By ADAM ZAGORIA
One night after Zuby Ejiofor was chosen by the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 23 pick in the NBA Draft, his fellow St. John’s big men Dillon MItchell and Bryce Hopkins both went in the second round.
Mitchell was selected at No. 40 by the Boston Celtics before Hopkins went at No. 49 to the Denver Nuggets.
It was the first time St. John’s had three players drafted, and the first time Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino had a trio of players drafted since his 1996 NCAA championship team at Kentucky. With UConn having two players chosen in the first round, the Big East had five total players chosen.
“I’ve been asked this 50x and I’m extremely biased,” Hall of Fame St. John’s coach Rick Pitino wrote on X/Twitter before the Draft. “Do I think Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins, and Dilllon Mitchell will be good pros? Besides my immediate 100, I’ll say this: they will come to work, they will come to win, and they will exude class. Absolutely love this trio and what they bring to a team!!”
There have been 46 2nd-round picks to make the All-Star Game, per ESPN
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) June 25, 2026
Three won Finals MVP, including Jalen Brunson.
Nikola Jokic won MVP pic.twitter.com/3ZpBattHhw
A dynamic 6-foot-8 forward, Mitchell quickly became a fan favorite during his lone season in Queens. A lockdown defender with explosive athleticism on both ends of the floor, Mitchell averaged 8.3 points on 55.9% shooting, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks per contest. He logged four double-doubles and posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3-to-1, good enough for tops in the BIG EAST and 27th nationally.
Mitchell earned spots on the All-BIG EAST Third Team, the BIG EAST All-Defensive Team, the MBWA All-Met Second Team, the NABC All-District Second Team and the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team.
Before St. John’s, Mitchell spent a year at Cincinnati and two seasons at Texas. He made two NCAA Tournament appearances while in Austin, including an Elite Eight run as a freshman in 2022-23. Mitchell pulled down 903 rebounds over the course of his four-year college career, good enough for 11th among active players at the time of his graduation.
Hopkins becomes the 65th draft pick in St. John’s history and the 34th player to be drafted after being coached by Pitino.
The Oak Park, Ill., native spent his final collegiate season in Queens, guiding the Red Storm to a second straight sweep of the BIG EAST Tournament and Regular Season Championships. The Johnnies then advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.
Hopkins started all 37 games averaging 13.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, both ranked in the top 15 of the BIG EAST. Additionally, he ranked fifth in the league in made free throws with 127.
The graduate student posted 26 double-digit scoring outings, five 20-plus point performances and three double-doubles. The veteran rose to the occasion during the postseason, reaching double figures in the final seven games of the season. The BIG EAST All-Tournament Team honoree averaged 15.0 points and 8.3 boards per game during the Red Storm’s run to its fifth BIG EAST Tournament crown. In the NCAA Tournament Second Round victory over fourth-seeded Kansas, the wing was on fire from deep, knocking down a program-tournament-record six 3-pointers to finish with a team-high 18 points.
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