On Saturday night in Queens, St. John’s coasted to a 97-76 tune up win over Delaware with head coach Rick Pitino’s transfer class doing much of the heavy lifting throughout.
While Seton Hall transfer Kadary Richmond has steadily been improving highlighted by his 10 points and seven assists, former USC forward Vincent Iwuchukwu added a season-high 11 points off the bench.
However, it was former top-100 prospect and Utah transfer Deivon Smith who stole the show with a double-double of 20 points, 13 boards, eight assists, three steals and a blocked shot amidst the win.
After serving a brief one game suspension earlier this year, Smith says he’s put in the work to improve and is currently playing some of his best basketball of the young season.
“I feel good,” Smith said. “Honestly, coming back from the suspension I just had a different mindset. I worked hard for two weeks, just locked in on myself, staying in the gym and really just [prepared]. I wasn’t playing and I don’t like to watch, I want to be involved. I used everyday to compete and get better.”
Following a 2-0 start to the Big East campaign, it was critical for Smith and Co. to stay focused on an opponent like Delaware and maintain that momentum with a win.
However, for the always critical Pitino, the 97-76 thrashing was a bit of a let off, particularly with a visit to Creighton next up on the schedule.
“Obviously anytime you win you should be pleased but to be honest I’m anything but pleased,” Pitino said. “When you’re getting ready for your next opponent being Creighton, you don’t get as focused. We did a lot of good things on offense but we really didn’t do the things defensively [to limit Delaware].”
As Pitino pointed out, Delaware forward John Camden – a former Memphis and Virginia Tech transfer – went on to finish with 35 points on 13-for-18 from the field to try and carry the Blue Hens.
Against the opposition in the Big East, Pitino knows allowing offensive performances like that will spell defeat for the Red Storm and it’s why he harps on improving the defensive effort consistently.
“Give credit to Camden he’s just an outstanding basketball player,” Pitino said. “I think we did our job but I don’t think we’re near our potential [and] we have to get better defensively. If I were to point out our biggest weakness, I mean free throw shooting is glaringly obvious but I think our biggest weakness is absorbing the scouting report.”
Still, there were positives to take from the Red Storm’s performance even for a stubborn Pitino.
According to the 1987 National Coach of the Year, it’s becoming clear how impactful the transfers like Smith, Richmond and Iwuchukwu will need to be in order to keep St. John’s afloat in the Big East.
Specifically, Smith, who’s shooting 47% from the field and a team-leading 44% from three, has found a level unforeseen by Pitino and Co. when they recruited the 6-foot guard to Queens this past offseason.
“I think Deivon [Smith] has picked up his game to a [similar level to] Zuby [Ejiofor] which is great,” Pitino said. “I mean anytime a point guard gets 13 rebounds, pushes the pace and forces everybody to run, that’s really a strong suit.
Additionally, the development from Iwuchukwu over the past couple weeks has been noticeable, particularly with forward Brady Dunlap ruled out for the next 4-6 weeks.
With Saturday night providing something of a litmus test for the center position in Pitino’s lineup, it sounds like Iwuchukwu has worked his way into the starting five against Creighton.
“In the low post, [Iwuchukwu] is really improving his game and we’re going to need him for Creighton certainly,” Pitino said. “[Tonight] I had to make a decision which guy was ready to play between [Rubén Prey] and Vince [Iwuchukwu], I think because of the size of Creighton we’ve got to go with Vince [in that matchup].”
With returners like RJ Luis and Zuby Ejiofor continuing to impress, St. John’s has surmounted an 11-2 record and a 2-0 start in the Big East after wins over DePaul and Providence.
It earned the Red Storm a spot just outside the national rankings at 28th with 98 votes but it’s the program’s transfers that can lift the Red Storm to national acclaim and contention in the Big East this season.
