By ADAM ZAGORIA
St. John’s star Julian Champagnie has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss Saturday’s game against Pitt in the Gotham Classic at Madison Square Garden, sources said.
All the St. John’s players had to be vaccinated in order to play games at the Garden — just like the Knicks and Rangers — so Champagnie’s positive was a breakthrough case of some kind. A St. John’s official was unable to comment on whether all the players had been boosted and said a booster shot must come six months after the last shot.
“We are following the city regulations, the city regulations are that [for] any home team, all players have to be vaccinated,” Joel Fisher, executive vice president at Madison Square Garden, told NJ Advance Media in October at Big East media day. “That’s St. John’s, and they are all vaccinated. Any team that comes and plays from out of state does not have to be vaccinated so they can play here. It’s just the same exact rule as the NBA.”
The St. John’s-Pitt game at one point could have had both Champagnie twins, and will now have neither. Justin plays for the Toronto Raptors.
Julian Champagnie is averaging 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists for the Red Storm, who have won three straight since a loss to Kansas.
The Gotham Classic already took a major hit when Seton Hall had to cancel its game with Iona due to COVID protocols at the school. The Seton Hall-Iona game was originally part of a doubleheader with the Pitt-St. John’s game.
Seton Hall then had to forfeit Monday’s Big East opener against St. John’s at Prudential Center, and their game Thursday at DePaul remains in doubt.
Also on Saturday, Rutgers announced it was postponing its game with Rider on Saturday due to COVID protocols within the program.
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