St. John’s men’s basketball picked second in Big East preseason poll

St. John's men's basketball team has been ranked second in the Big East preseason poll by the league's coaches. This ranking comes ahead of Media Day festivities, with the team receiving only two first-place votes compared to eight received by Duke. Villanova finished ahead of St. John's, which was placed fourth, trailing behind Marquette.

Rick Pitino, the Red Storm's head coach, praised the Golden Eagles as the Big East favorite in July. The poll included Providence, Xavier, Creighton, DePaul, Seton Hall, Georgetown, and Butler following St. John's. Despite their strong performance in the past two seasons, with a 36-4 regular-season record and dual championships, the league's coaches are set to challenge this year's team.

The starting lineup for St. John's includes preseason first-team selections Ian Jackson and Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou, as well as Ruben Prey, making his first season as a starter. Many key players, such as Quinn Ellis, Keyshawn Hall, Babacar Sane, and Reed Bailey, are awaiting eligibility decisions, with Ellis and Hall expected to become the team's main starters and Sane potentially a year-end standout.