Eye on the Storm

As we wrap up 2024, St. John's is 11-2. What's gone right, who has impressed and what identity has this team established. There are plenty of good things this team has done so far. But after 13 games have they met expectations? Where is the room to grow? And what do they need to do to beat Creighton on the road, a place that's been a house of horrors historcally? David Berov recaps...

It was not pretty. Frankly it was bad for a large portion of the game. From the missed free throws, to the missed three pointers, to the lack of made shots in the first half. But St. John's chipped away...thanks to Deivon Smith, RJ Luis Jr. and a buzzer beater game winner by Zuby Ejifor, St. John's beat Providence, 72-70. It was a character defining win, one that we'll likely look b...

His name sits atop Metlife stadium in the New York Giants ring-of-honor. One of the anchors of the Big Blue Wrecking Crew, and winner of two SuperBowls in New York. After his NFL career he started dabbling in business and is now the President of GIII sports. One of his latest ventures is helping revitalize the world famous Starter brand and making sure St. John's is prominently featured. A lo...

The Red Storm opened up conference play in Queens on Wednesday with a resounding 89-61 win. It was the most complete 40 minutes St. John's has played all year, and considering the fast starting DePaul team this season, it was a confidence building performance. Led by Kadary Richmond and RJ Luis, St. John's dismantled DePaul in the paint and took away their greatest weapon.  Follow the po...

It was a packed house inside the arena named after the late great Lou Carnesecca. Legends in the building to pay their respects to the Hall-of-Fame coach who passed at 99 last week. It was the battle of the Big East and the Big 12, a game that St. John's had to win, and it did. A tale of two halves, St. John's had issues in the first guarding the three, but in the second half the switch...

St. John's returned from The Bahamas to take on Harvard in the friendly confines of Carnesecca Arena. A game in which they needed to restore confidence after a 1-2 outcome in paradise, it looked like they were well on their way. Double digit lead at half time, got up to 18 in the 2nd half and then they allowed Harvard to stick around. Ultimately it was only a 13 point win, with some good and...

St. John's played three games in four days. Flew down to paradise and took on Baylor. They lost in the most heartbreaking of fashion. Then they cruised to a bounce back win over Virginia. Followed by a sloppy and ugly shooting performance that lost them a three point game against Georgia. We discuss the outcomes, the look ahead, the fans that travelled and how each game shook out. Follow the...

Everyone knew the headline, Father vs Son, Madison Square Garden, the Pitino bowl. Over 12,000 fans packed the Mecca on Sunday afternoon to see Rick coach his Johnnies to an 85-71 win. Powered by RJ Luis, St. John's improved to 4-0 on the season as Rick Pitino shortened the bench, playing just 8 guys in the first real test of the season. Joined by Zach Braziller of the NY Post, we recap the w...

For the first time since 2019, St. John's found themselves inside the top 25 AP poll when 1:00pm struck on 11/11. A culmination of two dominating wins as well as some fortunate losses across the country and voters didn't just sneak SJU in, they put them in convincingly. While this is just the start of what is hoping to be a special season, this is also hopefully the first wave to coral t...

It was a sluggish start, a first half that was worrisome. Okay defense but a lack of energy on offense. Then a halftime pep talk from Coach Pitino woke up the Johnnies who cruised to a 96-73 win over Quinnipiac. We're joined by Kevin Connelly of StormthePaint.com to recap the win and what we all took away from a disjointed performance. Ultimately, the Red Storm ended up on the right side of t...

St. John's kicked off their season playing the Fordham Rams for the 91st time in program history, and they left no doubt. A dominating 92-60 win, that allowed Rick Pitino to empty the bench and showcased a ferocious offense. In front of a Sold Out Carnesecca Arena, St. John's kicked off it's season with a bang. Simeon Wilcher had a career high 17 and Kadary Richmond did what he does...

John Fanta returns for his third appearance on The Eye on the Storm Podcast as we get ready for another College Basketball Season in the best conference in the sport, The Big East. No over covers the conference better than the Mayor, John Fanta. He'll talk to us about the biggest storylines in the conference, which players to keep an eye out for, who will miss their departed players the most...

