St. John's Red Storm men's basketball

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St. John's Red Storm
2023–24 St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team
UniversitySt. John's University
All-time record1,931–1,089 (.639)
Head coachRick Pitino (1st season)
ConferenceBig East
LocationNew York City, New York
ArenaCarnesecca Arena,
Madison Square Garden
(Capacity: 5,602, 19,812)
NicknameRed Storm, Johnnies
ColorsRed and white[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away
Alternate jersey
Team colours
Alternate
Pre-tournament Premo-Porretta champions
1911
Pre-tournament Helms champions
1911
NCAA tournament runner-up
1952
NCAA tournament Final Four
1952, 1985
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1951, 1952, 1979, 1985, 1991, 1999
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1951, 1952, 1967, 1969, 1979, 1983, 1985, 1991, 1999
NCAA tournament appearances
1951, 1952, 1961, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002*, 2011, 2015, 2019
Conference tournament champions
1983, 1986, 2000
Conference regular season champions
1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1992
NJ-NY 7: 1978
Metro NY: 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1958, 1961, 1962
NIT tournament champions
1943, 1944, 1959, 1965, 1989, 2003*
* - vacated by NCAA

The St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team represents St. John's University located in Queens, New York. The team participates in the Big East Conference, where it is a founding member of the league. As of the end of the 2022–23 season, St. John's ranked ninth with 1,922 total wins among NCAA Division I teams. St. John's has appeared in 30 NCAA tournaments, most recently appearing in 2019. The Red Storm's best finish in the NCAA tournament came in 1952 when they were NCAA runner-ups and made the Final Four. St. John's also made a Final Four appearance in 1985. St. John's is coached by Rick Pitino.[2]

History[edit]

Early years (1907–1927)[edit]

The St. John's men's basketball team played its first game on December 6, 1907, losing to New York University and registering its first win in program history against Adelphi University on January 3, 1908. Just three years later, the 1910–11 team were undefeated in a 14–0 season coached by former track and field Olympian Claude Allen, for which the team was later honored by the Helms Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll as national champions.

Buck Freeman era (1927–1936)[edit]

The Wonder Five[edit]

Twenty years later, former St. John's player Buck Freeman was hired as coach. In his first four years, from 1927 to 1931, the team had a 85–8 record. The 1929–30 and 1930–31 teams were known[by whom?] as the "Wonder Five", made up of Matty Begovich, Mac Kinsbrunner, Max Posnack, Allie Schuckman, and Jack "Rip" Gerson, who together helped revolutionize the game of basketball and made St. John's the marquee team in New York City.[according to whom?] On January 19, 1931, the Wonder Five team was a part of the first college basketball triple-header at Madison Square Garden in a charity game which saw St. John's beat CCNY by a score 17–9. Freeman finished his coaching career with a record of 177–31, an .850 winning percentage.

First Joe Lapchick era (1936–1947)[edit]

Joe Lapchick, a former player of the Original Celtics, took over as head coach at St. John's in 1936 and continued the success the school had become used to under Buck Freeman. Lapchick coached from 1936 to 1947 and again from 1956 to 1965. His Redmen teams won four NIT championships (1943, 1944, 1959, 1965). Lapchick preferred to take his teams to the more prestigious NIT instead of the NCAA tournament, making the NIT semifinals 8 out of a total 12 times, and only one NCAA tournament appearance in his 20 years of coaching the Redmen. Under Lapchick's coaching his teams also won six Metropolitan New York Conference regular season titles.

Back-to-back NIT Champions[edit]

On its way to its first of back-to-back NIT titles, St. John's had a record of 21–3 with only two losses occurring during the regular season. One was a 40–46 home loss to rival Niagara and another was a 38–42 loss at Madison Square Garden to Manhattan. The 1942–43 St. John's team were led by senior caption Andrew "Fuzzy" Levane and sophomore All-American center Harry Boykoff. The Redmen's trademark defense and inside scoring presence of Boykoff led them past Rice, Fordham, and Toledo to claim the first of six NIT titles. The season did not end after the NIT; three days later St. John's participated in the first Red Cross charity benefit game against NCAA champion Wyoming to determine a national champion. Wyoming won, 52–47.

