St. John's basketball reveals championship banners, opens season with win over Monmouth
St. John's Red Storm forward Keyshawn Hall gestures after sinking a three-point basket against the Monmouth Hawks in the first half of an NCAA men’s basketball game at Carnesecca Arena on Monday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
St. John’s held a celebration that maybe came with an implied message before it tipped off the 2026-27 season on Monday night. Then it stunned mid-major Monmouth early and managed through some inconsistent play for a 78-63 non-conference victory before a sellout crowd of 5,260 at Carnesecca Arena.
The No. 13 Red Storm unveiled four banners hanging from the rafters of their on-campus home to commemorate the achievements of last year’s team. There was one each for the Big East regular season and tournament titles, one for making an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 and one for a 31st Big Dance appearance.
It wasn’t the production before the opener a year ago when the Storm won a first title of any kind in a quarter century. There were no championship rings handed out. Coach Rick Pitino didn’t address the fans. And the crowd wasn’t raucous like it was last season.
Perhaps the takeaway should be that Pitino has returned the program to a high place, where contending or winning a conference title is less surprise and more expectation.
St. John's Red Storm unveils banners for winning the 2026 Big East regular-season title and the 2026 Big East Tournament title before an NCAA men’s basketball game against the Monmouth Hawks at Carnesecca Arena on Monday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Pitino said “we’ve got the makings of an outstanding team,” but he doesn’t want anyone in his locker room thinking as much. While this team is more talented top-to-bottom – and more advanced for this time of year – than any of his previous three in Queens, it’s a different kind of group. It’s part of the reason he said he didn’t address the fans.
“Last year I made a prediction that we were going to have a great year – I can’t make a prediction with this team,” he said. “Last year, I knew we were going to be good. I knew Zuby [Ejiofor] was there. I knew Dillon Mitchell. I knew Bryce [Hopkins]. I knew we were going to be good. I really don't know what this team is all about yet. I think we have the makings of a really good team, but we got to teach them how to play the game.
“There's two players that really have a high basketball IQ,” he said, referring to Quinn Ellis and Keyshawn Hall. “The rest of the guys are trying hard, but their basketball acumen is not great right now.”
The Auburn transfer Hall was the exceptional scorer advertised, getting baskets from all over the floor and finishing with 26 points on 9-for-16 shooting with nine rebounds, and Ellis had eight points, seven assists, five steals and only one turnover in 34 minutes.
Ian Jackson was limited to six minutes by first-half foul trouble but scored 13 of his 15 points and made three three-pointers after the break and Tounde Yessoufou had 12 points.
The Storm looked highly developed in the early going with a swarming press that forced five turnovers as they made six of their first seven shots and raced to an 18-4 early lead. But by the end of the game, they made just 41.9% from the floor and committed 13 turnovers.
“The first 10 minutes was great – we were ready to play – and then the rest of it was just mediocre,” Pitino said. “The first 10 minutes of the game was a devastating defensive performance. Then the rest of the game . . . we were just making a lot of mistakes, not from the physical standpoint, but more mentally than anything else.”
“We started off great and then it became really sloppy – we’re really inconsistent right now,” Ellis said. “W have good spurts, but then also really bad spurts. . . . where we're not connected [and] we're not helping one another. . . . I just think we lose our concentration [and] look at the scorebook too much. We’ve got to [think] about the scoreboard.
Following the banner unveiling a year ago, new Red Storm players like Mitchell and Hopkins remarked about how it inspired them going into the season. It’s no different for the 11 newcomers to this roster. And it especially resonated with Hall, who still seeking to play in an NCAA Tournament in his fifth season.
“I definitely want to be a part of that this year and make a Final Four run,” Hall said. “I talked with coach Pitino and told him I want to get to the Final Four as much as he does and I'm willing to do whatever [is needed]. . . . I just want to be a part of that that run and help put up another banner.”
Yessoufou on watch list
The watch list for the Naismith Player of the Year was released on Monday and St. John’s sophomore Tounde Yessoufou was one of the 50 players on the list. No. 4 UConn's Braylon Mullins and Sila Demary Jr and Marquette's Nigel James Jr. are the other Big East players on the list. No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Illinois, No. 5 Arizona and No. 14 Miami all have three players on the list.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
