It’s been a busy few weeks for head coach Rick Pitino and St. John’s basketball.
On May 6, former Utah guard Deivon Smith officially committed to Pitino and company, per Joe Tipton. The six-foot combo guard averaged 13.3 points, 7.1 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game last season. Smith was far and away the Utes’ most improved player in the 2023-24 campaign. In increased minutes, he saw his 26.1% hit rate from beyond the arc jump to 40.8%, leading to an over five-point increase to his nightly tally.
Through just 27 games, Smith set a PAC-12 conference record with five triple-doubles last season. The previous record-holder? Former NBA superstar and Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer Jason Kidd. The Decatur, Georgia native should immediately slide into the starting lineup as Jordan Dingle continues to battle the NCAA for another year of eligibility. The senior provides the exact veteran leadership and all-around skillset to star alongside fellow incoming transfers Vincent Iwuchukwu and Aaron Scott.
Utah is begins their 3 game home stand on Saturday that might determine the season, and you need to be there. This team is incredibly fun to watch and so easy to root for. Deivon Smith is electric! #PackTheHuntsman #RunninUtes
pic.twitter.com/hnbsrwT0YF— D.B cUTEpper (@DB_cUTEpper) February 1, 2024
Despite a commendable performance in the transfer portal already, rumblings suggest this is just the beginning of a monstrous showing from the hall-of-fame head coach.
