Rick Pitino: Bryce Hopkins won't start in Towson exhibition
Rick Pitino’s second season as the head coach of St. John’s has begun with a clear message: nothing is guaranteed.
It looks like Pitino has found his starting five, at least for the Red Storm’s first exhibition game.
Providence transfer forward Bryce Hopkins isn’t among the five.
“We’ll go with Oziyah Sellers at the one, Ian Jackson at the two, Joson Sanon at the three, Dillon Mitchell at the four and Zuby Ejiofor at the five,” Pitino said at St. John’s media day. “But all ten guys will play. It’s not necessarily this is the top five, it’s just the five I’m going to go with against Towson.”
Hopkins, the 6-7 forward, is a notable omission. He was ranked On3’s No. 20 overall transfer this past offseason, and when he’s healthy, he’s one of the best players in the Big East. Hopkins has averaged 15+ points per game over the past three seasons with Providence, and in three contests a year ago, the forward posted 17.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game before missing the rest of the season with a knee injury.
The talent is there. Hopkins can perform at an All-Big East level this season, and Pitino said he’s a great guy. But…
“He’s been good and solid the entire summer and now,” Pitino said. “And I’m not after good, and I’m not after solid. I’m after great and passionate. And once he reaches that mamba mentality that we’re trying to put forth in every player, and as a team, I think you’re going to see one of the best players in the country.”
When you play for Pitino, all out effort is expected on every possession.
“The players that are starting out against Towson are the players that consistently haven’t taken plays off,” Pitino said.
Pitino wants Hopkins to be great and have that Mamba mentality. Right now, it’s not there, Pitino said. But it doesn’t mean Hopkins still won’t make an impact, or even start in the future.
“It will change,” Pitino said of the starting five. “The starting lineup against Towson, we may need a bigger starting lineup against Michigan. So that’s probably when you’ll see possibly Bryce and Dillon play together possibly. So I think it will depend on our opponent defensively in matchups.”
It’s notable that last season, Pitino didn’t start RJ Luis or Kadary Richmond in their first exhibition game. By season’s end, they combined for 67 starts. Hopkins is sure to still have a major role.
St. John’s and Towson will tipoff on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 2 p.m. inside Carnesecca Arena.
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