St. John's became the first team to repeat as champions in the seven-year history of the NIT even though World War II and the players' commitment to serve in the armed forces made it a very difficult season. Harry Boykoff missed the 1943–44 and 1944–45 seasons due to being drafted for the war effort, along with the team's star point guard Dick McGuire for half the 1943–44 season and the entire following two years. Despite the losses of their star players, the St. John's team managed to finish the season with an 18–5 record and a second NIT crown by defeating Adolph Rupp's Kentucky Wildcats and Ray Meyer's DePaul Blue Demons. The Redmen were led by playmaking junior guards Hy Gotkin and Bill Kotsores, the latter of whom was selected as the 1944 NIT Most Valuable Player. For the second year in a row the Redmen participated in the Red Cross benefit game where they faced the NCAA champion Utah, and lost 36–44. The 1951 1952 team lost to Kentucky 81–40 in December 1951. In the NCAA tournament, St John's beat Kentucky, 64–57. They later finished second in the tournament to Kansas.

St. John's success continued the following year where they produced another 21–3 record, but their chance at a rematch with George Mikan's DePaul squad and a third consecutive NIT title was shattered with an upset loss to Bowling Green in the semifinals. They beat Rhode Island State for a third-place finish. Lapchick's Redmen made the NIT both of the next two years and added two more Metropolitan New York Conference regular season titles before heleft to take the head coaching job of the New York Knickerbockers in just the second year of their existence in the new Basketball Association of America, becoming the highest paid coach of the league at the time.

Frank McGuire era (1947–1952)[edit]

Lapchick was succeeded by Frank McGuire, a former player under Buck Freeman, who made the postseason four out of five years as the coach and had an overall record of 102–36, culminating in a second-place finish in the 1952 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Under McGuire, the Redmen reached an overall number one ranking in The Associated Press poll twice, won three Metropolitan New York Conference regular season titles, competed in four NITs and made their first appearance in the NCAA tournament where they made it to the Elite Eight before falling to eventual national champion Kentucky. They defeated North Carolina State for a regional third-place finish that year.

At the end of the season, McGuire left St. John's to become the basketball coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. On paper, this was a significant step down from St. John's, as UNC was not reckoned as a national power at the time. However, school officials wanted a big-name coach to counter the rise of rival North Carolina State under Everett Case. McGuire's assistant coach, Al "Dusty" DeStefano, took over the head coaching duties of St. John's from 1952 to 1956. DeStefano's teams only made one postseason appearance and it was a 58–46 loss to the Seton Hall Pirates in the NIT Finals who were led by All-American center Walter Dukes. The following year, the Redmen had their first losing season in over 30 years.

Second Joe Lapchick era (1956–1965)[edit]

One month after leaving his position with the New York Knicks, Lapchick resumed his head coaching duties where he started and put St. John's back on its winning path. Picking up where he left off, he added two more NIT championships, made the postseason 6 out of 9 times, and finished with an overall college coaching record of 334–130. In 20 years of coaching in the college ranks, Lapchick only had one losing season.

1959 & 1965 NIT Champions[edit]

St. John's finished the 1958–59 season with an overall 20–6 record and captured its first ECAC Holiday Festival title with a 90–79 victory over St. Joseph's in the final and the school's third NIT championship by defeating top-seeded Bradley 76–70 in double overtime. The starting five for the Redmen consisted of four seniors and sophomore sensation Tony Jackson who was named both the Holiday Festival and NIT Most Valuable Player during the 1958–59 season, setting a school record of 27 rebounds in one game. At the end of the season senior captain Alan Seiden was rewarded with second team All-American honors and the Haggerty Award, given to the best collegiate player in the New York metropolitan area. Throughout the next three years, St. John's went 58–18, led by Jackson who received All-American honors all three years at school, 6'11" center and future NBA champion LeRoy Ellis, and future ABA/NBA coach Kevin Loughery. In the 1961–62 season, St. John's made their fifth NIT finals appearance before falling to Dayton 73–67.

Lapchick went into the 1964–65 season knowing it would be his last year coaching at St. John's because he reached age 65, the mandatory retirement age of the university. His team began the year off by upsetting Cazzie Russell's Michigan Wolverines, the No. 1 team in the nation according to both the Associated Press and United Press International polls, by a score of 75–74 to capture the school's second ECAC Holiday Festival title. St. John's finished the season 21–8 and went on a remarkable run in the 1965 NIT by defeating Boston College, New Mexico, Army, and top-seeded Villanova to win Lapchick his fourth NIT championship. The Redmen were led by the rebounding of sophomore forward Lloyd "Sonny" Dove and the scoring of senior Ken McIntyre who totaled 101 points in his last four games, over 1,000 points for his college career, and being named the Most Valuable Player of both the Holiday Festival and the National Invitational Tournament.

