St. John's University Athletics
Sunday, November 17
New York, N.Y. (Madison Square Garden)
12 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
New Mexico
No. 22/25 St. John’s to Take On RV/RV New Mexico in NYC Hoops for Heroes Classic at MSG
11/15/2024 4:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Red Storm Head Coach Rick Pitino will square off against his son, Lobos’ Head Coach Richard Pitino, in St. John’s 2024-25 MSG debut benefiting Tunnel to Towers Foundation
QUEENS, N.Y. – Fresh off its third straight 20-point victory in as many games, the No. 22/25 St. John's men's basketball team will make its 2024-25 Madison Square Garden debut on Sunday when it welcomes reigning Mountain West Champions RV/RV New Mexico (3-0) for the NYC Hoops for Heroes Classic. Tip-off from Midtown is scheduled for 12 p.m.
Sunday's contest will be broadcast live on FS1 with John Fanta and Jim Spanarkel on the call for the father-son showdown between Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and St. John's Head Coach Rick Pitino and Lobos' Head Coach Richard Pitino. The Pitinos will square off for just the fourth time in their coaching careers with the elder Pitino holding a 2-1 advantage in the series.
An audio broadcast of the game on the LEARFIELD Red Storm Sports Network with John Minko and Vin Parise will also be available on a variety of platforms including the Varsity Network App, TuneIn Radio, RedStormSports.com and the St. John's Red Storm mobile app. The radio broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 392 and the SiriusXM App.
The first 4,000 fans in attendance will receive a NYC Hoops for Heroes shirt, as the game will support the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping veterans and individuals impacted by the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
St. John's (3-0) earned its third-straight victory on Wednesday with a 66-45 win over Wagner at Carnesecca Arena. RJ Luis Jr. (13 points) and Aaron Scott (11 points) paced the team in scoring while Kadary Richmond dished out a game-high seven assists and committed just one turnover in 28 minutes of action.
As of Friday, the Johnnies are sixth in the country averaging 25.7 fastbreak points per game. The Red Storm also checked in ninth in the nation with 7.3 blocks per contest as junior forward Zuby Ejiofor leads the team and ranks 17th in Division I averaging 2.7 rejections. St. John's backcourt Deivon Smith and Richmond rank among the nation's top ball distributors averaging 6.3 and 6.0 helpers per contest, good for 37th and 42nd, respectively. Red Storm sophomore forward Brady Dunlap also leads the BIG EAST shooting 57.1 percent from distance through three contests.
St. John's will make its 2024-25 debut inside Madison Square Garden on Sunday. The Johnnies boast a 445-316 (.585) all-time record inside "The World's Most Famous Arena." The Red Storm recorded six wins in Midtown last season, including a 91-72 victory against Seton Hall in the BIG EAST Tournament on March 14 to advance to its first semifinal since 2000 and an 80-66 upset victory over then-No. 15/15 Creighton on Feb. 25.
The Johnnies will host New Mexico for the first time in four all-time meetings in a series that dates back to 1965. St. John's owns a perfect 3-0 record versus the Lobos, including a 70-62 victory in their last meeting on Nov. 20, 1999. Lavor Postell led three Johnnies in double figures with a 24-point, nine-rebound outing. Reggie Jessie added 12 points and 17 rebounds while Erick Barkley chipped in 14 points of his own.
New Mexico enters Sunday's contest with an unblemished 3-0 record, earning wins over Nicholls (91-84), then-No. 22 UCLA (72-64) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (100-81). Richard Pitino guided his team to an eight-point upset over the Bruins, marking the program's first non-conference ranked win since the 2012-13 season.
The Lobos are led by Donovan Dent, who is averaging 19.0 points per game through three starts. The junior guard has dished out 9.7 assists per game, ranking third in the nation in the statistical category. Dent has also logged a pair of double-doubles, matching teammate Nelly Junior Joseph for the team lead.
Joseph, who is in his second season with New Mexico, played under the Red Storm's Rick Pitino at Iona from 2020-23. The 2021 MAAC Rookie of the Year and two-time All-MAAC First Team selection has been a force on both sides of the ball this season, averaging 18.0 points and 12.3 boards per game, the latter ranking fourth in the nation.
New Mexico has forced 20.0 turnovers per game, which ranks for 14th in NCAA Division I. The Lobos' 12.3 steals per contest are the 17th highest average in Division I.
