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Red Storm Rise up to #22, Host #3 Huskies on Friday

BQE Admin on February 5, 2026

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

St. John’s moved up to #22 on Monday’s AP college basketball rankings as the Red Storm picked up their 7th consecutive BIG EAST win. Since falling to the Friars Pitino’s squad has shifted into gear, making sure they keep a foot in the spotlight as the conference schedule nears its midway point.

St. John’s started with a program-best #5 preseason ranking, but fell out of the Top-25 following a loss to Kentucky in December. They made their return as the final team on the AP leaderboard last week, moving up three more spots after beating Butler last week. The Johnnies now rank ahead of undefeated Miami (OH), Louisville, and Tennessee, sitting just behind the Arkansas Razorbacks, who eliminated them in last year’s NCAA tournament.

On Friday comes the biggest test of the season when Dan Hurley and the #3 UConn Huskies head to Madison Square Garden. It’s the first of two matchups this year between the BIG EAST’s best and the visitors will be salivating for a taste of revenge after last year’s sweep.

The Huskies haven’t dropped out of the top-10 this season, still perfect in conference play. Their lone loss came five games into the season against Arizona, who was ranked #4 at the time and now sits as the top-ranked team in the nation, 22-0 in .

Friday’s game is a huge hurdle for the Red Storm, who have gone 0-3 against ranked opponents this year. Those losses came to #15 Alabama early in the season before falling to #15 Iowa State and #21 Baylor during the Players Era Festival in November.

The Huskies will be the first taste of Top-10 opposition this season for St. John’s, although they took on Michigan in preseason when the Wolverines were ranked #7 (Michigan has since gone 20-1, overtaking UConn for the #2 ranking this week).

They’ve been a brand new team as of late, but if the Red Storm hope to defend their BIG EAST regular season or tournament championships, they’re going to have to find a way past the Huskies.

Johnnies Beat Iona at The Garden

BQE Admin on December 19, 2025

Pitino Downs Former School, Zuby Block Party Continues, & Jackson Gets Start

Zuby Ejiofor leaps for the opening tip against Ole Miss just a week before the Iona matchup. The Red Storm big man recorded 8 blocks in each of the two games.

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

Rick Pitino vanquished his former team on Saturday afternoon as the St. John’s Red Storm took down the Iona Gaels at Madison Square Garden, 91-64. Pitino spent three seasons in New Rochelle, leading the Gaels to two MAAC regular season titles, two conference championships, and two trips to the NCAA Tournament. The win over Iona marked Pitino’s 20th over teams he had previously coached.

“Iona is such a special place because every coach that coaches there wins. Kevil Willard started there, I certainly was rejuvenated there,” Pitino said about his former school.

Even after another slow start (this time missing 12 of their first 13 field goal attempts, St. John’s were able to outscore the Gaels 36-26 in the opening half before pulling away in the second frame.

Scoring for St. John’s was led by Oziyah Sellers with 19, though 16 of them came in the 2nd half. His strong performance led him to a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.

Ian Jackson got the nod at guard over Dylan Darling for the Red Storm. It was the Sophomore transfer’s first start since the opening game of the season against Quinnipiac, and he put up a solid 14 points with 5 rebounds and a joint-team-high 3 assists. Jackson made a change of his own, chopping off his iconic hair, leading to some amusing comments by his teammates and coach.

Zuby Ejiofor was the only SJU starter to record less than 13 points, but the Red Storm big man continued his tremendous work on the defensive end with 8 blocks for a 2nd straight game. Ejiofor also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds in the winning effort. Led by Ejiofor, the Red Storm defense is finally starting to come around as a strong point.

“We realized we weren’t a very good defensive team. Last year’s team around Christmas time wasn’t a very good defensive team either and they became one of the great defensive teams in the nation,” Pitino said about their improved effort on that end of the floor. “I think we can get to that point, we just need to keep our turnovers down because you beat yourself when you turn the ball over.”

