New York’s Team

By By Sarah McVeigh

College basketball has never really been my forte. I’m not from Rockaway, where basketball seems to be a way of life — there’s just something in the water here. I’m a Southwest girlie, and before moving here, I knew nothing about Big East basketball.

Lucky for me, I married a true New Yorker, and he’s as big a St. John’s fan as you’ll find. When I was first dragged to St. John’s games with my husband, what really piqued my interest, wasn’t basketball — it was their dance team. As a former dancer myself, I was pleasantly surprised by how reputable their team was. They’ve even placed at a couple national competitions throughout the years. However, since their popular male dancer retired, I’ve had to turn my attention to the basketball players, and for a while, it’s been … well, dreadful, honestly. But this year has been a different story.

At the first game of the season (which my husband made me watch), I became enamored with RJ Luis, Zuby Ejiofor, Aaron Scott, and, above all, my personal favorite — Simeon Wilcher. I actually enjoyed watching these adorable, baby basketball players. While my husband was fixated on their lack of offensive prowess, I was more concerned about their lack of Instagram presence and, therefore, NIL deals.

For those who don’t know, NIL stands for “Name, Image, and Likeness.” It allows college athletes to profit from their personal brand through endorsements and sponsorships. There’s even an online NIL store where players can make money off their own merch. Don’t ask me why, but when I watch college sports, I can’t help but worry about these 19-year-olds and their futures. Sponsorships are a no-brainer to get some money in the bank — especially since most of them won’t end up going pro.

ANYWAY, as the season progressed, their offense started to improve — and so did their Instagram presence. A win-win. St. John’s even signed a streaming deal with VICE TV to follow their legendary coach, Rick Pitino, throughout the season.

To be a winning team, everything has to click — coaches, players, trainers, public relations, and even stylists. I know if you’re a serious St. John’s basketball fan, you probably don’t care what the players wear to press conferences, but it matters. Look good, feel good, ya know? It took a while for Aaron Scott to hit those threes, for my boy Simeon Wilcher to become a team player, and for Deivon Smith to recover from his injury, but eventually, it all came together. The result? The best St. John’s season in decades.

They WON the Big East Championship! Something that hadn’t happened since 2000.

Because St. John’s finished the season 30-4 (!!), they earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and faced No. 15 seed Omaha in the first round. After a first-round win, the Johnnies moved on to play No. 10 Arkansas in the second round. Whether or not you watched the game, I won’t put you through too much torture — it was rough. Pretty much all of that offensive growth I mentioned earlier? Gone. It was frustrating to watch. They didn’t look like the team we had been cheering for all season.

It wasn’t the ending we hoped for, but you have to step back and appreciate what an incredible season they had. This was the first time in 25 years that they won the Big East title, and the first time since 2019 that St. John’s even qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

But more than that, St. John’s did something to New York that I had only heard about but never witnessed: They took over the city. Everywhere you looked, people were wearing St. John’s merch, talking about the games, and pulling for this team. It was a beautiful sight. It felt like the entire city, with Rockaway at the heart of it, was rallying behind them.

I guess it’s no surprise. After all, they are New York’s team.

Congratulations to St. John’s on an amazing season!