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TRY IT NOWIt has been a magical year for St. John’s, a season of so many firsts.
First outright Big East regular-season title since 1985.
First 25-win season and trip to the Big East Tournament championship game since 2000.
First time a Johnnie won Big East Player of the Year honors since 1986.
The Post counts down the top five moments:
Nov. 22: Fans have Ejiofor’s back
The night before, Zuby Ejiofor missed two free throws with 4.1 seconds left in double overtime that enabled Baylor’s Jeremy Roach to beat St. John’s at the buzzer. It was as crushing as a loss can get in November.
Ejiofor took it very hard, breaking down on the court like he had just cost St. John’s its season.
The following night in the Bahamas tournament, the strong contingent of Red Storm fans were there for Ejiofor.
Zuby Ejiofor, pictured March 14, received a warm greeting from St. John’s fans during a November tournament after missing late free throws. APBefore, during and after the one-sided win over Virginia, they chanted his name. It was a heartwarming moment.
“Sometimes when you’re only at a place for one year, you search for things you love about a place, and tonight I found out what I love about St. John’s since being here,” coach Rick Pitino said that night.
Dec. 7: The game after Carnesecca’s passing
A sad week ended with a celebration.
On Nov. 30, Lou Carnesecca died at the age of 99.
A week later, St. John’s honored him with a 17-point pasting of Kansas State in the arena named after the Hall of Fame coach.
Rick Pitino honored Lou Carnesecca with a sweater during the St. John’s game Dec. 7. Robert Sabo for NY PostPitino wore a tailor-made sweater similar to the one Carnesecca was known for, and his players performed like one of Carnesecca’s teams.
The sold-out crowd included Felipe López and Walter Berry, and saw Ejiofor explode for 28 points and 13 rebounds.
“I don’t think I would have ever forgiven myself if we lost this game,” Pitino said. “It was really, really important that we get a win for Lou.”
Dec. 20: Ejiofor beats Providence at buzzer
This was the first real sign this team was unique.
It came out flat at Providence’s Amica Mutual Pavilion, a house of horrors for this program.
St. John’s was getting run off the floor, trailing by 16 points in the first half. At halftime, Pitino lit into the team, as shown in the Vice TV docuseries “Pitino: Red Storm Rising.”
Zuby Ejiofor made the game-winning shot for St. John’s during its win against Providence on Dec. 20. Eric Canha-Imagn Images“Dig in and be a basketball player. Dig in! Every time you miss a shot, your game deflates. We don’t care about your missed shots. Play f–-king defense!” he barked during a clip that went viral.
The Johnnies responded by coming all the way back and winning it on Ejiofor’s offensive rebound and follow at the horn.
It would be the first of two buzzer-beaters by the forward, who also beat Marquette on the final day of the regular season
Feb. 7: Johnnies stun Connecticut at Gampel
The start felt like old St. John’s. A 14-point deficit, getting overwhelmed by the two-time defending champions at a sold-out Gampel Pavilion.
But these Johnnies again proved they were different, rallying from that big early deficit to win in front of fans at the UConn arena for the first time in 25 years.
RJ Luis Jr. was the star, icing the game with a baseline jump shot that pushed the lead to four with 11 seconds left.
It felt like a passing of the torch in the Big East this season, last year’s dominant team losing to this year’s version.
It capped a huge week, which also included a home victory over Marquette, ranked 11th at the time.
March 12: Luis wins Player of the Year award
Luis joined Berry and Chris Mullin as the only Johnnies to win Big East Player of the Year honors.
During his speech, Luis shed tears, as he looked to his mom, Maria, who started crying first.
St. John’s defeated UConn at Gampel Pavilion on Feb. 7. Getty ImagesIt was an emotional moment for the 6-foot-7 star junior, who dealt with severe shin splints a year ago and was under-recruited coming out of high school.
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Last season, he was limited due to the leg injuries but, after surgery, returned a different player — even more explosive than prior to the injury.
“Shoutout to Dr. [Martin] O’Malley, he gave me new legs,” Luis joked after winning the award.
