Dillon Mitchell has been the do-it-all player for St. John’s this season.
Sure, Zuby Ejiofor is the team’s best player and leads in every statistical category, but Mitchell’s presence is a difference maker.
At times, he runs the offense as the point guard. He also is a Swiss Army Knife on defense, usually guarding the other team’s best player and taking him out of the game.
But after the Red Storm were blasted by 32 points against UConn, Rick Pitino challenged him to become more consistent with the postseason on the horizon and St. John’s playing a lot of games in a short amount of time. The Johnnies could ill-afford to lose his production in a big moment.
So, Pitino called him into his office for a meeting to tell him exactly that. There was no film shown, it was just a conversation, and the results have been felt.
Mitchell went for 13 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block in St. John’s 78-68 victory over Seton Hall on Friday night at the Big East Tournament, advancing to the championship game.
“Just taking my motor and never turning it off,” he explained of the biggest thing that came out of the meeting.
“For me, it's never about scoring or anything like that. It's about defense, just playing with a high motor. Like I always say, figure out different ways that I can help to get the team a win no matter what it is, handling the ball, guarding, whatever it is.”
Since its February 25 loss to the Huskies, Dillon Mitchell is averaging 7.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. It’s exactly the compliment that St. John’s has needed.
“[Dillon Mitchell] is like a third guard because he does so many things that don't show up in the stat sheet,” Pitino said.
“Five assists, no turnovers, six rebounds, 13 points, and playing all those minutes, didn't turn the ball over at all,” he added. “Pretty special.”