Lou Carnesecca era (1965–1992)[edit]

Lou Carnesecca was hired as the head basketball coach at St. John's in 1965, after serving as an assistant at St. John's since 1958, and given the difficult task to follow in the footsteps of Lapchick. In the 1985 NCAA tournament, he coached the Redmen to their second Final Four appearance. He was named the National Coach of the Year in 1983 and 1985 and Big East Coach of the Year on three occasions. His record at St. John's was 526–200. Carnesecca led the team to its record fifth NIT title in 1989, to the NCAA's Elite Eight in 1979 and 1991, and to the Sweet Sixteen in 1967, 1969, and 1983. Carnesecca temporarily left St. John's to coach in the ABA from 1970 to 1973, when it was coached by former player Frank Mulzoff, who gathered a record of 56–27 and three post-season appearances. Upon Carnesecca's return, he continued to guide the program to 29 consecutive postseason tournament appearances and to playing in a major conference, the Big East.

1983 Big East Champions[edit]

1985 NCAA Final Four[edit]

1986 Big East Champions[edit]

Recent years (1992–present)[edit]

2000 Big East Champions[edit]

2003 NIT Champions[edit]

2010–11 Senior team[edit]

2011–12 Fresh Five team[edit]

Postseason[edit]

NCAA tournament results[edit]

The Red Storm have appeared in the NCAA tournament 30 times. Their combined record is 27–32. Due to impermissible benefits to a player, their 2002 appearance has been vacated by the NCAA making their official record 27–31.

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1951 Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Regional 3rd Place Game
Connecticut
Kentucky
NC State
W 63–52
L 43–59
W 71–59
1952 Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National Championship Game
NC State
Kentucky
Illinois
Kansas
W 60–49
W 64–57
W 61–59
L 63–80
1961 First Round Wake Forest L 74–97
1967 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Regional 3rd Place Game
Temple
Boston College
Princeton
W 57–53
L 62–63
L 58–78
1968 First Round Davidson L 70–79
1969 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Regional 3rd Place Game
Princeton
Davidson
Duquesne
W 72–63
L 69–79
L 72–75
1973 First Round Penn L 61–62
1976 First Round Indiana L 70–90
1977 First Round Utah L 68–72
1978 First Round Louisville L 68–76
1979 #10 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
#7 Temple
#2 Duke
#6 Rutgers
#9 Penn
W 75–70
W 80–78
W 67–65
L 62–64
1980 #3 Second Round #6 Purdue L 72–87
1982 #5 First Round
Second Round
#12 Penn
#4 Alabama
W 66–56
L 68–69
1983 #1 Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#9 Rutgers
#4 Georgia
W 66–55
L 67–70
1984 #9 First Round #8 Temple L 63–65
1985 #1 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
#16 Southern
#9 Arkansas
#12 Kentucky
#3 NC State
#1 Georgetown
W 83–59
W 68–65
W 86–70
W 69–60
L 59–77
1986 #1 First Round
Second Round
#16 Montana State
#8 Auburn
W 83–74
L 65–81
1987 #6 First Round
Second Round
#11 Wichita State
#3 DePaul
W 57–55
L 75–83 OT
1988 #11 First Round #6 Florida L 59–62
1990 #6 First Round
Second Round
#11 Temple
#3 Duke
W 81–65
L 72–76
1991 #4 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
#13 Northern Illinois
#5 Texas
#1 Ohio State
#2 Duke
W 75–68
W 84–76
W 91–74
L 61–78
1992 #7 First Round #10 Tulane L 57–61
1993 #5 First Round
Second Round
#12 Texas Tech
#4 Arkansas
W 85–67
L 74–80
1998 #7 First Round #10 Detroit L 64–66
1999 #3 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
#14 Samford
#6 Indiana
#2 Maryland
#4 Ohio State
W 69–43
W 86–61
W 76–62
L 74–77
2000 #2 First Round
Second Round
#15 Northern Arizona
#10 Gonzaga
W 61–56
L 76–82
2002* #9 First Round #8 Wisconsin L 70–80
2011 #6 Second Round #11 Gonzaga L 71–86
2015 #9 Second Round #8 San Diego State L 64–76
2019 #11 First Four #11 Arizona State L 65–74

