St. John’s Basketball blessed itself with an NBA caliber roster thanks to Rick Pitino. The past national championship winning head coach produced three NBA Draft picks during the week of June 22. But the Red Storm added a fourth pro talent on Friday outside of Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell.
This fourth rookie rises out of the blue. He was once a prized College Basketball Transfer Portal addition from the Atlantic Coast Conference yet became somewhat lost in a deep lineup.
Still, Pitino turned more heads on Friday in finding a way to produce a fourth NBA talent from the Queens, New York Catholic university.
Who Joins the St. John’s Players Heading to the NBA
Guard Ozyiah Sellers looks ready to hand an iconic franchise a brand new St. John’s following for the summer. Let alone join a team that also galvanized the Red Storm’s city recently.
Sellers is heading to the NBA Finals champion New York Knicks, with college basketball insider for 247Sports Dushawn London confirming the move Friday. The Knicks are fresh off ending their 53-year championship drought by winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Fittingly, Sellers played for a New York team that reignited enthusiasm in the city. The Red Storm returned to the Sweet 16 of March Madness for the first time since 1999. Pitino turned to the likes of Ejiofor, Hopkins, Mitchell and Sellers in catapulting the Red Storm to long-awaited heights.
Details of Contract Ozyiah Sellers Will Agree to
Sellers will sign a summer league contract with the champs, a source told London. So that means Sellers will spend his July and summer in Las Vegas as he guns for a roster spot.
But Sellers heading to the Knicks adds more energy for fans of both them and the Red Storm. The two proud basketball programs once again has sparked renewed roundball interest in a basketball mecca.
Prior to Pitino’s arrival, St. John’s hadn’t produced a first rounder since 2015. The Red Storm didn’t deliver three draft picks since 1983 either before June 22-23 arrived.
Sellers goes undrafted, but he still shines a light on how deep Pitino’s roster really was this past season. The mix of college experience (Hopkins played as a graduate transfer while the other three were seniors) and NBA caliber talent catapulted the Storm to their second straight Big East Conference title.
Ozyiah Sellers Starred Elsewhere Before St. John’s Arrival
Pitino has discovered gems in the portal to build his St. John’s rosters. He’s relied more on soon-to-be graduating seniors or graduate transfers. But he also plucked NBA Draft prospect Tounde Yessoufou in a massive offseason move.
Sellers rose as a key transfer addition before St. John’s made its historic return to the round of 16. He arrived fresh off delivering a career-best 13.7 points per game with ACC representative Stanford. Sellers established himself as a key sharpshooter for a Cardinal program that improved to 21-14 amid a coaching change. He also tasted the Pac-12 and Big Ten by starting his career at USC.
Sellers’ production took a decline in Queens. But St. John’s trusted its front court to set the tone through Ejiofor, Mitchell and Hopkins. Sellers created enough film and production to win a chance with the world champion Knicks.
Rick Pitino Turns Heads by Producing 4th St. John’s NBA Rookie Post Draft