St. Johns Lands Star Duo Commits From Transfer Portal

New York City is once again turning into a basketball hub with the emergence of the New York Knicks and St. John’s getting back on track. When St. John’s announced the hiring of Rick Pitino as their next head coach, replacing Mike Anderson, the program received a much-needed shot in the arm.

Pitino had found a lot of success at Iona since getting back into college basketball and was looking to bring that to Queens, New York. In his first season, the team reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign, which was the final year Chris Mullin was head coach. It was also the last time the Red Storm made the NCAA Tournament, a streak which was shockingly extended this year.

St. John’s had all the numbers and rankings of a tournament team but was left out of the field. That will be motivation for Pitino and is staff heading into the 2024-25 season. But, they are going to have much bigger goals than just making the tournament, as they are loading up a roster that should be capable of making a deep postseason run.

Success late in the season and in big moments is predicated on guard play in college basketball. St. John’s could now have the best backcourt in college basketball as they are arguably the biggest winners from the transfer portal this offseason.

On Tuesday, former Seton Hall star Kadary Richmond, the No. 1 ranked player in the transfer portal announced that he will be joining St. John’s. That is a huge addition for Pitino, who now has the pleasure of coaching Richmond instead of game-planning how to stop him.

“They were big on life after basketball and player development,” Richmond said. “That stood out to me, the way they kept it real from day one. They are going to allow me to showcase my ability and become a better basketball player and person. I’d like to make a long run deep into the NCAA tournament and eventually win a national championship. I’m ready to get to work and see what Coach Pitino has in store.”

The first-team All-Big East point guard stuffed the stat sheet last season. A 6’6” point guard, he scored 20+ points nine times, averaging 15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists while leading the Pirates to the NIT Championship.

After announcing his decision to join the transfer portal, Richmond visited Oklahoma. He considered Syracuse, where his collegiate career began, Miami (FL) and USC as well. But, the Brooklyn native was drawn to staying close to home.

“Seeing what [Knicks star] Jalen Brunson is doing for New York City right now, winning in New York is a big thing,” Richmond said. “I want to be a part of that.”

He isn’t coming to St. John’s alone. Just the day before, Utah transfer Deivon Smith announced that he would also be joining the Red Storm. Smith averaged 13.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game last season.

Smith is also an elite 3-point shooter, knocking down 41.3 percent of his attempts. With him and Richmond in the fold, the Red Storm now have arguably the best backcourt duo in college basketball. 

“I like the additions we’ve put together,” Richmond said. “Deivon Smith is also all about winning and making winning plays. RJ Luis is someone I’ve played against, he’s a competitor. Same with Vincent Iwuchukwu. The pieces are aligning. I like the vision that was put together.”