What transpired last season at St. John’s was the latest in a career of incredible coaching performances from Rick Pitino. He took over the Red Storm in 2023 and wasted little time turning them into a Big East contender for the first time in decades. St. John’s won 31 games, notching both regular season and conference tournament titles last year, though their postseason experience ended earlier than expected in the round of 32.
There’s a certain buzz in Queens again this season, though this year’s team is going to look largely different from last year’s success. Reigning Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis Jr. is gone after a brilliant junior season while starters like Kadary Richmond, Aaron Scott, and Simeon Wilcher also departed in the offseason. It’s not a completely new roster, as star forward Zuby Ejiofor becomes even more of a focal point for Pitino’s squad, but there have been plenty of reinforcements.
Simply put, the Red Storm assembled the nation’s best transfer class and have a roster loaded with talent for 2026. The frontcourt gets a major boost with Bryce Hopkins from Providence and Dillon Mitchell, fresh from his time at Cincinnati. Joson Sanon is a highly-touted shooting guard coming off an underwhelming freshman season with Arizona State. Oziyah Sellers is another brilliant guard from Stanford while Dylan Darling should see decent run after his time at Idaho State.
There almost isn’t a wrong answer when identifying the best new player of this class, but former North Carolina guard Ian Jackson sure might be the most important. A 6-4 guard from the Bronx, Jackson was the #6 freshman prospect in the nation last season and now returns much closer to home after his time with the Tar Heels. A mixed review of a freshman year saw him put up 11.9 points and 2.7 rebounds while knocking down 39% of his 3-pointers, but Pitino and company are excited about his potential.
The expectation is that Jackson doesn’t just step into a major role but likely takes up point guard duties. He’s clearly a very talented prospect coming off a decent freshman season where he didn’t exactly live up to that top billing. He wasn’t the only player who struggled in Chapel Hill last year, but closer to home the hope is that he blossoms and becomes a major leader for St. John’s.
After all he’s stepping into a major role, replacing impressive names like Luis and Richmond from last year’s successful campaign. This transfer class is full of veteran experience and incredible raw talent and St. John’s is hoping they got the combination right for a truly memorable season. If that does come to pass, and the Red Storm get deeper into the Big Dance, then Jackson will have certainly taken a step forward as a sophomore and become a real leader for this squad.