It’s officially everyone’s favorite time of the year: March. Usually, around these parts (more specifically, the Empire State as a whole), the best Orange gear gets broken out in hopes of seeing SU go on a run and win the tournament. But in the past few years, that feeling has slowly faded. This marks the fourth year in a row without Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament, which means that sacred orange merchandise hasn’t been broken out in a hot minute. But it seems like a new color is being broken out throughout New York instead: red.
On our Twitter (@OrangeFizz,) we released a poll yesterday asking who is considered “New York’s basketball team.” With over 150 voters, it was decided that 53.3% of our readers believe the St. John’s Red Storm has taken over the Syracuse Orange as the top dog of the Empire State. Let’s dive into it.
It’s no secret that Rick Pitino has taken over the college basketball world down in Queens. A program that under the legendary Lou Carnesecca became the pinnacle of New York City basketball had its best season in a long time, finishing the season with a 30-4 record and taking home its first Big East championship since 2000 in just the second season under Pitino. The Red Storm has lit the college basketball world on fire, garnering huge media attention and even getting a song made about them by Jimmy Fallon (which was hilarious by the way.) Ironically enough, the turnaround this season was spearheaded by senior guard Kadary Richmond, who played for the Orange in 2020-21.
But can we call St. John’s “New York’s team” off of one strong season? It may be all Johnnies right now because of this season and igniting New York City, but consistency has to be the biggest thing. College sports have never been a huge part of the culture in the tri-state area, but a lot of people in that region grew up on Syracuse basketball. The Orange have been that staple of March Madness for so many New Yorkers, and there’s still a huge population of ‘Cuse fans all throughout the state, not just in Central New York. Look at the Legends Classic down in Brooklyn last November, and how despite the outcomes, the building was packed in orange.
Personally, we have to pump the brakes on the Red Storm for now. If they go ahead and win the NCAA Tournament this year (which is not a crazy thing to say,) maybe we revisit this conversation. St. John’s is New York City’s team, there’s no doubt about it. But for the entire state you still have to give the nod to the legacy of the SU program. That could change very quickly though in this new college world, especially considering how BodyArmor co-founder Mike Repole has basically given the Johnnies a blank check to bring in elite talent. But that’s a conversation for another day…
