Rick Pitino Hails New Point Guard Quinn Ellis After St. John’s Exhibition Win Over Drexel

St. John’s point guard Quinn Ellis scored just three points in his debut, but coach Rick Pitino said he was the only player on the floor who truly understood how to play basketball.

The Red Storm beat Drexel 81-52 Wednesday night at Carnesecca Arena in the first of three exhibition games. Ellis, a 6-foot-4 transfer, attempted only two shots, instead finishing with six assists, six rebounds, four steals and two blocks in 27 minutes.

“Quinn is the only one on the team who really understood how to play. He didn’t even care about looking at the basket. He played like a veteran,” Pitino said. “When everybody else was hunting 3s early in the game, nobody understood you have to make the defense work, tire their legs out, run them into screens. Quinn understood it and nobody else did.”

“That’s why he’s a great player without scoring. He could score, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to get the other guys [involved] in the game,” Pitino added.

Pitino compared Ellis favorably to two of his previous standout point guards at St. John’s, Kadary Richmond and Daniss Jenkins.

Teammate Babacar Sane praised Ellis’s passing after the win.

“It’s amazing to play with Quinn, his ability to find you, get you open shots,” Sane said. “I always tell him, every assist he makes for me, it’s one dollar. Today he gave me three assists on his shots, so I owe him three bucks. I told him, I have never seen a point guard who’s looking first to pass. It’s wonderful to have somebody like him at St. John’s.”

Ellis’s debut came a day after the NCAA cleared him to play this season, following weeks of uncertainty over his eligibility. Pitino said the ruling brought relief to both the team and the 23-year-old guard, who is from Sheffield, England.

Ellis spent last season in the EuroLeague with Olimpia Milano, where he was named LBA Best Young Player, Italian Cup MVP and Italian Supercup MVP in 2025. He chose St. John’s over offers from Duke, BYU, Louisville, Houston and Kentucky, saying he wanted a coach who would push him.

“It’s the opportunity I got. Coming over here can really elevate my game,” Ellis said. “It’s obviously a new system compared to Europe. If everything goes well, it can push my ability to the next level. It’s really why I came here, to win something and take myself to the next level.”

The debut wasn’t flawless. At one point Ellis sagged off a Drexel guard, leading to an open 3-pointer, prompting Pitino to call a timeout and correct him on the spot.

“He’s on us every day, like you saw in the timeout,” Ellis said.

Ellis called Tuesday’s eligibility ruling “great” news and said the team still has work to do to gel as a unit.

“We’ve got a lot of talent, and I feel like we can do great things if we all get on the same page and all are playing hard for 40 minutes,” he said.

Pitino summed up his assessment of the night plainly.

“I walked away tonight saying he’s outstanding,” Pitino said, “and I didn’t say it about anybody else.”