Defense isn’t the only spot where the Red Storm needs to improve. Their inability to start games hot and inconsistent shooting will be a difficult spot as the season enters conference play and eventually the BIG EAST Tournament and beyond. If they’re unable to find consistency on that end of the floor, there’s only so much the defense can do to see out big wins down the stretch.

Following Tuesday’s contest against De Paul the Red Storm is on the road to take on the Kentucky Wildcats in the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta. Tip off will be Saturday December 20 at 12:30pm. St. John’s comes back to Carnesecca Arena for their final game in Queens on Tuesday the 23 against Harvard.

Johnnies Fall to Alabama in First Ranked Matchup of the Year

BQE Admin on November 13, 2025

St. John’s drops to #13 in AP poll

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

The St. John’s Red Storm fell in a wild battle at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. In an early matchup against nationally ranked opposition, the Crimson Tide became just the second team to score 100+ points against Rick Pitino’s St. John’s team (Creighton defeated the Red Storm 104-76 in January of 2023).

Pitino commented many times on Alabama’s pace of play going into last weekend’s game and he was right to treat their offense with such high regard. Alabama native Labaron Philon Jr. was unstoppable off the dribble as he led the visitors with 25 points. Also piling on the points from the Crimson Tide backcourt was Aden Holloway with 21. Alabama were able to register an impressive 81 field goal attempts, hitting just under half of them.

It was a decision by Pitino and the program to face teams as talented as Alabama early in the season, also set to face tough SEC teams like Kentucky and Ole Miss this season after falling to Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament last season.

“We learned a lot tonight,” said Pitino postgame. “Disappointed we lost but we certainly learned a lot and we’ll get better from it. As a head coach I need to find out where our deficiencies lie and I found out tonight.”

“I’d like to thank Coach Pitino for the opportunity,” said Alabama Head Coach Nate Oats. “He doesn’t have to play a tough schedule so I’m thankful for all of us to come [to MSG] to play the game. Whether we won or lost it would have been a good experience for us.”

St. John’s showed why they were ranked so highly entering the season. Zuby Ejiofor was back to his dominant self in the first half, scoring 21 of his 27 points in the opening frame. He and Bryce Hopkins set the tone early, combining to score all 16 of the Red Storm points in the first 8 minutes. Alabama did well to contain the rest of the Johnnies offense, picking their poison and limiting the damage from deep.

The Crimson Tide led by 9 at the half after a late scoring burst. In the second half, some clutch scoring by Ian Jackson, Oziyah Sellers, and Ruben Pray helped cut into the deficit, eventually putting the Red Storm back on top late. Jackson scored 7 points early in the 2nd to lead an incredible run, finishing with 14 off the bench.

The Red Storm were without transfer guard Dylan Darling, but Pitino said that he wouldn’t have made much of an impact as he was an offense-first guard and referencing the dominance by Philon Jr. and Holloway. The junior missed practice and the game with a calf strain, though Pitino suggested that he should be back in action for Saturday’s game against William & Mary.

JJ: “Welcome to New York, Mike Brown”

BQE Admin on July 14, 2025

It’s Now NBA Finals Or Bust…

By John Jastremski

Last week, the Knicks finally concluded their head coaching search and decided former Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown will be their guy.

My first reaction to the news was that as a Knicks fan, I felt uninspired.

Look, Mike Brown on paper fits the bill of the sort of coach you’d want leading your team.

There’s no sense of the unknown for a franchise that will have sky high expectations going into next season.

You know what you’re getting with Mike Brown.

He ran a tremendous offense in Sacramento that was as modern as it gets.

He’s taken a team to the NBA Finals before, albeit a team that had LeBron James, but an accomplishment none the less.

In addition, he seems like a tremendous guy. I expect he will do a fantastic job in handling the NY media and what comes with that.

So, you might ask. After what I just detailed, why is the hire uninspiring.

Well, it’s pretty simple to me.

