St. John's basketball center Joel Soriano had an impressive second half in their 90-74 win over Stony Brook on Tuesday. Soriano gave credit to head coach Rick Pitino for motivating him at halftime, per FOX Sports' John Fanta.
Joel Soriano on scoring 16 points in the second half: “Coach Pitino said some things to me. He fired me up…look, he was on us for every little thing, but I love that. I love how he coaches us.” pic.twitter.com/MaVjiHqsAl
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) November 8, 2023
Joel Soriano scored just six points in the first half for St. John's basketball. Despite his first-half struggles, St. John built a 41-30 lead at halftime. They managed to keep Stony Brook at bay with Soriano's timely baskets in the second half.
Joel Soriano finished the game with 22 points on nine-of-12 shooting. He added 11 rebounds and three blocks for Rick Pitino's team.
Soriano spent his first two seasons with Fordham basketball. He transferred to St. John's prior to the 2021-22 NCAA season. He averaged 6.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks for St. John's basketball that year.
Joel Soriano flipped a switch in his second season with St. John's basketball. He averaged 15.2 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in the 2022-23 NCAA season. Soriano's 25 double-doubles ranked him second in the country.
To nobody's surprise, Soriano's resurgence earned him several accolades last year. He earned BIG EAST Most Improved Player and All-BIG EAST Second Team honors in the 2022-23 NCAA campaign.
Despite Joel Soriano's emergence as one of the best big men in the BIG East, St. John's basketball missed the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year. Hopefully, that trend will change in Rick Pitino's first year at the helm.
Expectations for St. John's basketball are sky-high this year. The best-case scenario has Joel Soriano winning BIG EAST Player of the Year honors and St. John's winning its first NCAA Tournament game in 23 years.
They're off to a good start after that 16-point drubbing of Stony Brook on Tuesday.
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