* Vacated by the NCAA

NIT results[edit]

The Red Storm have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 30 times. Their combined record is 45–30. They are six-time NIT Champions (1943, 1944, 1959, 1965, 1989, 2003). Due to impermissible benefits to a player, their 2003 appearance (and title) has been vacated by the NCAA, making their official record 40–30.

Coaching history[edit]

* Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Overall Conference
Coach Years Record Winning % Record Winning %
J. Chestnut 1907–08 4–8 .333
P. Joseph Kersey 1908–09 9–6 .600
Harry A. Fisher 1909–10 15–5 .750
Claude Allen 1910–11, 1912–14 33–19 .635
Joseph O'Shea 1911–12, 1914–17 43–27 .614
John Crenny 1918–21, 1922–27 105–86 .550
Ed Kelleher 1921–22 10–11 .476
James Freeman 1927–36 177–31 .851
Joe Lapchick 1936–47, 1956–65 334–130 .720
Frank McGuire 1947–52 102–36 .739
Al DeStefano 1952–56 49–39 .563
Lou Carnesecca 1965–70, 1973–92 526–200 .725 139–80 .635
Frank Mulzoff 1970–73 56–27 .675
Brian Mahoney 1992–96 56–58 .491 29–43 .403
Fran Fraschilla 1996–98 35–24 .593 21–15 .583
Mike Jarvis 1998–2003 66–60 .524 57–36 .613
Kevin Clark 2003–04 2–17 .105 1–15 .064
Norm Roberts 2004–10 81–101 .445 32–70 .313
Steve Lavin 2010–2015 81–53 .604 40–30 .571
Mike Dunlap 2011–2012 11–17 .392 6–12 .400
Chris Mullin 2015–2019 59–73 .447 20–52 .278
Mike Anderson 2019–2023 68–56 .548 30–46 .395
Rick Pitino 2023–present .000 .000

St. John's rivalries[edit]

Big East rivalries[edit]

The St. John's-Georgetown rivalry was one of the most intense matchups in the Big East during the 1980s, highlighted by the 1985 Big East Championship, 1985 NCAA semifinal game, the "Sweater Game" between Hall of Fame coaches Lou Carnesecca and John Thompson, and Hall of Fame players Chris Mullin and Patrick Ewing. St. John's fans also count other East Coast rivals the Villanova Wildcats, Providence Friars, Seton Hall Pirates, and former Big East founders Syracuse Orange and the Boston College Eagles along with the Connecticut Huskies and Pittsburgh Panthers among their most frequently played opponents.

Rank Opponent Meetings Record Win Pct. First Meeting Last Meeting
1. Villanova 131 65-66 .496 December 20, 1909, W 38-9 January 24, 2024, W 70-50
2. Georgetown 124 67-57 .540 December 8, 1909, W 41-26 March 9, 2024, W 86-78
3. Providence 124 66-58 .532 February 25, 1927, L 33-36 February 13, 2024, L 72-75
4. Seton Hall 113 63-50 .558 January 13, 1909, W 35-15 March 14, 2024, W 91-72
5. Syracuse 92 41-51 .440 February 8, 1912, L 19-25 November 22, 2022, W 76-69
6. Boston College 74 46-28 .622 February 7, 1946, W 69-44 December 10, 2023, L 80-86
7. Connecticut 70 37-33 .529 March 20, 1951, W 63-52 February 3, 2024, L 64-77
8. Pittsburgh 69 34-25 .576 February 23, 1956, W 81-76 December 18, 2021, L 57-59
9. DePaul 55 33-22 .600 January 27, 1932, W 35-21 March 5, 2024, W 104-77
10. Marquette 45 16-29 .356 January 28, 1960, W 69-63 February 10, 2024, L, 75-86

New York rivalries[edit]

St. John's fifth most frequent played opponent is fellow Vincentian and Western New York college, the Niagara Purple Eagles. The universities have played each other every college basketball season since 1909. St. John's also frequently plays other New York City opponents representing the four other NYC boroughs; the Fordham Rams and Manhattan Jaspers of The Bronx, the St. Francis Terriers and LIU Blackbirds of Brooklyn, the NYU Violets and CCNY Beavers of Manhattan, and the Wagner Seahawks of Staten Island. These teams were all instrumental in creating the postseason National Invitational Tournament hosted annually at Madison Square Garden. From 1933 to 1963 most of these schools came together to play each other in the Metropolitan New York Conference. The Red Storm own an all-time record of 250–86 against these other New York City schools.

