vote was notable contemplating St. John’s is No. 5 within the AP’s nationwide preseason ballot — a spot behind No. 4 UConn.
“There’s nothing, probably, more useless than preseason polls and picks,” UConn head coach Dan Hurley stated Tuesday, stating that his 2022-23 group that gained the NCAA Event started that season unranked.
“Preseason polls are pretty meaningless. I don’t even do mine. I think I told [assistant coach] Luke [Murray] to go do that s–t.”
St. John’s went 31-5 final season, together with 18-2 in convention play, and was a No. 2 seed within the NCAA Event earlier than being upset within the second spherical.
Including to this season’s hype is a switch class that ESPN and 247Sports touted as the very best within the nation.
The Johnnies are set to face No. 7 Michigan in an exhibition on Saturday evening on the Backyard, then open the common season in opposition to Quinnipiac on Nov. 3 at Carnesecca Area.
“If you’re gonna be the preseason No. 1 [in the Big East], you’ve got to act like it and you’ve got to prepare like it,” Ejiofor stated. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”