After the Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau, I was expecting the sort of hire that would put me in a position where I feel the team clearly upgraded with their head coach.

No disrespect to Mike Brown, but I for one am not convinced the Knicks hired a better head coach than Thibs.

Thats why I cant share a feeling of elation and excitement when it comes to the hire.

However, the goal is pretty simple for Mike Brown next season.

It’s time to get the Knicks back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

Are those unfair expectations to a first year head coach?

In most circumstances, yes. Not with this current Knicks group.

The roster is there, the East is weak and if not now, then when.

Talk about walking into a pressure cooker!

You can listen to my podcast New York, New York on The Ringer Podcast Network every Tuesday & Friday on Spotify/Apple Podcasts. You can watch me nightly on Honda Sports Nite following Mets postgame on SNY.

JJ: “Will The Garden Party Continue In The Eastern Conference Finals?”

BQE Admin on May 20, 2025

By John Jastremski

For the first time in 25 years, the New York Knicks are playing in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Last Friday night, the Knicks sent the Celtics packing for Cancun with a performance that will live forever in Knicks lure. 

The Knicks finished off the Celtics in a wire to wire, resounding 119-81 victory and to be honest the final score doesn’t even do the beatdown justice. 

The Knicks finished off the defending champs, who lost star Jayson Tatum after Game 4 due to a devastating achilles injury, but that said, don’t let the Tatum injury take away from the Knicks vibes of the past series. 

The Knicks were cruising to a 3-1 series lead advantage before the injury took place late in the 4th quarter. 

They were the better team in the series and that was obvious in almost every single 4th quarter of the series. 

Now, the Knicks are four wins away from a place they have not been since 1999. The NBA Finals. 

How appropriate is it that the team that’s standing in their way of an Eastern Conference Crown is the same team that knocked out the Knicks a year ago. 

The Indiana Pacers. 

Make no mistake, the Pacers are a very dangerous team. 

They are 9 plus deep in their rotation, they place a ridiculously fast pace that is tough to contend with and Rick Carlisle is one of the best coaches in the NBA. 

In addition, Tyrese Haliburton has emerged as one of the game’s biggest stars and has been lights out this entire postseason despite some of the “overrated” criticism that was thrown his way earlier in the season. 

The Knicks will have their hands full with the Pacers, but there’s a lot to like coming into the series. 

The Knicks toughness and defensive intensity is an element that the Pacers have not matched up with quite yet this postseason run. 

In addition, the Knicks did not have Karl Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges in their series a year ago.

Both Towns and Bridges had brilliant regular season games against the Pacers in the regular season.

I expect both to pay major dividends in this series.

The Pacers will be a formidable opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, with the grit and toughness of this Knicks group combined with the fact that they have Jalen Brunson who is the best player in the series, it’s impossible for me to go against the wave. 

Knicks in a hard fought 7 games.

And if that happens, oh baby what a party on 7th avenue will it be.

You can listen to my podcast New York, New York on The Ringer Podcast Network on Spotify/Apple Podcasts following every Knicks ECF Game. You can watch me nightly on Honda Sports Nite following the Mets postgame on SNY.

St. John’s Beats Marquette in OT for 18th Conference Win

BQE Admin on March 11, 2025

Red Storm await Friars or Bulldogs in BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals

By Noah Zimmerman

It was another must-watch game between the #6 St. John’s Red Storm and the #20 Marquette Golden Eagles over the weekend.  

An overtime thriller ended in buzzer-beater fashion as the Johnnies picked up their 18th BIG EAST win, the most ever recorded in program history. 

Despite clinching the BIG EAST Regular Season title outright the previous weekend, the Red Storm fought hard against a Marquette team hungry for a top-3 seed in the conference tournament.

It was a razor-thin margin at the half, with St. John’s up 36-35 but it was level at 75 after the second frame. The largest Golden Eagle lead was 8 and the largest for St. John’s 6.

