Red Storm Host "An Afternoon with St. John's Women's Basketball" at Rao's

NEW YORK- In celebration of an impressive 2022-23 season, St. John's women's basketball hosted for "An Afternoon with St. John's Women's Basketball" at the Rao's, one of the most famous and exclusive restaurants in all of New York City on Wednesday afternoon.

Proud supporters were joined by 2023 BIG EAST Coach of the Year Joe Tartamella and players from the 2022-23 NCAA Tournament squad- Jillian Archer, Unique Drake and Rayven Peeples for a delicious meal at the iconic Italian restaurant.

Overall, the event raised 75,000 dollars with all proceeds going directly to the advancement of the women's basketball program.

The event began with Master of Ceremonies Dave Gildea welcoming attendees and introducing St. John's University President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., who addressed the crowd about the program's achievements this season.

"It was just a magical season from the start," Shanley said. "Going through the BIG EAST and getting to the [NCAA] Tournament, winning a game [there], having the BIG EAST Coach of the Year, it couldn't have gone better."

Coach Tartamella then spoke and expressed his gratitude for all the outpouring support the program has received.

"The support has been so great," Tartamella said. "Rao's and everyone in attendance here today is apart of our [St. John's women's basketball] family."

All three players then thanked the crowd for their unwavering support and discussed their great experiences with the Red Storm program.

After the meal, an auction was held and the items are still available online until 9 p.m. tonight. To browse through the silent auction items, click here.

For more information on supporting the women's basketball program visit the Red & White Club website or contact Nick Vendikos at vendikon@stjohns.edu or at 718-990-6147.

St. John's University Athletics

Red Storm Host "An Afternoon with St. John's Women's Basketball" at Rao's

Players Mentioned

Jillian Archer

Unique Drake

Rayven Peeples

Related Videos