Always fun to bring friends on board, so we open the mics and add two more! Our friends Patrick Kane and Cole Latshaw from The Red Storm Rapid Reaction Podcast join to preview the season ahead. We talk about all the hot topics of the off-season and the hotter topics leading into the season - from the roster, to the schedule, to expectations and more. Which questions do we have for the conference,...

He's the 8th Director of Athletics in St. John's history, someone with deep roots at St. John's and Queens. He joins the Eye on the Storm Podcast to discuss his new job, the responsibilities, the business, fundraising, NIL, and what's ahead. Plus we talk basketball, how to grow the brand, the fan base and what we can expect in the short term and long term. Follow the podcast on...

On October 7th, the Johnnies headed to their home away from home, Madison Square Garden to get familiarized with The Mecca. In a Red vs White scrimmage in front of NIL Donors and some media, we got our first glimpse at Rick Pitino's year two squad. With a pep talk from Carl Banks, the Red Storm gave fans plenty to talk about. Who stood out, what were the main takeaways and more as we're...

Ed Kull was introduced as a the new Athletic Director at a press conference on Tuesday, September 17, Dave shares his thoughts from the day. Frank is back on the pod as talk about the hire, what it means for the future of St. John's and why there's realized pressure on Ed right away.   Plus, the full schedule is officially here. Frank and Dave discuss plenty of weekend games for Johnnies...

The team is all here, practice is underway so why not drop a few thoughts about the upcoming season to get you through the rest of the summer. Excited to be back on the mic as a new St. John's season approaches. Few announcements about upcoming Storm Marketing events in this episode as well. I talk about the non-conference schedule, some bullet points on my brain as the season approaches and...

Getting through the dog days of summer without college basketball is never easy. Thankfully, the college basketball carousel rarely slows down. St. John's has begun summer work outs and practices and we're under 120 days till the season starts. I'm joined by Zach Braziller of the NY Post and Roger Rubin of Newsday to give some early thoughts on the roster, how they will mesh, Simeon...

It's the finale of our three-part series with Ron Linfonte. For 40 years he was on the sidelines of St. John's basketball and he now joins us to put a bow on his career. The Norm Roberts years, DJ Kennedy's injury in the Big East Tournament, Steve Lavin, expensive dinners, D'Angelo Harrison and why those guys were some of Ron's favorites, Chris Mullin being hired and more....

Ron Linfonte returns for part 2 of our sit down as we continue through his amazing tenure at St. John's. From Malik Sealy and the 1991 Elite Eight team to Fran Fraschilla, Mike Jarvis, Ron weaves us through the next decade and a half of St. John's basketball.  He also tells the amazing first hand account of his time with the 1992 Dream Team as they faced off against The NCAA Select team....

There simply aren't many people walking this earth that have experienced more St. John's greatness than Ron Linfonte. He's seen the glory days, from Looie to Mullin to Action Jackson and Walter the Truth Berry. If they suited up for St. John's over the better part of the last 40 years, there's a good chance Ron has taped them up, tended to an injury, or helped plan their r...

St. John's needed to hit two home runs after their first few additions, and on Monday and Tuesday this week they hit back to back dingers. Deivon Smith, one of the best guards in the portal, a lightning fast play maker from Utah committed to Rick Pitino and St. John's on Monday. Kadary Richmond, from Seton Hall, followed Smith the next day coming over the bridge and discarding his Seton...

Taking a little break for the wild world of the off-season, I'm joined today by friends of the podcast Vin Ochani and Justin Kramer, two of the four members of Storm Marketing. We discuss the last year of NIL changes, how St. John's and Rick Pitino have embraced the NIL world and make a big announcement. A new endeavor from our friends at Storm Marketing is being launched to give people...

St. John's has landed their first two additions of the transfer portal season. A big man, 7'1 Vince Iwuchukwu from USC and a versatile wing in 6'7 Aaron Scott. The two additions are highly skilled defensively, long, and can play uptempo the way Rick Pitino's system dictates. Lets look at where the roster is at now, who St. John's will target next and what the next few week...

St. John's Assistant Coach Bob Walsh joins the podcast for the sixth time as the college basketball season has come and gone. We discuss his first year in Queens, his thoughts on St. John's being left out of the NCAA Tournament, how they will attack next season differently, scheduling for the future, plans for Zuby, Dunlap, RJ and Simeon this summer and more. Bob Walsh's Book - Enti...