Dillon Mitchell tells The Post about his ‘star-struck’ Rick Pitino moment, St. John’s championship expectations

St. John’s forward Dillon Mitchell sits down with Post columnist Steve Serby for some Q&A.

Q: The first time you met Coach Pitino?

A: I tell my girlfriend, I tell my mom and everybody all the time … they don’t really know who Coach P is and, like, the history, obviously. When I met oach P, I was a little star struck, like, “Man, I’m sitting here with Coach Pitino, and I have an opportunity to play for him.” It was almost like fan boy for a second. It’s almost like meeting a celebrity. It really is.

Q: What do you remember him telling you?

A: This is my last go-around, so it was all about the fit, and for me, we talked a lot about the development. He talked a lot about my jump shot, how we could work on that, the fit in the system and how they’re gonna use me, and then obviously the defense. But a lot of it was about my weaknesses, and that was one thing that really stuck out to me on my visit. When I was taking visits and even when I entered the transfer portal both times, you take those visits, a lot of it’s about, like, “Oh you’re so great at this, you’re so great at that, this, this and that.” When I came here, a lot of it was weaknesses and how they’re gonna help me get better. When we watched videos, it was all like, “Look at your footwork here. It’s terrible. Look at your jump shot. You need to fix that.” A lot of players would run away from that.

Q: So where are the greatest strides you’ve made?

A: I think it’s confidence. The jump shot for me has gotten a lot better working with Coach P and just the confidence in it and just the little forms of it, but a lot of it has been just fundamental things, understanding defensive principles and being pushed, and it’s playing with a hard motor every day in practice. Once I came here, it’s like a whole different level of playing hard, and that’s something that he pushes out of everybody.

Q: What makes him a Hall of Fame coach?

A: His knowledge of the game. Obviously, everybody talks about his intensity, but that’s something you would want as a player, to get pushed to that level. But just how smart he is, how he knows everything. He knows the right different principles of defense, offense. He’s a know-it-all, to be honest (smile). He knows it all, and he’s very smart with the basketball side of it. He gets a lot out of his players.

Q: Give me an example of how good of a motivator he is.

A: He can get you to run through a brick wall if he wants you to, for sure (chuckle).

Q: Any examples?

A: I think it’s just the words he says, his quotes that he has.

Q: Such as?

A: He brings up a lot about Kobe [Bryant]’s mentality and [Michael Jordan] and how if you want to get to the level you want to get to, there’s levels to it. There’s levels to not only just on-the-court stuff, but just the mentality that you come in every day and work with. Some of those things we all know about, but he preaches it every day. You have to come in, and your work ethic has to be high. Your motor has to be high.

Q: What won’t he tolerate?

A: Laziness. Not playing hard. Not communicating. Obviously, every coach doesn’t want to have to deal with off-the-court stuff or anything like that. It’s hard to not be coachable about this because it’s like, how could you not listen to Rick Pitino, you know what I’m saying? He’s one of the best to ever do it, so when he speaks, mouth shut, eyes on him.

Q: How much of an advantage do you guys feel you have with Coach P on your sideline?

A: For us, it’s like we’re being coached by Coach Pitino. And it’s like our coach, who we fall back on and who we look for for knowledge and guidance on the sport, it’s Rick Pitino. Being able to play for a coach like that and the guy that’s leading us is Coach Pitino, it gives us all the confidence.

Q: Your on-court mentality?

A: Playing with Coach Pitino, you gotta play hard. You gotta have that killer mindset. Coach P talks a lot about the Mamba Mentality. But being a senior now, you gotta be the hardest-playing guy on the court, and I think that’s something I’ve always looked at for myself. It’s like what I want my identity to be, and I want to be a high-motor guy playing hard, someone that you could depend on, count on to make the right plays, and obviously defense is what I try to pride myself on.

Q: From a physical tools standpoint, what are you most proud of?

A: I’d say my athleticism, my versatility, especially on the defensive end, feeling like I can guard pretty much the one through the five. My rebounding capabilities. Just being a long player out there to cause problems.

Q: Your favorite dunk is the windmill?

A: Yeah, I guess so (laugh). Every time I get up there, I don’t know, my body just makes me do it. I can’t even control it sometimes.

Q: What’s it like getting the fans fired up like that?

A: It’s awesome. I mean, people pay their hard-working money to come watch us play. So you want to put on a show for them, and you want to make them happy. You never know who’s out there watching. There could be a kid out there that really looks up to you. I try to get the fans into it as best as I can to make them feel a part of it as well.

Q: Some of your teammates, whatever comes to mind: Zuby Ejiofor?

A: He’s someone that when we all first got to campus, I don’t know how many new guys are on this team — it’s a lot of us — but he was someone that within the first week of us being here, he sat us all down and just preached about the culture, what the identity is, how everything’s gonna be, how hard we have to work for this year. He barely even talked about last year, the success they had last year, because it’s on to a new year and they want to have a better season than they did last year. Zuby’s just a leader.

