Rick Pitino coaches St. John's during a workout. Courtesy of St. John's Athletics Rick Pitino left Iona to become the head coach at St. John's following the 2022-23 season.

In the case of Zuby Ejiofor, who played sparingly as a freshman at Kansas last season, the workout during his visit convinced Pitino that he was good enough to play for St. John’s.

St. John's Rick Pitino wants players to realize they can't let up. ... Smith was declared out for the Creighton game on Friday but proved to Pitino that he was ready to play in a workout on Saturday.