There is hurt and pain in the aftermath of the St. John’s basketball season ending on Friday night against Duke.
The Red Storm had the top-seeded Blue Devils on the ropes with a 10-point lead following a 15-2 run in the second half but couldn’t string consecutive possessions together offensively or defensively to win.
In the end, it resulted in an 80-75 loss and the completion of its season.
“This team was one of the most unique teams I've had in 52 years,” Rick Pitino said after the loss. “Never one argument amongst the players, impossible – summer and regular season. Not one potential fight or somebody getting upset at somebody.”
The connectivity and togetherness were shown in the immediate aftermath of the loss with several players becoming very emotional in the locker room as well as Zuby Ejiofor and Dillon Mitchell on the postgame dais.
“They were just the greatest kids in the world,” Pitino added. “They wanted to win so badly. They were willing to do anything to try and win. I'll never have a team like this again with that type of attitude. I may have some good teams, but never, ever again with this type of attitude and just incredible people. My heart breaks for them right now.”
Yet they were a team that won – and won a lot. The Johnnies became the first squad in Big East history to win the outright regular season and conference tournament championships in consecutive years.
In advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999, they etched themselves in program history and made its claim as one of the best St. John’s teams ever assembled.
“There's no regrets about [the game], just great feelings for the team,” he continued. “You can see how much it hurt them…We'll all take some time off and just look back, I think each and every day, as we have in the past, with great pride in what they did, the fight that they had, the people they were.”
Despite St. John’s only being the home for most of its players for a year it became very clear that Queens developed into a true home for transfers like Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell, who were playing at the third school in their college careers.
Their named will be forever written in the St. John’s history books and this team will not be forgotten for many, many years.
Friday’s loss will sting for a while but there is nothing to be ashamed about the ending of its magical season.