Just a few miles away from campus, the St. John’s basketball team is getting quite comfortable at Citi Field.
For the third time in two years, a member of the Red Storm threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to a New York Mets game and on Thursday night it was Ian Jackson who took the rubber – but this had a twist.
In comparison to the other ceremonial first pitches thrown at the ballpark, which were done by Zuby Ejiofor and Dylan Darling, Jackson had teammate Ruben Prey catch his toss.
It was the first time the Portugal native has ever put on a baseball glove.
Nevertheless, Ian Jackson’s pitch was over the plate and Prey was able to catch it. It was a success that the duo hopes translates to the court this winter as both are expected to play a large role for the Johnnies in their junior seasons.
Jackson, the headliner, will be looking for a fresh start after his first season with St. John’s did not go as planned with his transition to point guard. Still, he managed to score 9.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game on 40.9-percent shooting from the floor and 34.3-percent from 3-point range.
This year, however, he will play shooting guard with the Red Storm’s addition of international point guard Quinn Ellis and Columbia transfer Avery Brown.
Ruben Prey has much bigger shoes to fill as the current starting center for the Red Storm and successor to Zuby Ejiofor. Although his numbers were not eye-popping, Prey showed glimpses of his potential despite finishing the year with just 4.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
Both players are projected to be starters for St. John’s this season as the Red Storm try and three-peat in the Big East and make a deeper run in the NCAA Tournament.
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