St. Johns Bryce Hopkins regaining pre-injury form, shooting touch at perfect time in March Madness

SAN DIEGO — There has been a noticeable uptick in St.John’s offense of late. The Red Storm have made more 3-pointers.

They have been sharing the ball.But perhaps the biggest change has been Bryce Hopkins.He has looked like his pre-torn ACL self.  Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Zach Braziller about the inside buzz on St.

John’s.“I think he’s a little quicker, he’s jumping a little higher and he’s playing with confidence,” coach Rick Pitino said as the fifth-seeded Johnnies prepared to meet No.

4 Kansas on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena.“I think he’s been [improving] the whole season.“It’s tough coming off an injury, a very serious one, and he’s working his way.

He’s very confident.”Hopkins has scored in double figures in five straight games after a stretch of offensive inconsistency.In that span, he is averaging 13.8 points on 60 percent shooting along with eight rebounds.

He’s also making 3-pointers, an area of his game that Pitino has wanted him to utilize more.For the first time this season, Hopkins has hit multiple triples in consecutive games. “It helps,” Pitino said.

“He doesn’t like taking a lot [of them].I get on him all the time, like, ‘Bryce, take it, man, take it.’ ”Hopkins has clearly found his game at the right time.

That’s not to say he had a bad year.He was an All-Big East second team selection, a pivotal piece to St.

John’s winning the league’s regular-season crown outright.But he has taken a major step forward in March. He hit the biggest shot of the Big East Tournament, a left-elbow jumper that changed the momentum of the championship game after Connecticut had gotten within seven in the second half.

When Hopkins is an offensive force, it changes St.John’s dynamic, because it doesn’t have to depend so much on standout forward Zuby Ejiofor.  Sign up for Inside St.

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