With 26 seconds left in OT, a Kam Jones layup tied the game once more at 84. Jones led all scorers with 32 for the Golden Eagles on his Senior Day.

RJ Luis Jr. brought the ball back down the floor for the Red Storm, looking for a game-winning three. His miss was rebounded by Marquette’s Chase Ross, but a clutch steal by Kadary Richmond and quick pass by Simeon Wilcher set up Zuby Ejiofor for his second buzzer-beating layup of the year.

Ejiofor finished with another double-double (17p, 12r). Luis Jr. added 28, with Richmond recording the first Red Storm triple-double since Ron Artest in 1999.

St. John’s open the BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals on Thursday at 12pm, where they’ll play the winner of  Wednesday’s game between 8th seed Providence and 9th seed Butler. All games will be held at MSG.

 

Red Storm’s Zuby Ejiofor, RJ Luis Jr., Kadary Richmond win annual BIG EAST Honors

To add on to his game winner on Saturday, Zuby Ejiofor was named BIG EAST Most Improved Player on Monday morning. In his second year at St. John’s, the Junior averaged 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and nearly 2.5 combined blocks and steals per game.

He and RJ Luis Jr. were named to the BIG EAST 1st Team, with Kadary Richmond named to the 2nd Team.

RJ Luis Jr. was also a favorite to win BIG EAST Player of the Year, with Rick Pitino favored for Coach of the Year at the annual BIG EAST awards ceremony Wednesday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.

LIC Business Wins Big at ‘Make It Awards’

Jessica Meditz on March 30, 2022

For the fifth consecutive year, the New York Knicks and Squarespace hosted the Make It Awards, which support and celebrate the small, local businesses and entrepreneurs that help New York City thrive.

Hosted at Madison Square Garden, the Make It Awards honors four winners, presenting them with a $30,000 grant to further expand their mission.

This year’s winners include Adapt Ability, a Brooklyn nonprofit that provides custom adaptive bicycles for children with special needs; Harlem Pilates, which helps make health and wellness accessible to diverse communities; Legally BLK Fund, dedicated to supporting aspiring Black women attorneys by providing them with various resources; and COVERR, a Queens-based business that provides financial services that are customized for the gig economy, empowering workers to reach their highest earning potential.

Based in Long Island City, COVERR offers workers a better alternative to a credit card or loan by eliminating traditional barriers.

Kobina Ansah, the company’s founder, said that COVERR started out by him passing out flyers and interviewing Uber/Lyft drivers in Queens, which has grown significantly since.

Kobina Ansah.

“It really started out with finding out initially that Uber drivers in New York often pay somewhere between $350 to $500 plus dollars per week to rent the car that they’ll never actually own,” Ansah said.

“It became very clear to me that more than auto finance, liquidity or just cash management was a bigger challenge for Uber drivers, and shortly after, that started providing our business financing and people started getting inquiries from other parts of the gig economy.”

Ansah said that coming from a family of Ghanaian immigrants, he knows what it’s like to be part of an underrepresented community, which is why COVERR’s mission is so important to him.

He said that when he previously worked at Wells Fargo, he did not get to support a lot of people who look like him, and is grateful to now be able to provide services to underserved market segments.

“That’s what compelled me to start to focus on people who worked in emerging markets like the gig economy, which happens to be one of the fastest growing labor segments,” he said. “It happens to be represented by over 50 percent of those who work in the U.S. economy currently are members of the BIPOC community.”

Ansah said he was stunned to have been recognized in the Make It Awards, especially upon discovering that 750 other businesses applied.

He added that with the $30,000 grant, COVERR will use the funds to help further automate the underwriting practice, which will speed up the application process for clients, creating a job board to create greater resources for all clients and research and development.

“Being in a city as vibrant as New York, I knew the competitive landscape was huge And so I feel very fortunate to be selected,” Ansah said. “Honestly, it’s an affirmation of the hard work that we do, and the importance of the work that we’re doing.”

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