As opening acts go, this will certainly do. This will keep you coming back. St. John’s beat Stony Brook Tuesday night 90-74, and you had every element you could ask for in a season opener, and an era opener.
You had a crowded and noisy Carnesecca Arena, replete with active and engaged students behind both baskets. You had a high profile alum, Julian Champagnie, sitting in the front row, enjoying an off night before his San Antonio Spurs take on the Knicks at the Garden on Wednesday.
You had the Hall of Fame coach, Rick Pitino, dressed to the nines, of course; St. John’s may not crack the Top 10 of the AP poll this year, but they are a lock to make the Final Four of every best-dressed coaching staff list.
Best of all, there were so many encouraging things to see on the floor, players playing their first real game together, dipping their toes in the water, and looking awfully good for the early date in the calendar. Stony Brook may not be Creighton or UConn or Villanova, but they were a representative opponent, had played well in preseason exhibitions against Fairfield and Manhattan. They were a fair first test.
And the Johnnies passed it with flying colors.
“It was amazing,” said Chris Ledlum, the transfer from Harvard, who dazzled in his first game in red (rather than crimson), scoring 16 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and providing a jolt of energy just about every trip up the floor.
“We worked hard all summer just for this moment and for this season to start. It meant a lot to go out there play together, play the right brand of basketball.”
Ledlum was the best of the slew of newcomers that also included fine games from Daniss Jenkins (17 points, eight assists) and Jordan Dingle (13 points). But the player who will almost certainly be the key to whatever St. John’s is the one player who decided to stay.
And Joel Soriano was terrific. He scored 22 points. He made the first two 3s of his career, and after one he pointed playfully at Champagnie, who was roaring. He grabbed 11 rebounds. He blocked two shots. Stony Brook has some formidable bigs, including 7-foot Keenan Fitzmorris. Soriano dominated all of them.
Sixteen of those points came in the second half. He laughed as he recounted what might have precipitated that.
“Coach said some things to me,” he said, “that got me fired up.”
Pitino seemed to be having the time of his life, truth be told. He was introduced to a deafening cheer. He left the court afterward high-fiving fans who wanted to stick around a little extra to savor the first game of what promises to be a fascinating season.
And he was quintessential Pitino talking about both of those things.
“I was thinking a lot of Lou,” Pitino said, speaking of course of Looie Carnesecca, who you have to believe will enjoy the hell out of this team. “This place is special because of him and it’s such an honor to work here.”
He smiled.
“The second thing,” he said, “is Michigan.”
That will be the Johnnies’ next game, their first genuine test, prime time at Madison Square Garden Monday night, and it’s going to be quite the early-season exam.
“We know how every game is so important,” he said. “We think we’ll be a good team in January but you’ve got to get to that point without taking too many lumps.”
If Tuesday night is a fair indicator, even the lumpy nights along the road to January (or even February) will be filled with enough interesting basketball to keep things interesting, and to keep the folks coming back. A lot of them didn’t want to leave Tuesday night. That’s a nice change of pace in this fun old barn.
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