St. John's head coach Rick Pitino employed several surprising lineup decisions in the team's season-opening victory over Monmouth on Monday. Notably, Tounde Yessoufou did not start, and Theo Edema did not play.
However, sources suggest these early-game choices should not be cause for alarm, indicating that Pitino is likely using these initial games to evaluate his roster and determine optimal player combinations for the season ahead. The coach appears to be in the process of discovering his team's best rotational structure.