Following its MSG debut, the Red Storm will embark on its first road trip of the season, heading down to Nassau, Bahamas for the Continental Baha Mar Hoops Championship to face No. 12/14 Baylor on Thursday. Tip-off from Baha Mar Convention, Arts & Entertainment Center is set for 7 p.m. on CBSSN.
Sunday's contest will be broadcast live on FS1 with John Fanta and Jim Spanarkel on the call for the father-son showdown between Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and St. John's Head Coach Rick Pitino and Lobos' Head Coach Richard Pitino. The Pitinos will square off for just the fourth time in their coaching careers with the elder Pitino holding a 2-1 advantage in the series.
An audio broadcast of the game on the LEARFIELD Red Storm Sports Network with John Minko and Vin Parise will also be available on a variety of platforms including the Varsity Network App, TuneIn Radio, RedStormSports.com and the St. John's Red Storm mobile app. The radio broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 392 and the SiriusXM App.
The first 4,000 fans in attendance will receive a NYC Hoops for Heroes shirt, as the game will support the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping veterans and individuals impacted by the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
St. John's (3-0) earned its third-straight victory on Wednesday with a 66-45 win over Wagner at Carnesecca Arena. RJ Luis Jr. (13 points) and Aaron Scott (11 points) paced the team in scoring while Kadary Richmond dished out a game-high seven assists and committed just one turnover in 28 minutes of action.
As of Friday, the Johnnies are sixth in the country averaging 25.7 fastbreak points per game. The Red Storm also checked in ninth in the nation with 7.3 blocks per contest as junior forward Zuby Ejiofor leads the team and ranks 17th in Division I averaging 2.7 rejections. St. John's backcourt Deivon Smith and Richmond rank among the nation's top ball distributors averaging 6.3 and 6.0 helpers per contest, good for 37th and 42nd, respectively. Red Storm sophomore forward Brady Dunlap also leads the BIG EAST shooting 57.1 percent from distance through three contests.
St. John's will make its 2024-25 debut inside Madison Square Garden on Sunday. The Johnnies boast a 445-316 (.585) all-time record inside "The World's Most Famous Arena." The Red Storm recorded six wins in Midtown last season, including a 91-72 victory against Seton Hall in the BIG EAST Tournament on March 14 to advance to its first semifinal since 2000 and an 80-66 upset victory over then-No. 15/15 Creighton on Feb. 25.
The Johnnies will host New Mexico for the first time in four all-time meetings in a series that dates back to 1965. St. John's owns a perfect 3-0 record versus the Lobos, including a 70-62 victory in their last meeting on Nov. 20, 1999. Lavor Postell led three Johnnies in double figures with a 24-point, nine-rebound outing. Reggie Jessie added 12 points and 17 rebounds while Erick Barkley chipped in 14 points of his own.
New Mexico enters Sunday's contest with an unblemished 3-0 record, earning wins over Nicholls (91-84), then-No. 22 UCLA (72-64) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (100-81). Richard Pitino guided his team to an eight-point upset over the Bruins, marking the program's first non-conference ranked win since the 2012-13 season.
The Lobos are led by Donovan Dent, who is averaging 19.0 points per game through three starts. The junior guard has dished out 9.7 assists per game, ranking third in the nation in the statistical category. Dent has also logged a pair of double-doubles, matching teammate Nelly Junior Joseph for the team lead.
Joseph, who is in his second season with New Mexico, played under the Red Storm's Rick Pitino at Iona from 2020-23. The 2021 MAAC Rookie of the Year and two-time All-MAAC First Team selection has been a force on both sides of the ball this season, averaging 18.0 points and 12.3 boards per game, the latter ranking fourth in the nation.
New Mexico has forced 20.0 turnovers per game, which ranks for 14th in NCAA Division I. The Lobos' 12.3 steals per contest are the 17th highest average in Division I.
Following its MSG debut, the Red Storm will embark on its first road trip of the season, heading down to Nassau, Bahamas for the Continental Baha Mar Hoops Championship to face No. 12/14 Baylor on Thursday. Tip-off from Baha Mar Convention, Arts & Entertainment Center is set for 7 p.m. on CBSSN.
Players Mentioned
Forward
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Forward
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Guard
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