It’s still a long way until the games count in November, but the college basketball vibes returned to Queens on Tuesday afternoon as the St. John’s basketball team hosted an open practice just days before the team departs New York until the start of the fall semester.
Everyone on the roster was present with the exception of sophomore guard Lefteris Liotopoulos, who remains in Greece playing with the Greek Senior National Team as they prepare for the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket.
It was the first time anyone outside of the program got to see the Johnnies this summer, who are projected to be ranked inside the Top 10 of the preseason poll and are looking to build off its record setting campaign a season ago that resulted in a pair of Big East championships.
However, while the goals are high for the Red Storm, there are plenty of new faces behind its returning All-Big East superstar Zuby Ejiofor that have to prove themselves worthy of the hype, and they took the court for a 40-minute controlled intrasquad scrimmage that gave a glimpse into the talent that Rick Pitino assembled.
The teams were split into groups which featured the current projected starters against the reserves. It put Oziyah Sellers, Kelvin Odih, Bryce Hopkins, Dillon Mitchell, and Zuby Ejiofor – the starters – against Ian Jackson, Dylan Darling, Sadiku Ibine Ayo, Joson Sanon, and Ruben Prey.
The reserves won the game on a steal and layup from Jackson with five seconds remaining but there were plenty of other takeaways from the afternoon.
Kelvin Odih Has Legit Chance to Play
For multiple stretches during the scrimmage, freshman Kelvin Odih looked like the best player on the floor. He is tenacious defensively and, like most rookies, is not afraid to get his shot up.
Rick Pitino called him one of the biggest surprises of the summer and said at times he worked harder than Zuby Ejiofor, who has always been referred to as the hardest worker on the team.
Odih’s outstanding practice was cut short due to a sprained ankle but once he gets back on the floor when the team returns to Queens at the end of the month, it will be hard keeping him out of the rotation.