Rank Opponent Meetings Record Win Pct First Meeting Last Meeting
1. Niagara 101 74-27 .733 January 7, 1909, W 21-19 November 26, 2022, W, 78-70
2. Fordham 90 71-19 .789 January 30, 1909, L 13-21 December 16, 2023, W, 77-55
3. Manhattan 87 62-25 .713 December 10, 1907, L 17-34 December 27, 2002, L, 65-72
4. St. Francis (NY) 80 68-12 .850 January 10, 1908, W 23-12 November 30, 2021, W, 76-70
5. NYU 51 29-22 .569 December 6, 1907, L 13-34 March 11, 1971, W, 85-74
6. CCNY 40 25-15 .625 February 13, 1915, W 30-22 February 15, 1960, W, 93-67
7. Hofstra 28 23-5 .821 February 8, 1940, W 64-30 December 30, 2023, W 84-79
8. Columbia 26 19-7 .731 December 15, 1916, L 19-34 November 20, 2019, W, 82-63
9. Wagner 21 19-2 .905 December 6, 1935, W 67-36 November 30, 2019, W, 86-63
10. LIU 14 10-4 .714 January 13, 1931, W 38-27 December 11, 2016, L, 73-74

St. John's program records[edit]

Notable players and coaches[edit]


Lou
Carnesecca

HC
1965–70
1973–92

Mark
Jackson

13
1983–87

Chris
Mullin

20
1981–85

Malik
Sealy

21
1988–92

Walter
Berry

21
1984–86

Dick
McGuire

21
1943–49

Tony
Jackson

24
1958–61

Alan
Seiden

33
1956–59

Sonny
Dove

55
1964–67

Joe
Lapchick

HC
1936–47
1956–65

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Members[edit]

The following St. John's players, coaches, and contributors have been enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame.

Year Inducted Name Position Years at St. John's Enshrined as
1959, 1966 Joe Lapchick Head coach 1936-1947, 1956-1965 Player, Coach
1977 Frank McGuire Player, Head Coach 1947-1952 Coach
1992 Lou Carnesecca Head coach 1965-1970, 1973-1992 Coach
1992 Al McGuire Player 1947-1951 Coach
1993 Dick McGuire Player 1943-1944, 1946-1949 Player
2010, 2011 Chris Mullin Player, Head Coach 1981-1985, 2015–2019 Player (2)
2014 Mitch Richmond Assistant coach 2015–2019 Player
2013 Rick Pitino Head coach 2023–present Coach

Players in the NBA since 1985[edit]

