One month into the Rick Pitino era at St. John’s, one thing has become abundantly clear: He is prioritizing shotmaking and players he is familiar with.
The days of opponents playing drop coverage and daring the Johnnies to shoot from the perimeter should be long gone.
Wednesday, Pitino added his third transfer from his former school, Iona University, when stretch forward Quinn Slazinski verbally committed to the Queens school ahead of his official visit this weekend.
The 6-foot-9 Slazinski joins former teammates Daniss Jenkins and Cruz Davis in following Pitino to St. John’s.
“It wasn’t much of a decision,” the Houston, Texas native told The Post. “At the end of the day, it was really a no-brainer. Nothing I had to think about. Right when he took the job, I knew it was a very, very strong possibility that was the next move. My mind wasn’t really elsewhere.”
Slazinski is the fifth transfer Pitino has added — a group that also includes Connecticut guard Nahiem Alleyne and VMI wing Sean Conway, two more quality long-range shooters.
Slazinski said he also heard from Michigan and Xavier, among others, but he was set on spending his last year of college playing for Pitino.
The former three-star recruit started his career at Louisville before transferring to Iona.
A foot injury limited him to just seven games this past season — when he averaged 11.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
In his first season at Iona, Slazinski shot 34 percent from deep.
“He’s legit. Good shooter, not a great defender, but a solid defender,” a college coach familiar with Slazinski said. “He’ll keep the defense honest. He can stretch the floor. He’s got good size, he can shoot the ball.”
It is somewhat of a full-circle moment for Slazinski, returning to the high-major level to cap off his college career.
“[My confidence] is through the roof,” he said. “I’m sure people are going to get to know that about me. The one thing I don’t lack is self-confidence. I know what I can bring to the table. I’m very confident in the player I am. I’m just excited to show it.”
Slazinski said he was given no guarantees by Pitino of what his role will be, whether it is as a starter or reserve.
St. John’s still has five open scholarships left and plans to fill them with two guards and three wings/forwards.
“There’s no such thing as a role under Pitino,” Slazinski said. “He doesn’t give promises. That’s why some [former players] were asking for their release [to transfer]. He gives people no promises. He’s just a truthful, honest person. He knows the type of player I am.”
St. John’s did miss out on one of its targets Wednesday when Harvard transfer forward Chris Ledlum committed to Tennessee.
Ledlum visited St. John’s on Sunday and Monday.
St. John’s remains involved with, among others, Niagara high-scoring guard Noah Thomasson, UMass wing RJ Luis and Notre Dame wing Cormac Ryan.
It is also recruiting the highly regarded high school senior trio of four-star guards Silas Demary Jr. and Brady Dunlap, and five-star wing MacKenzie MgBako, a former Duke signee.
Dunlap, a one-time Notre Dame signee, is set to visit early next week.