If it were up to athletic director Ed Kull, St. John’s would play 14 games at the Garden next season.
That, however, remains uncertain, as the Big East school works with MSG executives.
Currently, St. John’s is set to play at least 11 games at the venue, though this could increase based on the venue’s availability. Last year, they played nine games there.
Three league games, against Seton Hall, Butler and DePaul, could be played at either the Garden or Carnesecca Arena.
The other seven will be held at MSG.
Nonleague contests against Alabama, Ole Miss and Iona will be at the Garden, along with an exhibition game against Michigan.
“The word is trying,” said Kull on Wednesday during an event marking St. John’s partnership with Adidas as their apparel provider. “I’m aiming for games against DePaul, Seton Hall, and Butler, depending on the day of the week, to be at MSG. However, the Knicks and Rangers are prioritized when selecting dates. MSG seems willing to accommodate us if open dates are available.
“My assertiveness stems from confidence in our fans and our plans. The demand for our team is evident. Limiting ourselves to the 5,200 seats at Carnesecca Arena is not ideal.”
Currently, St. John’s has sold 8,000 season tickets, up from last year’s total of 5,600.
Kull is hoping to get up to 10,000.
Coach Rick Pitino has named one of his racehorses “Zuby” after star forward and co-captain Zuby Ejiofor.
Unfortunately, the two-year-old thoroughbred is “slow,” according to Pitino. It has yet to be entered in an official race.
“I thank him for naming a horse after me. It means a lot, obviously. I don’t think there’s a lot of guys that he’s named horses after,” Ejiofor said. “That’s something new for me. He obviously trusts me. I’m going into my third year with coach Pitino. He put a lot of trust in me.”
Ejiofor has yet to meet the horse, which is training up in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
At Louisville, Pitino named horses after star players like Luke Hancock, Russ Smith, Peyton Siva and Gorgui Dieng.
