St. John's Captures First Big East Title Since 2000
NEW YORK, NY - "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere."
New Yorkers live by that line. It’s not just a lyric—it’s a way of life. It’s the grind, the grit, the refusal to quit when things get tough. And now, after years of waiting, St. John’s basketball finally has a team that plays like this city.
A team that doesn’t just compete—but wears you down, outworks you, and finishes you off when it matters most.
On a Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, with 19,812 roaring fans behind them, the Red Storm delivered their signature rope-a-dope, absorbing Creighton’s best punches before breaking them down in the second half. An 82-66 knockout.
A Big East Tournament championship.
A team that made it here—and is ready to make it anywhere.
This team? It’s built for this city.
The Rope-a-Dope is Real
All season, St. John’s has been like a prizefighter in the ring. They take punches early, absorb body blows, wear teams down, and then—when it matters most—they strike.
Creighton walked into The Garden looking sharp, and for the first 20 minutes, they controlled the fight. Ryan Kalkbrenner, a towering force in the paint, was a problem. St. John’s guards couldn’t get inside without feeling his presence. He altered shots, swallowed up rebounds, and forced the Red Storm into uncomfortable midrange jumpers.
But the real gut punch came early when RJ Luis Jr., the team’s heartbeat, picked up two quick fouls. Just like that, he was shackled to the bench. Without him, St. John’s struggled to find rhythm. Their offense sputtered, their defense held strong, but certainly was nowhere to be found.
In the stands, fans fidgeted, whispered, checked the scoreboard with growing concern. There was tension, the kind that only comes when a city holds its breath, searching for a sign that things will be okay. The first half was anything but certain.
At halftime, the scoreboard read 28-25, Creighton. The energy in the building was anxious, restless.
But if you’ve been watching this team, you knew what was coming.
Here Comes The Storm
Rick Pitino knew his team was making stops. They just weren’t converting. So he kept rotating players, adjusting matchups, looking for the spark.
And then, RJ Luis Jr. exploded.
The second half started, and it was like he had been uncaged. The two-point first half? A distant memory. Luis took over. He attacked Kalkbrenner relentlessly, no longer afraid of the shot-blocker looming in the paint. He used the rim as a shield, just like Pitino had preached at halftime.
Kadary Richmond saw it. He smelled blood. The 6’6” point guard orchestrated the attack, feeding Luis at every opportunity. The crowd felt the shift. The murmurs of concern turned into roars of belief.
One shot fell. Then another. And another.
Before Creighton even realized what had hit them, St. John’s had made 14 straight shots. Fourteen.
They turned a 41-38 deficit into a 70-55 lead in just over seven minutes.
The Garden erupted. Strangers were high-fiving. Kids were standing on their chairs. The noise was deafening.
“We definitely fed off the crowd” RJ Luis, Jr. said after the game, “the energy, the atmosphere. It was ridiculous. It was very loud. I mean, it's great to have that level of support from the atmosphere. We feed off that energy, so it's big-time.”
Creighton had no answer. Kalkbrenner still finished with 15 points, but his impact vanished in the second half. St. John’s shut down Creighton’s three-point shooting, holding them to just 23.1% from deep.
This wasn’t just a run. It was a knockout punch.
For New York, For St. John’s
The final minutes felt like a victory lap. Creighton knew it was over. The crowd knew it was over. Pitino? He knew it, too.
When the final buzzer sounded, confetti rained down, and the Garden shook with “Let’s Go Johnnies!” chants. Pitino, a New Yorker through and through, soaked it all in.
"For all the St. John's fans, this is for you!" he shouted during the trophy presentation, pulling confetti from his mouth.
RJ Luis Jr., draped in a Dominican flag, stood at center court as the crowd chanted "MVP! MVP!". He finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award.
Kadary Richmond, the floor general, smiled through the exhaustion. “Man, we just don’t stop fighting. We’re New York, we’re built for this.”
Pitino, in his second year, became the first coach ever to win the Big East Tournament with two different schools.
The City is Watching Again
This win wasn’t just about a championship. It was about identity. St. John’s, long forgotten, is now a team that embodies New York—gritty, unbreakable, never backing down.
And now, as the Johnnies march into the NCAA Tournament, the city is with them.
Coach Pitino said after the team cut down the nets, “Great win for the city. Great win for our university. You hear it all along that it's New York's team, and it truly is. As a New Yorker myself, I'm very, very proud that St. John's has gotten to this level.”
On the subways, on the LIRR, on the streets outside The Garden, people were high-fiving strangers, yelling “Let’s Go Johnnies!” into the night.
They knew what the rest of the country was about to find out:
This St. John’s team is built to suffocate you before you even realize what’s happening.
And they’re ready to fight anywhere.
