# 2023–24 St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team

The 2023–24 St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team represented St. John's University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were coached by Rick Pitino, in his first year at the school, and played their home games at Carnesecca Arena and Madison Square Garden as members of the Big East Conference.

## Previous season

The Red Storm finished the season 17–14, 7–13 in Big East play to finish in eighth place. They defeated Butler in the opening round of the Big East tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to Marquette.
On March 10, 2023, the school fired head coach Mike Anderson for cause. Anderson has disputed the assertion that his firing was for cause and filed a notice of intent to arbitrate seeking the guaranteed money that was owed to him on his contract as well as an additional $34.2 million in punitive damages. On March 20, the school named Hall of Famer Rick Pitino as the team's new head coach.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Posh Alexander | 0 | G | 6'0" | 200 | Junior | Brooklyn, NY | Transferred to Butler |
| AJ Storr | 2 | G | 6'6" | 200 | Freshman | Rockford, IL | Transferred to Wisconsin |
| André Curbelo | 3 | G | 6'1" | 175 | Junior | Vega Baja, PR | Transferred to Southern Miss |
| O'Mar Stanley | 4 | F | 6'8" | 230 | Sophomore | Overland Park, KS | Transferred to Boise State |
| Dylan Addae-Wusu | 5 | G | 6'4" | 230 | Junior | Bronx, NY | Transferred to Seton Hall |
| Montez Mathis | 10 | G | 6'4" | 210 | RS Senior | Baltimore, MD | Graduated |
| Kolby King | 12 | G | 6'2" | 175 | Freshman | Pembroke Pines, FL | Transferred to Tulane |
| Jason Simpson | 13 | G | 5'10" | 155 | Sophomore | West Palm Beach, FL | Walk-on; transferred to Florida State |
| Parker Williams | 14 | G | 6'0" | 180 | Freshman | Birmingham, AL | Walk-on; transferred |
| Esahia Nyiwe | 22 | F | 6'10" | 220 | Senior | Omaha, NE | Graduated |
| David Jones | 23 | F | 6'6" | 210 | Junior | Santo Domingo, DR | Transferred to Memphis |
| Rafael Pinzon | 24 | G | 6'6" | 195 | Sophomore | Arecibo, PR | Transferred to Bryant |
| Mohamed Keita | 34 | C | 7'1" | 220 | Freshman | Conakry, Guinea | Transferred to Tulsa |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Num | Pos | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Cruz Davis | 0 | G | 6'3" | 170 | Sophomore | Plano, TX | Iona |
| Sadiku Ibine Ayo | 2 | F | 6'7" | 210 | Sophomore | Asabi-Kumasi, Ghana | Iona |
| Jordan Dingle | 3 | G | 6'3" | 195 | Senior | Valley Stream, NY | Penn |
| Nahiem Alleyne | 4 | G | 6'4" | 195 | GS Senior | Buford, GA | UConn |
| Daniss Jenkins | 5 | G | 6'3" | 175 | GS Senior | Dallas, TX | Iona |
| Chris Ledlum | 8 | G/F | 6'6" | 225 | GS Senior | Brooklyn, NY | Harvard |
| RJ Luis Jr. | 12 | G | 6'7" | 196 | Sophomore | Miami, FL | UMass |
| Zuby Ejiofor | 24 | F | 6'8" | 220 | Sophomore | Garland, TX | Kansas |
| Sean Conway | 30 | G | 6'4" | 200 | GS Senior | Fairfield, CT | VMI |
| Glenn Taylor Jr. | 35 | F | 6'6" | 200 | Junior | Las Vegas, NV | Oregon State |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Simeon Wilcher #8 PG | Plainfield, NJ | Roselle Catholic High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jul 12, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 88 ||||||
| Brady Dunlap #16 SF | Newhall, CA | Harvard Westlake High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | May 2, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jaiden Glover SF | Elizabeth, NJ | The Patrick School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 12, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 85 |||||||