Q: Zuby on the court?

A: He’s just a dawg. Zuby’s a monster. It’s hard to stop Zuby, perimeter, in the post, whatever it is. It’s hard to stop Zuby all around.

Q: Bryce Hopkins?

A: It’s hard to stop him when he’s getting downhill. Bryce is very physical. He’s very gifted, very skilled.

Q: Dylan Darling?

A: He’s like the basketball Cam Skattebo. He plays extremely hard. You would think he’s about to run his head through your chest on every play, which is how Cam Skattebo is.

Q: Oziyah Sellers?

A: He’s another guy who’s a leader on the court. He’s an experienced guard, one of the best shooters in the country. He gets an open shot, it’s a high, high chance of it going in.

Q: Ruben Prey?

A: He’s extremely gifted, extremely skilled. He’s very long and tall, and he can move extremely well for his size. He’s very fast, very athletic. Him and Zuby go at it every day.

Q: Lefteris Liotopoulos?

A: One of our best shooters, one of the best shooters in the country, and we try to create space for him to get open shots as well.

Q: Sadiku Ibine Ayo?

A: I would call him as, like, our glue guy. Diku’s only thing that he wants to do every day is not only get himself better but get the team better. Diku’s one of the best leaders I’ve been around.

Q: Ian Jackson?

A: Ian’s a lot of fun to be around. Ian is extremely gifted as well, especially offensively. Defensively, he’s even gotten a lot better. And I think that was a big reason why he came here as well. A lot of people know the offensive capabilities he has, but being with Coach P, he understands how much better he can get defensively.

Q: What was it like playing Michigan at the Garden?

A: You could hear the fans. Every time I take the ball out, I hear a New Yorker talking behind me. It’s just that vibe you get.

Q: Are New Yorkers what you expected?

A: No, and yeah. In the city, some of them are a little crazy. I stay in Jamaica, Queens, and it can get a little hectic out there.

Q: Hectic how?

A: You hear of someone arguing with somebody super loud on the phone … but my dad’s from Savannah, Ga., but he lived in New York — I don’t know exactly what part — for over 20 years. He kinda even told me about it when I got here like, “Be safe, don’t trust nobody, people are nuts, and stay to yourself.”

Q: The Big East Conference?

A: I played in the Big 12 the past three years, and I’ve heard it’s way more physical than the Big 12. And it’s just that toughness, that grit type of basketball.

Q: NBA players you like watching?

A: Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. … Kawhi Leonard. … Jarred Vanderbilt. … Jaden McDaniels.

Q: Biggest adversity you had to overcome?

A: Biggest adversity for me was honestly my freshman year of college (Texas). Being a top-five player coming out of high school, McDonald’s All-American, all these accolades, and you see yourself on all these mock boards, lottery picks … freshman year was tough. I was at University of Texas with Chris Beard, and that was the year he had got fired. I went to Texas to play for him, and then losing him, that was hard. We were like one of the oldest teams in college basketball. It was just a hard year losing our coach, trying to figure out what it’s gonna take for me to get to the next level … it was a lot.

Q: You felt the pressure of great expectations?

A: A hundred percent, yeah.

Q: What drives you?

A: For me, it’s just winning. I just like to win. I hate losing … helping everybody else out around me on the court. Every time I step on the court, it’s a joy, I have fun, and it’s just kind of a childhood thing. I feel like I’m back at the park or outside when I grew up, we had like a small little hoop in our backyard, and I used to bust my dad every day after school in the backyard. We had so much fun doing that.

Q: In life, what drives you?

A: I’d say just family, try to keep everybody happy. Just having fun, I mean, you only get one life to live, so try and enjoy it.

Q: Biggest influence?

A: Definitely my mom. She’s just always been there through it all. She’s the one who got me into basketball. I never really took it serious with like AAU travel ball, everything like that. I was into football. My mom wanted me to go to a basketball tryout, and I went and I fell in love with it there. She drove me to Georgia (from Tampa) multiple times for tournaments, and she packs her stuff up even now, comes to games, works from wherever I’m at.

Q: Has she been to the Garden?

A: Oh, yeah. Cincinnati, I don’t think she missed a home game. Back in Texas, I don’t think she really missed a home game. She’s there.

Q: Favorite tattoo?

A: Of course, my mom, my sister tatted on me. Big on my chest, though I just have “Destined For Greatness” (lifts shirt).

Q: That’s a picture of Martin Luther King.

A: Martin Luther King, then there’s the Malcolm X, “Knowledge Is Power” … praying hands.

Q: I see a quote from the Bible.

A: I have tattoos all over … my mom, me and my sister, we were all supposed to get three hearts on our finger, and I’m the only one who did it.

