St. John's University Athletics
St. John’s Ranked 5th in Associated Press Preseason Top 25
10/13/2025 12:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Red Storm receives highest preseason rank in program history
QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's men's basketball team has received its highest preseason national ranking in program history, checking in at no. 5 in the debut edition of the Associated Press Top 25 poll released on Monday.
Prior to Monday, the Johnnies' highest preseason ranking in program history came before the 1984-85 campaign, when St. John's checked in at no. 7 before a season that featured 31 wins and the school's second appearance in the Final Four.
St. John's is coming off the program's first outright BIG EAST Regular Season Championship since that 1984-85 campaign. Last year's Red Storm went 18-2 in league play before rolling through the BIG EAST Tournament, winning each of its three games at Madison Square by 16 or more points to claim the program's first postseason conference crown since 2000. The Red Storm earned the no. 2 seed in the West Region, defeating Omaha in the first round for the program's first NCAA Tournament victory in a quarter-century.
The Red Storm appeared in the AP Top 25 on 12 separate occasions in 2024-25, including each of the last 10 polls. The Johnnies climbed as high as no. 5 on March 17, the program's highest ranking since 1990-91.
In his second year leading the Red Storm, Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer Rick Pitino was named the BIG EAST Coach of the Year and earned a trio of national coaching honors, including the AP National Co-Coach of the Year alongside Auburn's Bruce Pearl.
The Red Storm returns four players from that 2024-25 squad, led by First Team All-BIG EAST selection and reigning BIG EAST Most Improved Player Zuby Ejiofor. The 6-foot-9 senior from Garland, Texas, averaged 14.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest a season ago and led the nation with 4.4 offensive boards per game.
Those returners will be joined by the nation's leading transfer class, which features five players that rank inside the top 100 of ESPN's transfers rankings. The group boasts two former McDonald's All-Americans in Ian Jackson and Dillon Mitchell, a former First Team All-BIG EAST selection Bryce Hopkins, a former top-25 high school recruit in Joson Sanon and a 40% three-point shooter in Oziyah Sellers. They are also joined by reigning Big Sky Player of the Year Dylan Darling and 6-foot-11 center Handje Tamba, who began his collegiate career at Tennessee.
St. John's also welcomed four freshmen to campus over the summer, including four-star guard Kelvin Odih who ranked 66thnationally in the class according to 247Sports. He will be joined by three international standouts: Imran Suljanovic, Casper Pohto and Fotis Konstantinidis.
The Johnnies are one of three BIG EAST teams in the AP Preseason Top 25 alongside Connecticut (4) and Creighton (23). Three non-conference opponents, No. 9 Kentucky, No. 15 Alabama and No. 16 Iowa State, also found spots in the preseason top 25.
After going 21-0 in New York City a season ago, including a 12-0 record at Madison Square Garden, the Red Storm will host 12 regular season games at "The World's Most Famous Arena." It will mark the Johnnies' first time playing a dozen regular season games at "The Mecca" since 1951-52.
Full season ticket packages including all games at Carnesecca Arena are sold out, but Madison Square Garden plans are still available for purchase. This package secures your seat for all 12 games this season at MSG, including nine BIG EAST tilts and three non-conference games against Alabama (Nov. 8), Ole Miss (Dec. 6) and Iona (Dec. 13).
The Red Storm will take part in a pair of exhibition contests over the coming weeks, hosting Towson on Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. inside Carnesecca Arena before taking on seventh-ranked Michigan in the Bad Boy Mowers Series – New York at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.
Prior to Monday, the Johnnies' highest preseason ranking in program history came before the 1984-85 campaign, when St. John's checked in at no. 7 before a season that featured 31 wins and the school's second appearance in the Final Four.
St. John's is coming off the program's first outright BIG EAST Regular Season Championship since that 1984-85 campaign. Last year's Red Storm went 18-2 in league play before rolling through the BIG EAST Tournament, winning each of its three games at Madison Square by 16 or more points to claim the program's first postseason conference crown since 2000. The Red Storm earned the no. 2 seed in the West Region, defeating Omaha in the first round for the program's first NCAA Tournament victory in a quarter-century.
The Red Storm appeared in the AP Top 25 on 12 separate occasions in 2024-25, including each of the last 10 polls. The Johnnies climbed as high as no. 5 on March 17, the program's highest ranking since 1990-91.
In his second year leading the Red Storm, Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer Rick Pitino was named the BIG EAST Coach of the Year and earned a trio of national coaching honors, including the AP National Co-Coach of the Year alongside Auburn's Bruce Pearl.
The Red Storm returns four players from that 2024-25 squad, led by First Team All-BIG EAST selection and reigning BIG EAST Most Improved Player Zuby Ejiofor. The 6-foot-9 senior from Garland, Texas, averaged 14.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest a season ago and led the nation with 4.4 offensive boards per game.
Those returners will be joined by the nation's leading transfer class, which features five players that rank inside the top 100 of ESPN's transfers rankings. The group boasts two former McDonald's All-Americans in Ian Jackson and Dillon Mitchell, a former First Team All-BIG EAST selection Bryce Hopkins, a former top-25 high school recruit in Joson Sanon and a 40% three-point shooter in Oziyah Sellers. They are also joined by reigning Big Sky Player of the Year Dylan Darling and 6-foot-11 center Handje Tamba, who began his collegiate career at Tennessee.
St. John's also welcomed four freshmen to campus over the summer, including four-star guard Kelvin Odih who ranked 66thnationally in the class according to 247Sports. He will be joined by three international standouts: Imran Suljanovic, Casper Pohto and Fotis Konstantinidis.
The Johnnies are one of three BIG EAST teams in the AP Preseason Top 25 alongside Connecticut (4) and Creighton (23). Three non-conference opponents, No. 9 Kentucky, No. 15 Alabama and No. 16 Iowa State, also found spots in the preseason top 25.
After going 21-0 in New York City a season ago, including a 12-0 record at Madison Square Garden, the Red Storm will host 12 regular season games at "The World's Most Famous Arena." It will mark the Johnnies' first time playing a dozen regular season games at "The Mecca" since 1951-52.
Full season ticket packages including all games at Carnesecca Arena are sold out, but Madison Square Garden plans are still available for purchase. This package secures your seat for all 12 games this season at MSG, including nine BIG EAST tilts and three non-conference games against Alabama (Nov. 8), Ole Miss (Dec. 6) and Iona (Dec. 13).
The Red Storm will take part in a pair of exhibition contests over the coming weeks, hosting Towson on Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. inside Carnesecca Arena before taking on seventh-ranked Michigan in the Bad Boy Mowers Series – New York at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward/ Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Center
/ Men's BasketballSt. John's Madison Square Garden Scrimmage Media Availability 10.8.25
Wednesday, October 08
Open Practice Press Conference 8.5.2025
Tuesday, August 05
St. John's Basketball Adidas Launch Media Availability7.16.25
Wednesday, July 16
Coach Pitino Press Conference Yankee Stadium 6.4.2025
Wednesday, June 04