Rick Pitino explained why he isn't starting Bryce Hopkins ahead of the St. John's Red Storm's exhibition against Towson.
Pitino is preparing for his third season as the Red Storm's head coach. He led them to their best campaign in decades, taking them to the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Pitino has the squad gearing up for an exhibition against Towson. He named his starting lineup during the team's media day event but left Hopkins off the main rotation for the time being.
“We’ll go with Oziyah Sellers at the one, Ian Jackson at the two, Joson Sanon at the three, Dillon Mitchell at the four and Zuby Ejiofor at the five,” Pitino said at St. John’s media day, via On3. “But all ten guys will play. It’s not necessarily this is the top five, it’s just the five I’m going to go with against Towson.”
“He’s been good and solid the entire summer and now,” Pitino said about Hopkins. “And I’m not after good, and I’m not after solid. I’m after great and passionate. And once he reaches that mamba mentality that we’re trying to put forth in every player, and as a team, I think you’re going to see one of the best players in the country.”
What lies ahead for Rick Pitino, St. John's
It's an interesting decision for Rick Pitino to leave Bryce Hopkins out of the starting lineup for St. John's.
Hopkins transferred to the Red Storm following previous stops at Kentucky and Providence. Injuries plagued his stint with the latter, as he hopes for a turn in the right direction with Pitino and St. John's.
“It will change,” Pitino said of the starting five alongside Hopkins. “The starting lineup against Towson, we may need a bigger starting lineup against Michigan. So that’s probably when you’ll see possibly Bryce and Dillon play together possibly. So I think it will depend on our opponent defensively in matchups.”
St. John's finished with a 31-5 record last season, going 18-2 in Big East Play. They shined as the champions in the conference throughout the regular season and tournament, clinching a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They beat Omaha in the first round before bowing out with a loss to Arkansas in the second round.
The Red Storm will begin their 2025-26 campaign at home, hosting their first four matchups. They face Quinnipiac on Nov. 3 at 6:30 p.m. ET, Alabama on Nov. 8 at 12 p.m. ET, William and Mary on Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. ET, and Bucknell on Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. ET.