Q: How old were you?

A: I was 18. My mom wouldn’t sign off on tattoos before I turned 18.

Q: Your girlfriend, Morgan?

A: We met when I was at the University of Texas. She’s from Houston. She’s just kinda been my rock everywhere I’ve been. She moved in with me in Austin when I played at Texas. She moved to Cincinnati with me. Now she’s here in New York with me. She holds it down. She keeps me mentally sane, obviously, with all the craziness that comes with basketball sometimes.

Q: Meeting Jerry West?

A: Insane. I was out in Vegas working out. He told me I was very versatile and very skilled. And it was just about never taking the day off because at the end of the day, he told me, like, there’s always someone else coming to take your spot, take whatever you have, and you gotta play with a chip on your shoulder no matter if you’re the best player in the world, whatever it is.

Q: Coach Kevin Boyle?

A: I wouldn’t be here without Coach Boyle and going to Montverde Academy. It gives me the same type of feel as it does here being at Montverde, playing with great players. We had a really good team and we got each other better every day, and Coach Boyle was someone who was intense and he’s gonna push you. He’s another type of coach like Coach P that you play hard for him.

Q: How good of a wide receiver were you before you gave it up in seventh grade?

A: Extremely good. I was just taller than everybody. Growing up, they would just throw it up.

Q: Did you have a favorite receiver?

A: Megatron [Calvin Johnson].

Q: Favorite New York City things?

A: There is this spot over in Brooklyn called Swoony’s. They have the best cheeseburger in the city, at least that I have had and that I’ve heard.

Q: Who turned you on to that?

A: TikTok.

Q: You wanted to be a firefighter as a child?

A: Maybe that’s something I’ll still look into after basketball (laugh).

Q: Four dinner guests.

A: Muhammad Ali; Kobe Bryant; Tom Brady; Michael Jordan.

Q: What would you ask Muhammad Ali?

A: He had the confidence every time he stepped into the ring that he was gonna knock that dude out. So just his mindset, his mentality, where that confidence came from. Definitely, I’d ask that.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: “The Notebook.”

Q: Favorite actor?

A: Denzel Washington.

Q: Favorite entertainer/singer/rapper?

A: Zach Bryan.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: Steak, potatoes and asparagus.

Q: I’m an NBA GM — tell me why I should be interested in you.

A: I’m gonna do whatever it takes to help the team win. At the end of the day, it’s about being coachable and being a winner. That’s something that even Coach P has talked about. Us being seniors, if we want to get to the next level, we have to win. It’s not any more about your offensive capabilities or your defense. It’s like you gotta be a winner, and I think that’s something I want to be known as, a winner.

Q: What would you hope St. John’s fans say about you?

A: Not only did he play hard as he could every step playing for St. John’s, but just the joy that I brought playing for St. John’s, and making the fan base feel included in the games as well, and try to be with the fans and speak with the fans, communicate with the fans and really make them feel into it on the court.

Q: What do you like best about this team?

A: The way we jell. We push each other every day to get better. The competition is elite that we have every day in practice. But then also how much fun we have. I could really see the joy that everybody has, even the coaches. We have a lot of fun off the court, on the court even having a lot of fun. At the end of the day, this is basketball. We’re all just here because of a childhood sport that we all loved.

Q: Is this a Final Four team?

A: Yeah, 100 percent. To me, in my eyes, just the talent we have, the skill we have, but there’s still a lot of weaknesses that we have, and I think if we get better every day in practice like we said, listen to Coach P and everything, we’re more than capable of it.

Q: The first team meeting this season — did Coach Pitino talk about expectations for this team?

A: Yeah, and what was different to me that was something I looked at, a lot of people always talk about the expectations are winning a national championship for this group. And what he talked about was getting better every day in practice. Obviously, as a group we understand what our expectations are, but we won’t get there unless every day it’s work. It’s working hard. It’s getting each other better every day. You get around this group of guys and the talent that we have, we’re all thinking the same thing, like, “Man, we can win a national championship.” For him, it’s like, no, we need to get better every day. If we want to have that goal that we want, we need to get better every day. It starts every day in practice.

Q: Have you visualized cutting down the nets to win the national championship?

A: I do. All the time. I mean, that’s a dream of every player’s, is to do that. It’s gonna be hard. It’s gonna be tough. It’s not gonna be easy, not one bit. It doesn’t matter the skill we have or the talent we have. It’s not gonna be easy to do, and I think we all understand that, especially with the schedule we have this year.

Q: Your message to St. John’s fans?

A: That no matter what, we’re gonna come out there and give it our all this year with the tough schedule, and you’ll be happy watching us play because you know we’re gonna give every effort every step of the way. Every play, we’re gonna give max effort, be the hardest-playing team on the court, and just bring a show to St. John’s and MSG and Carnesecca and give the fans something to really be happy about.