WASHINGTON – St. John’s had already reeled off 10 straight wins by Valentine’s Day. Rick Pitino’s team was on its way, turning the page from a disappointing non-conference slate.
But that day, something changed. A togetherness formed. The win at Providence that included a brawl in Bryce Hopkins’ return to his former school, was a turning point for the Johnnies.
“At that point in the Providence game, they all felt so bad for Bryce Hopkins,” Pitino recalled. “When he got tackled, they came to his defense. That bothered them. I think that brought them really close together by really caring for Bryce. They care for each other.
“Regardless of where they’re from, I think they formed a bond after that game that was special.”
Sure, St. John’s (30-6) did lose one game after that, the blowout at Connecticut, but they have otherwise won every other contest. They won the Big East regular season crown outright, and got revenge against Connecticut in the Big East Tournament title game, crushing the Huskies at the Garden.
Feb. 14 was an emotional day. Providence fans chanted, “F-U Bryce Hopkins” a majority of the game. Early in the second half, Friars forward Duncan Powell took down Hopkins on a breakaway layup, a dirty play that could’ve led to an injury. A fight broke out that led to six ejections. St. John’s rallied to win its 11th straight. Powell was suspended for three games.
Hopkins has been a key to this run, setting a St. John’s NCAA Tournament record in Sunday’s second-round victory over Kansas with six 3-pointers. The fact that his teammates were there for him certainly helped the senior forward.
“Guys rallied around each other. I think that did make us take a step forward with our brotherhood,” Hopkins said. “The togetherness that we show on the court, when things aren’t going well, staying together. When Kansas was making their run towards the end, we had to find a way to come together, weather the storm and stuff like that, stay confident in those moments when they were making their run.”
This was a very new team, the lone returning starter Zuby Ejiofor. It took time for the group to develop cohesion and a bond. It happened at Providence. There have been examples of how close this team is. Hopkins gifted everyone on the team new JLab headphones recently through a NIL deal he has with the company, and on Thursday Ejiofor gave his teammates custom “iced-out” chains from the jewelry brand GLD.
Now, this is a group that will be remembered for a long time, the one that got St. John’s back into the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999. Who knows if that would happen if not for the fight on Valentine’s Day.
“I think that was the turning point for us to take it to a new level, the Providence game, and everybody getting on him,” Pitino said. “They were so protective of him that I saw something in them I thought was really special. And we started playing great basketball.”
Ejiuofor was named a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award. The other three: Flory Bidunga of Kansas, Joseph Tugler of Houston and Rueben Chinyelu of Florida.