Bryce Hopkins’ effort in St. John’s Big East opener not enough for Rick Pitino

Rick Pitino thinks highly of Bryce Hopkins. He has often said that the Providence transfer can be one of the better players in the country if he gives maximum effort on a consistent basis.

The St. John’s coach didn’t see that in Tuesday’s Big East-opening, 79-66 victory over DePaul at Carnesecca Arena. Hopkins didn’t grab a single rebound in 23 minutes, committed three turnovers and scored six points on 1-for-4 shooting.

“He’s just got to pick up his effort level. A guy of his talent without a rebound, he has to pick up his energy,” Pitino said. “Scoring can’t make you do other things. That’s why Zuby [Ejiofor] and Dillon Mitchell bring so many other things to the table. He’s gotta learn that. He has to pick it up right now.”

Hopkins has scored in single figures in three of the past four games and has 10 turnovers in that span.

Joson Sanon equaled a career high with nine rebounds and added two blocks and a steal, along with 15 points. Pitino has been harping that his guards have to rebound better. Sanon has been listening. He has 14 in the past two games.

“He’s made great progress,” Pitino said. “Joson’s really gotten a lot better defensively, rebounding, he can score, he can shoot, he has he can put in on the floor, he can pass. He probably skill-wise has the most skills on the team. He can do the most things.”

St. John’s has now defeated DePaul eight consecutive times. … Ejiofor became the first Big East player since former Johnnie Chris Obekpa in November 2013 to have 20 blocks in a three-game span. After blocking eight shots apiece in wins over Ole Miss and Iona, Ejiofor registered four more rejections on Tuesday. … St. John’s bench outscored the DePaul bench 32-4.