PHILADELPHIA — Rick Pitino had been waiting for this version of Oziyah Sellers. Had been asking — heck, pleading — for him to shoot more. The Stanford transfer served as the most dynamic shooter on the St. John’s roster this season.
He could take over games, like he helped do against Iowa State and Baylor in November, and pour in points in bunches.
The problem, though, stemmed from when those instincts disappeared, when aggressiveness faded, when Sellers’ numbers dipped to the point where he didn’t contribute much.
But in the Johnnies’ commanding win over Marquette on Tuesday, Sellers provided a glimpse at why Pitino has been working to unlock his shot — and the frequency of it.
He poured in a game-high and season-best 24 points on 9-for-16 shooting, including 4-for-9 on attempts from beyond the arc. It marked the third time this season, and the first since that game in Vegas against Baylor, that Sellers topped 20 points.
If there’s a recipe for St. John’s to keep reviving its season and ensure that its recent three-game winning streak entering Saturday’s game at Villanova becomes sustainable, Sellers’ presence as a focal point of the offense remains vital.
“Obviously I want every shot to go in, so when I see them going in early, it’s definitely a good feeling, a good sign for me,” Sellers said following Tuesday’s win. “But even when they’re not, I try to just stay aggressive. Regardless, I know it eventually will go back in.”
Sellers didn’t hesitate to take the open shots against the Golden Eagles.
He listened to Pitino’s message — and then some. He waited on the right wing in transition and connected on a 3-pointer for his second of the night less than two minutes into the game, and he added another make from beyond the arc before the midway point of the first half.
Sellers found ways to produce inside the paint, too, and cut around his Marquette defender from the top of the key, collected a pass and converted a layup with just under five minutes before halftime.
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The 16 attempts marked Sellers’ most of the season, and Tuesday served as his fourth consecutive game with at least 10 shots — coinciding with the Johnnies’ five-game stretch after Sellers admitted that he needed to be more aggressive following their win over Harvard, when he was limited to just four points. There were the 10 attempts against Providence.
The 11 against both Butler and Creighton. It took time, but his role and shot volume have started to settle into place, with the Johnnies improving to 7-2 this season when Sellers reaches double digits.
“I thought Oziyah, from beginning to end, was great,” Pitino said Tuesday.
Pitino, though, also pointed to Sellers’ assists and lack of turnovers.
He added a pair of assists against the Golden Eagles and has now dished out 16 while committing just one turnover during the Johnnies’ six conference games, continuing a trend from last season with Stanford — when Sellers committed just 1.1 turnover per game across his average of 30.4 minutes.
There are plenty of other factors — the three-forward lineup thriving, the emergence of Lefteris Liotopoulos — that have contributed to the revival of the Red Storm’s season.
It’ll take more than one game, one return to what Pitino wants to become the normal, for Sellers to officially turn the corner in his fourth collegiate season, too.
He’ll need to continue that as Big East play stretches into February, as the stakes become elevated in March, as, St. John’s hopes, the regular season gives way to a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
But this is what Pitino brought in Sellers for.
The Johnnies had scoring to replace from last season, the Aaron Scott and the RJ Luis Jr. production that St. John’s grew to depend on.
And as the season crosses its midway point, they’ve started to get a glimpse at the aggressiveness required to get there. Pitino’s vision for Sellers has finally started to materialize.