| Khaman Maker C | Las Vegas, NV | Trinity International School | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Sep 18, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Lefteris Liotopoulos SG | Greece, EUR | DEKA Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | N/A | May 23, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 21, 2023* 2:00 p.m., – | | Rutgers Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund Game | W 89–78 $^{2OT}$ | – | 19 – Alleyne | 16 – Soriano | 9 – Jenkins | Carnesecca Arena (3,011) Queens, NY |
| October 29, 2023* 3:30 p.m., – | | Pace | L 59–63 | – | 22 – Alleyne | 12 – Ledlum | 3 – Jenkins | Carnesecca Arena (4,916) Queens, NY |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2023* 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | Stony Brook | W 90–74 | 1–0 | 22 – Soriano | 14 – Ledlum | 8 – Jenkins | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| November 13, 2023* 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | Michigan Gavitt Tipoff Games | L 73–89 | 1–1 | 15 – Soriano | 9 – Soriano | 3 – Tied | Madison Square Garden (14,188) New York, NY |
| November 16, 2023* 1:30 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. North Texas Shriners Children's Charleston Classic quarterfinals | W 53–52 | 2–1 | 17 – Jenkins | 12 – Soriano | 3 – Jenkins | TD Arena (3,879) Charleston, SC |
| November 17, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Dayton Shriners Children's Charleston Classic semifinals | L 81–88 | 2–2 | 21 – Soriano | 9 – Tied | 8 – Jenkins | TD Arena (3,927) Charleston, SC |
| November 19, 2023* 5:30 p.m., ESPN | | vs. Utah Shriners Children's Charleston Classic 3rd place | W 91–82 | 3–2 | 19 – Jenkins | 15 – Soriano | 8 – Jenkins | TD Arena (3,841) Charleston, SC |
| November 25, 2023* 7:00 p.m., FS2 | | Holy Cross | W 91–45 | 4–2 | 16 – Soriano | 7 – Ejiofor | 6 – Jenkins | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| December 1, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at West Virginia Big East–Big 12 Battle | W 79–73 | 5–2 | 24 – Soriano | 10 – Ledlum | 5 – Jenkins | WVU Coliseum (10,781) Morgantown, WV |
| December 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Sacred Heart | W 85–50 | 6–2 | 18 – Soriano | 13 – Soriano | 6 – Soriano | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| December 10, 2023* 4:30 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. Boston College NABC Brooklyn Showcase | L 80–86 | 6–3 | 21 – Soriano | 11 – Tied | 8 – Jenkins | Barclays Center (6,072) Brooklyn, NY |
| December 16, 2023* 3:30 p.m., FS1 | | Fordham Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival/Rivalry | W 77–55 | 7–3 | 22 – Soriano | 10 – Soriano | 8 – Jenkins | Madison Square Garden (12,720) New York, NY |
| December 20, 2023 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | Xavier | W 81–66 | 8–3 (1–0) | 18 – Soriano | 14 – Soriano | 5 – Tied | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| December 23, 2023 8:00 p.m., FOX | | at No. 5 UConn | L 65–69 | 8–4 (1–1) | 14 – Soriano | 11 – Soriano | 4 – Jenkins | XL Center (15,684) Hartford, CT |
| December 30, 2023* 12:00 p.m., FS1 | | Hofstra | W 84–79 | 9–4 | 21 – Jenkins | 10 – Luis Jr. | 8 – Jenkins | UBS Arena (7,486) Elmont, NY |
| January 2, 2024 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | Butler | W 86–70 | 10–4 (2–1) | 17 – Jenkins | 12 – Soriano | 7 – Jenkins | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| January 6, 2024 1:00 p.m., FOX | | at Villanova | W 81–71 | 11–4 (3–1) | 20 – Soriano | 8 – Soriano | 5 – Jenkins | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA |
| January 10, 2024 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | Providence | W 75–73 | 12–4 (4–1) | 16 – Tied | 8 – Luis | 8 – Jenkins | Madison Square Garden (11,832) New York, NY |