Red Storm in the NBA
Total Selections in Draft: 60
Lottery Picks in Draft: 3
1st Round Picks: 16
No. 1 Overall Picks: 0
Draft Year Round Pick[3] Overall Name Draft Team All-Star Selections NBA Championships Olympic Selections Pro Seasons
2022 Julian Champagnie Undrafted 0 0 0 2022–2023 (1)
2019 Shamorie Ponds Undrafted 0 0 0 2019–2020 (1)
2015 2 23 53 Sir'Dominic Pointer Cleveland Cavaliers 0 0 0 2019–2020 (1)
2014 JaKarr Sampson Undrafted 0 0 0 2014–2021 (6)
2012 1 15 15 Maurice Harkless Philadelphia 76ers 0 0 0 2012–present (9)
2011 D.J. Kennedy Undrafted 0 0 0 2011–2012 (1)
2001 2 3 31 Omar Cook Orlando Magic 0 0 0 2004–2005 (2)
2000 2 10 39 Lavor Postell New York Knicks 0 0 0 2000–2003 (3)
2000 1 28 28 Erick Barkley Portland Trail Blazers 0 0 0 2000–2002 (2)
1999 1 16 16 Ron Artest Chicago Bulls 1 (2004) 1 (2010) 0 1999–2017(19)
1998 Zendon Hamilton Undrafted 0 0 0 2000–2006 (6)
1998 1 24 24 Felipe Lopez San Antonio Spurs 0 0 0 1998–2002 (4)
1996 Rowan Barrett Undrafted 0 0 1 Canada (2000, 7th Place) – (0)
1995 James Scott Undrafted 0 0 0 1996–1997 (1)
1994 2 16 43 Shawnelle Scott Portland Trail Blazers 0 0 0 1996–2002 (4)
1992 2 19 46 Robert Werdann Denver Nuggets 0 0 0 1992–1997 (3)
1992 1 14 14 Malik Sealy Indiana Pacers 0 0 0 1992–2000 (8)
1990 1 21 21 Jayson Williams Phoenix Suns 1 (1998) 0 0 1990–1999 (9)
1988 2 2 27 Shelton Jones San Antonio Spurs 0 0 0 1988–1989 (1)
1987 3 23 69 Willie Glass Los Angeles Lakers 0 0 0
1987 1 18 18 Mark Jackson New York Knicks 1 (1989) 0 0 1987–2004 (18)
1986 3 20 67 Ron Rowan Philadelphia 76ers 0 0 0 1986–1987 (1)
1986 1 14 14 Walter Berry Portland Trail Blazers 0 0 0 1986–1989 (3)
1985 1 16 16 Bill Wennington Dallas Mavericks 0 3 (1996-1998) 1 Canada (1984, 4th Place) 1985–2000 (13)
1985 1 7 7 Chris Mullin Golden State Warriors 5 (1989-1993) 0 2 United States (1984 , 1992) 1985–2001 (16)
Bold Active players   First round pick  

Players in International Basketball[edit]

Red Storm Overseas
Total Players Overseas:
Current Players Overseas: 15
Draft Year Last Country Last League Player Current team All-League Selections League Championships Pro Seasons
2020 Iceland Subway League Mustapha Heron Keflavik 0 0 2020–present (2)
2019 Hungary NB I/A Marvin Clark II Falco KC Szombathely 0 0 2019–present (3)
2019 Germany BBL Justin Simon Riesen Ludwigsburg 0 0 2019–present (3)
2018 Italy LBA Amar Alibegović Virtus Bologna 0 2 (2019, 2021) 2018–present (4)
2016 Germany ProA Ron Mvouika Bayer Giants Leverkusen 0 0 2016–2019 (3)
2016 Spain LEB Oro Felix Balamou CB Clavijo 0 0 2017–2018 (1)
2016 Switzerland LNA Durand Johnson Union Neuchâtel Basket 0 0 2016-2017 (1)
2015 Israel Ligat HaAl D'Angelo Harrison Maccabi Rishon LeZion 0 0 2015–present (6)
2015 United States NBA G League Sir'Dominic Pointer Canton Charge 0 0 2015–present (6)
2015 Poland EBL Phil Greene IV Arka Gdynia 0 0 2015–present (6)
2015 Canada NBL Canada Jamal Branch Cape Breton Highlanders 0 0 2015-2018 (4)
2014 Japan B.League Orlando Sánchez Shinshu Brave Warriors 0 0 2014–present (7)
2014 United States NBA JaKarr Sampson Indiana Pacers 1 0 2014–present (8)
2011 Philippines PBA Justin Brownlee Barangay Ginebra San Miguel 0 5 (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021) 2011–present (11)
2011 Turkey BSL Dwight Hardy Bahçeşehir Koleji S.K. 2 (2012, 2016) 0 2011–present (10)
2011 Turkey BSL D.J. Kennedy Karşıyaka Basket 4 (2013, 2015, 2016, 2018) 1 (2019) 2011–present (10)
2011 Morocco Morocco-D1 Paris Horne Chabab Rif Al Hoceima 0 0 2011–present (10)
2011 Greece GBL Sean Evans Ifaistos Limnou B.C. 0 1 (2018) 2011–present (10)
2011 Japan B.League Justin Burrell Nagoya Diamond Dolphins 1 (2012) 0 2011-present (10)
2009 United States D-League Anthony Mason Jr. Sioux Falls Skyforce 0 0 2010-2014 (4)
2008 Greece GBL Eugene Lawrence Ionikos Nikaias B.C. 1 (2011) 5 (2009, 2012, 2017–2019) 2008-present (13)
2007 United States Independent Daryll Hill Harlem Globetrotters 1 (2008) 0 2007-2010 (3)
2007 Japan B.League Lamont Hamilton Niigata Albirex BB 1 (2013) 0 2007-2020 (14)
2003 Germany BBL Marcus Hatten Mitteldeutscher BC 0 1 (2017) 2003-2018 (15)
2003 Argentina TNA Anthony Glover 9 de Julio de Río Tercero 0 0 2003-2015 (12)
2001 Spain Liga ACB Omar Cook Casademont Zaragoza 4 (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005) 3 (2006, 2015, 2016) 2001-2022 (21)
2000 France LNB Pro A Bootsy Thornton Strasbourg IG 1 (2008) 5 (2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012) 2000-2014 (14)
1999 Greece Greek A1 Tyrone Grant Ilysiakos B.C. 0 0 2000-2011 (11)
1997 Ukraine USL Charles Minlend BC Cherkaski Mavpy 2003 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP 0 1997-2008 (11)
1996 France LNB Pro A Rowan Barrett Élan Chalon 4 (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005) 1 (2001) 1997-2008 (11)
Bold Active players

