Big East coaches are in lockstep with Associated Press poll voters.
They see a big year for St. John’s.
On media day for the conference, the league’s coaches picked Rick Pitino’s Johnnies to finish atop the Big East — the first time that has happened since 1991.
Star forward Zuby Ejiofor was selected as the preseason Player of the Year and Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins was picked to the first team.
St. John’s narrowly edged out Connecticut, receiving seven of 11 first-place votes. UConn picked up the other four. Creighton was picked third, Providence fourth, Marquette fifth and Georgetown sixth. Villanova and new coach Kevin Willard were chosen seventh, followed by Xavier, DePaul, Butler and Seton Hall.
The 6-foot-9 Ejiofor is considered one of the country’s top two-way forwards. Last season, he averaged 14.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks, and was the linchpin to St. John’s elite defense. Ejiofor also led the country in offensive rebounds per game at 4.4 and is the team’s lone returning starter.
The Red Storm are coming off their best season in 25 years, winning Big East regular season and postseason titles.
They also won their first NCAA Tournament game in 25 years and then added the top-ranked transfer class in the country, according to 247Sports.com.
In last week’s AP preseason poll, St. John’s was ranked fifth, the school’s highest ranking prior to a season in program history.
The Big East first team was made up of Hopkins, Connecticut trio Alex Karaban, Tarris Reed Jr. and Solo Ball, Marquette guard Chase Ross and Creighton forward Owen Freeman, an Iowa transfer.
St. John’s sophomore Ian Jackson, a North Carolina transfer, made the second team and Red Storm duo Joson Sanon and Dillon Mitchell were picked to the third team.
St. John’s will meet seventh-ranked Michigan in an exhibition game on Saturday at the Garden. Last Saturday, they overcame a shaky first half to knock off CAA favorite Towson 73-63 at Carnesecca Arena. The regular-season opener is set for Nov. 3 against Quinnipiac.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