| January 13, 2024 1:00 p.m., FOX | | at No. 22 Creighton | L 65–66 | 12–5 (4–2) | 13 – Soriano | 11 – Soriano | 5 – Jenkins | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,164) Omaha, NE |
| January 16, 2024 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Seton Hall | L 65–80 | 12–6 (4–3) | 17 – Jenkins | 7 – Taylor Jr. | 5 – Jenkins | Prudential Center (9,204) Newark, NJ |
| January 20, 2024 12:00 p.m., FOX | | No. 17 Marquette | L 72–73 | 12–7 (4–4) | 20 – Luis | 11 – Ledlum | 4 – Tied | Madison Square Garden (12,214) New York, NY |
| January 24, 2024 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | Villanova | W 70–50 | 13–7 (5–4) | 21 – Soriano | 9 – Soriano | 6 – Jenkins | Madison Square Garden (12.859) New York, NY |
| January 31, 2024 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Xavier | L 77–88 | 13–8 (5–5) | 25 – Jenkins | 15 – Soriano | 3 – Alleyne | Cintas Center (10,360) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 3, 2024 12:00 p.m., FOX | | No. 1 UConn | L 64–77 | 13–9 (5–6) | 19 – Jenkins | 5 – Luis | 6 – Jenkins | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| February 6, 2024 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | DePaul | W 85–57 | 14–9 (6–6) | 14 – Tied | 10 – Ledlum | 4 – Tied | UBS Arena (6,035) Elmont, NY |
| February 10, 2024 6:00 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 7 Marquette | L 75–86 | 14–10 (6–7) | 22 – Jenkins | 7 – Tied | 6 – Jenkins | Fiserv Forum (18,095) Milwaukee, WI |
| February 13, 2024 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Providence | L 72–75 | 14–11 (6–8) | 16 – Luis Jr. | 14 – Luis Jr. | 3 – Jenkins | Amica Mutual Pavilion (10,258) Providence, RI |
| February 18, 2024 5:00 p.m., FS1 | | Seton Hall | L 62–68 | 14–12 (6–9) | 17 – Jenkins | 12 – Soriano | 6 – Jenkins | UBS Arena (9,584) Elmont, NY |
| February 21, 2024 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Georgetown Rivalry | W 90–85 | 15–12 (7–9) | 22 – Dingle | 10 – Soriano | 5 – Jenkins | Capital One Arena (4,839) Washington, D.C. |
| February 25, 2024 12:00 p.m., CBS | | No. 15 Creighton Johnnies Day | W 80–66 | 16–12 (8–9) | 27 – Jenkins | 10 – Taylor Jr. | 6 – Tied | Madison Square Garden (12,061) New York, NY |
| February 28, 2024 8:30 p.m., CBSSN | | at Butler | W 82–59 | 17–12 (9–9) | 17 – Taylor Jr. | 13 – Soriano | 9 – Jenkins | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,279) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 5, 2024 9:00 p.m., FS1 | | at DePaul | W 104–77 | 18–12 (10–9) | 19 – Tied | 8 – Ledlum | 6 – Dingle | Wintrust Arena (2,824) Chicago, IL |
| March 9, 2024 12:00 p.m., FOX | | Georgetown Rivalry | W 86–78 | 19–12 (11–9) | 23 – Jenkins | 10 – Soriano | 7 – Jenkins | Madison Square Garden (16,127) New York, NY |
| Big East tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2024 2:30 p.m., FS1 | (5) | vs. (4) Seton Hall Quarterfinal | W 91–72 | 20–12 | 18 – Luis Jr. | 12 – Soriano | 4 – Tied | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| March 15, 2024 5:30 p.m., FOX | (5) | vs. (1) No. 2 UConn Semifinal | L 90–95 | 20–13 | 27 – Jenkins | 9 – Soriano | 5 – Jenkins | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| National Invitation Tournament |||||||||
| Declined invitation |||||||||
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Awards and honors

Preseason honors :
| Honors | Player | Position | Date awarded | Ref. |
| Preseason All-Big East First Team | Joel Soriano | C | October 24, 2023 | |
Postseason honors :
| Honors | Player | Position | Date awarded |
| All-Big East Second Team | Daniss Jenkins | G | March 10, 2024 |
| All-Met First Team | Daniss Jenkins | G | April 17, 2024 |
| All-Met First Team | Joel Soriano | C | April 17, 2024 |