Awards and honors[edit]

McDonald's High School All-Americans[edit]

Facilities[edit]

St. John's at Home
Home Courts Record Win Pct
DeGray Gymnasium 103–65 .613
Carnesecca Arena 490–101 .829
Madison Square Garden 434–303 .589
Barclays Center 6–2 .750

* record stands after the 2019–20 season

DeGray Gymnasium (1932–1956)[edit]

DeGray Gymnasium was the original home of the St. John's Redmen when the university was located at 75 Lewis Avenue in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, NY. Their record at DeGray Gym was 156 wins to 11 losses for a winning percentage of .934. St. John's played their last home game there on December 8, 1956, with a victory of Roanoke College 103–65. When the university was transitioning from Brooklyn to Queens, the basketball team split their home games between the old Madison Square Garden and Martin Van Buren High School for five seasons.

Carnesecca Arena (1961–present)[edit]

In 1961, home games were moved to the 5,602-seat Alumni Hall on the newly constructed Queens campus opening with a 79–65 win over George Washington University. On November 23, 2004, the building and court were renamed for Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca.

Madison Square Garden (1931–present)[edit]

Madison Square Garden

On January 19, 1931, St. John's was a part of the first college basketball triple-header at the third Madison Square Garden on 8th Avenue and 50th Street in a charity game which saw St. John's beat CCNY by a score 17–9. St. John's has played at least one game in the arena every year since then, for a record 89 consecutive seasons, for both regular season home games, preseason and postseason tournaments including the Big East, NIT, and Holiday Festival.

Taffner Field House[edit]

The current training facility of the St. John's basketball team is Taffner Field House, located on the Queens campus adjacent to Carnesecca Arena. In the fall of 2005, the $16 million facility was completed with a majority of the donations coming from longtime St. John's fan, graduate, and benefactor Donald L. Taffner and his wife Eleanor Taffner, for whom the building is named. The field house features four full-size basketball courts, two for student life and two for varsity basketball, a weight room, training room, locker rooms, meeting rooms, and coaching offices for both men's and women's basketball.

Key statistics[edit]

Overall
Years of basketball 110
First season 1907–08
Head coaches (all-time) 20
All Games
All-time record 1,817–999 (.645)
Home record 463–83 (.848)
20+ win seasons 40
30+ win seasons 2
Conference Games
Conference Record 694–491 (.586)
Conference regular season championships 14
Conference tournament championships 3
NCAA Tournament
NCAA Appearances 29
NCAA Tournament wins 27
Sweet Sixteens 9
Elite Eights 5
Final Fours 2
Championship Games 1
Championships 0
Accurate as of 3/22/2017. Please don't update until end of season.

Victories over AP Number 1 Teams

St. John's has five victories over the AP number one ranked team.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Primary Colors". St. John's University Athletics Style Guide (PDF). June 21, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  2. ^ "St. John's Names Hall of Famer Rick Pitino Head Men's Basketball Coach". redstormsports.com. St. John's University Athletics. March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  3. ^ "NBA Draft Index". Basketball Reference. 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2013.

External links[edit]