Joson Sanon interrupted Rick Pitino.
His jump shot isn’t “cold-blooded.”
“It’s Coke butter cheese,” a slang term used to describe a smooth shot, Sanon said.
“Coke butter. Excuse me,” Pitino said, drawing laughs from the media ensemble in the press conference room. “I’m learning.”
Sanon can call his jumper whatever he wants, as long as it keeps going in.
The sophomore guard continued his emergence in Friday night’s 78-68, Big East Tournament semifinal victory over No. 4 Seton Hall. Coming off the bench, Sanon scored 15 points and hit three 3-pointers, as the top-seeded Johnnies won their fifth straight conference tournament game.
The 6-foot-5 Sanon has begun to pick up his play, and is earning more minutes When he entered the game on Friday, his mindset was simple.
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“I told them, ‘We need some 3s,’ and when Coach put me in, I did my thing,” said Sanon, who also had three rebounds and two steals in 23 productive minutes.
A smiling Pitino responded: “Can you tell me that before I put you in? Just nudge me and say, ‘Coach, I’m ready for 3s.’ ”
Pitino is high on the sharpshooting guard, believing he has the highest upside of anyone on the roster. The plan is for him to return next season, and Pitino thinks he can be one of the better players in the Big East.
“I feel like I can go [in the] first round next year,” Sanon said, referring to the NBA Draft after another season at St. John’s. “Just the rep Coach has and the confidence he has in me.”
Most importantly, Sanon is coming on at the right time. He’s scored in double figures in three of the last six games, and has become a far better defender, compared to when he arrived in Queens.
“Joson’s physically the most talented ballplayer on the team. He’s only going to grow,” Pitino said. “He made a big-time play down the stretch defensively and he’s grown as a defensive player, and that’s exciting because he’s so much better defensively. He’s so much better doing other things [besides] scoring.”
St. John’s has now won five straight Big East Tournament games by double figures. The last team to do that was Connecticut in 1999-2000.
The Red Storm have beaten local rival Seton Hall six straight times, and two of those have come in the Big East Tournament. … The Johnnies’ 13 turnovers were their most since they committed 17 against Iona University on Dec. 13.
