Freshman Theo Edema Exceeds Expectations in St. John's Exhibition Win

Freshman center Theo Edema delivered a surprisingly strong performance in St. John's exhibition finale against Texas, contributing significantly in extended minutes due to foul trouble for the team's starting center. Edema logged 12 minutes in the 84-74 victory, recording four points, seven rebounds (four on the offensive glass), a block, and a steal. The 6-foot-11, 255-pound freshman held his own against Texas's 7-foot center Matas Vokietaitis.

"He was big down the stretch, he wouldn’t let them get back in the game with offensive rebounds," St. John's coach Rick Pitino said of Edema's performance. Edema, a four-star recruit, reclassified to attend college early and had committed to St. John's in May over offers from Maryland, BYU, and Stanford.

Teammate Tounde Yessoufou praised Edema's impact, stating, "He played amazing. I’m a big fan of his game. His energy. You can tell he affects the game in many different types of ways. He got some good blocks, he was a dog on defense. That’s something we really, really need."

Another key performer for St. John's was point guard Quinn Ellis, who finished the exhibition games with 22 assists against only three turnovers in 116 minutes. Against Texas, Ellis contributed four points, seven assists, three rebounds, and zero turnovers in 34 minutes. Pitino highlighted Ellis's crucial role, noting, "Quinn dominated the game without scoring and Ian [Jackson] benefits so much. That’s a terrific backcourt. I thought Quinn dominated the game today, got the ball moving and got everyone involved in the game."

Pitino emphasized Ellis's value to the team, adding, "On this basketball team, Quinn is so key, because everyone wants to score, and Quinn doesn’t really care about that. He cares about winning, he cares about doing the right things, he cares about playing good defense. He’s really a great point guard to have with this basketball team."