The mere mention of the phrase “point forward” brought a smile to Dillon Mitchell’s face.
It was once his position, back in his high school days at powerhouse Montverde Academy in Florida, and it’s becoming a big part of his value to St. John’s as the regular season nears.
More frequently, the 6-foot-8 Mitchell has the ball in his hands, whether it is starting a fast break after a defensive rebound or bringing it up against pressure. He is initiating offense and comfortable doing it.
“That’s something that I feel I’ve always been pretty good at, and [the coaching staff] loves it,” Mitchell said on Monday during a meet and greet with St. John’s fans at an Applebee’s near campus. “It’s something I’ve always been natural at I feel like, and I haven’t really worked on it throughout my college career, because not every school I was at wanted me to do that or needed me to do that. With the way that we play and style we play — playing fast — when I get a rebound they tell me to bring the ball up and push it myself.”
In the first exhibition against Towson, Mitchell sparked fifth-ranked St. John’s after a slow start. He was even better in Saturday’s overtime loss to preseason No. 7 Michigan, producing 13 points and eight rebounds in 31 minutes. He’s too big for a guard and too athletic for a forward.
There was one play in which Mitchell caught a rebound in traffic and took off the other way, weaving through traffic. He wound up missing the layup. It was impressive nonetheless. The highlight: Two big dunks that brought the crowd to its feet, one over Michigan All-American forward Yaxel Lendeborg.
“Mind-blowing. Two huge plays to get the crowd hyped,” teammate Zuby Ejiofor said. “I’ve said this previously, he’s kind of the X factor of this team. We’re looking forward to seeing a lot more of those [dunks] the rest of the year. He’s one person that Johnnies Nation is really going to love.
“He’s really smart with the way he attacks and the way he’s able to get other guys open as well.”
A McDonald’s All-American and five-star recruit coming out of Montverde, Mitchell has bounced around. He spent two seasons at Texas, one at Cincinnati and is now finishing up at St. John’s. Last winter, he enjoyed the best season of his career, averaging 9.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals.
This may end up being the perfect system for him, because the up-tempo, pressing style accentuates his strengths as an athletically gifted forward with ballhandling skills who plays above the rim.
“There’s no better way I would want to end my college career, than being here for St. John’s playing for Coach Rick Pitino,” Mitchell said. “There’s no better way I would want to end my college career. I wish I came here earlier, to tell you the truth.
“Just the fit, just the culture, the environment and honestly the development, getting better every day in practice, playing with elite guys every day in practice. It just gets you better.”
Showcasing an ability to handle the ball and initiate offense should only help Mitchell when it’s time to move up to the next level. The more things a player does well, the better. But that’s not something he’s concerned with.
“It’s good for me, but the biggest thing if I want to get there, is we gotta win,” he said. “And that’s something Coach P has preached and talked to us seniors about. We have to be leaders and we have to help our team win.”
