RED STORM RESET THE SKY: THE NIGHT EVERYTHING CHANGED

By Jason Safford | Relentless Redstorm

THE NIGHT THAT OPENED LIKE A WOUND

Some games feel loud. Others feel wild. Few feel heavy.

This one felt alive.

It held the weight of yesterday’s heartbreak. Carried the raw sting of the Iowa State loss that hung like smoke across the floor. Players felt it in their legs. In their breath. During silent moments before warmups when the mind gets loud.

One possession. A rebound. Misread. That missed box out. One swing of a hand.

The loss sat in their bodies.

Pitino felt it too. You could see it in the way he moved pregame. Calm but sharp, quiet but burning, like a man who understood exactly what this night meant.

The team walked onto the court with eyes that looked older than they were 24 hours ago. They moved with a different rhythm, different tension, different pulse.

That is what heartbreak does.

It matures you.

And tonight, St. John’s stepped into the arena like a team that had just grown an inch taller and a mile tougher.

THE MOMENT THE AIR CRACKED

The opening minutes snapped like a branch underfoot.

Oziyah Sellers took the ball, rose straight up, and let it fly. The shot hit with a clean pop. Curled the net around the ball like it recognized him.

One shot.

Then two.

Then three.

Once he found his rhythm, the whole building felt it. The bench leaned in. Crowd lifted. Players spread the floor wider. Baylor’s defenders blinked more often.

St. John’s surged to a 21–6 lead that hit Baylor like a stiff right hook.

It felt like fire rushing across dry grass.

Sudden.
Sharp.
Unstoppable.

The game swung on Sellers’ hands. His early burst flipped the tone of the night. The Storm didn’t just come out strong, they came out raging.

This was no bounce back.

This was a revival.

THE DIFFERENCE ONE NIGHT MAKES

What happened tonight did not happen by luck. Did not happen by hope. Not because the shots fell.

It happened because the team changed.

Pitino explained it in the simplest way.

“They were locked in. More than ever.”

He talked about film. Talked about questions. Not one or two questions, the usual number. But seven or eight. Fast. Sharp. Detailed. Hungry.

They wanted answers. Wanted clarity. Direction.

The walkthrough told him everything.

“It’ll be our night.”

He said that to his staff before the game. He felt it in the room. Coaches know when their team shifts. They sense when the energy changes. And tonight, the energy pulsed.

The Storm walked with a kind of controlled anger. Their movements had purpose. Voices carried weight.

The loss to Iowa State did not break them.

It built them.

SELLERS: THE TORCH THAT SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE

Let’s slow down and stay with Sellers for a moment.

Every team needs someone who can ignite the room. Someone who sees one shot go down, then sees the whole world widen. Sellers is becoming that player.

He played like someone who knew the game needed his spark. His footwork was tight. His release was fast. His confidence was pure steel.

He finished with 22 points. But it was not just the points.

It was the way he moved.

He hit threes that cracked Baylor’s defense. Hit pull-ups that turned defenders sideways. He spaced the floor with his presence alone.

Pitino told him to shoot.

He took that message and built a bonfire.

Sellers is not just a shooter. He is a tone-setter. Mood-builder. A man who creates space for everyone else.

He makes the court feel smaller for defenders and bigger for teammates.

That is star behavior.

HOPKINS: THE ENGINE OF THE NEW BELIEF

Bryce Hopkins played like he carried the game on his shoulders.

He scored 26, but every point felt bigger. He hit all three threes. Bullied smaller defenders. Took bigger defenders off the bounce. Passed with vision. Rebounded with force. He played like someone who decided the season starts now.

What you saw tonight was not just skill.

It was ownership.

Hopkins is learning how to lead. How to carry weight. Exploring how to turn pressure into rhythm.

Every big team has a player who becomes the emotional compass.

Hopkins is becoming that.

You could see it in the way he talked after the game. His voice had no fear and no excuses. Just clarity.

“We didn’t want to feel how we felt last night.”

Simple.
Direct.
True.

And that truth turned into action.

MITCHELL: THE HAMMER THAT MAKES THE GAME SHAKE

Dillon Mitchell plays like the floor is a trampoline and he holds the patent.

He flies. Attacks. Lunges into rebounds like he is jumping into battle.

Finishes with force.

He scored 18, but it was how he got them. He slammed dunks in traffic. Ripped down rebounds with his elbows out. Ran the floor like a man chasing destiny.

But the best part of Mitchell’s performance was the chemistry.

You could see his connection with Hopkins.
Could see his rhythm with Sellers.

They moved like a three-man storm. A wrecking ball built from speed, strength, and will.

Mitchell is the hammer.
Hopkins is the engine.
Sellers is the flame.

Together, they are something dangerous.

EJIOFOR: THE BASE THAT HOLDS THE STRUCTURE UP

Every strong offense needs a foundation.

EJIOFOR is that foundation.

He screens hard. Rolls with intent. Fights for position. Opens space for the guards. Creates passing angles. Battles in the paint.

He is not flashy, but he is essential.

Without Ejiofor, the house wobbles.
With him, the house holds.

He is holding together the most important pieces on the floor.

RUBEN PREY: THE MOST UNDERRATED FORCE IN THE ROOM

Let’s shine the brightest light on the quietest hero.

Ruben Prey changes games by making scorers terrified.

He does not need the box score.
Does not need the praise.
Not even the spotlight.

He controls the game with angles.
Controls it with timing.
With presence.

Opponents see him and hesitate.
They change course.
Settle for floaters.
Stretch layups.

Prey does not block every shot.
He does not have to.

He changes the geometry of the court.

That is rare.
Valuable.
Needed.

THE GREAT REBOUNDING PROBLEM

Now let’s talk about the truth.

This team must learn to rebound.

They cannot keep giving up easy boards. Cannot keep letting long misses bounce over their heads. Let second chances pile up like unpaid bills.

This is not a small issue.

It is the issue.

Jackson must close lanes faster. His athleticism is elite. But he must become wiser. Must see the shot before it hits the rim.

Sanon must widen his base. Read the trajectory. Use his size.

Darling must get mean on the inside. Box out like he is protecting a crown.

Rebounding wins tournaments.
Wins March.
Makes legacies.

This team can score.
They can run.
Ignite.

But can they rebound?

That answer will decide the season.

HOW THIS GAME SHIFTED EVERYTHING

This was not just a win.

It was a reset.

It became the night that reminded this team who they can be. A night that brought the best out of Sellers, Hopkins, and Mitchell. That revealed Prey’s silent strength. Proved Ejiofor’s foundation matters.

It was a night that showed the Storm at their highest frequency.

This game changed their position in the tournament.
Changed their perspective.
Transformed their identity.

One night.
This game.
An explosion of belief.

THE CHAOS OF THE TOURNAMENT

Now comes the math.
Madness.
The part where the Storm may need:

• The Fibonacci Sequence
• A quantum mechanics app
• Three calculators
• A notebook full of arrows and circles
• And MacGyver with duct tape

Because the tiebreak rules are a jungle. Every point matters. Every margin counts. Every possession affects tomorrow.

St. John’s is still alive. Very alive. But the path is wild.

And they must win big.

The Storm must rise again tomorrow. They must attack. Defend. Rebound.

THE RISE THAT STARTED TONIGHT

April and March are stories.
January is preparation.
December is foundation.

But November?

November is the mirror.

It shows you who you are becoming.
Shows you what you must fix.
What you can be.

Tonight, the mirror transformed.

St. John’s saw their potential. Caught their flaws. Stared at their path.

This became the night belief returned.
The night the Storm rose.
A night everything shifted.

Tonight they reset the sky.

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