Torch Photo / Sara Kiernan
What a luxury it is to have a Hall of Fame head coach who’s active on social media. Thanks to the self-reporting from Rick Pitino, St. John’s men’s basketball fans have been treated to mini-scouting reports from the practices leading up to the Red Storm’s exhibition matchup with Rutgers on Oct. 17.
Oct. 10 brought praise for Pitino’s prized offseason addition Kadary Richmond, the former Seton Hall phenom-turned-St. John’s star.
“Yesterday Kadary Richmond turned in his most dominant practice of the early season,” the 72-year-old said via X. “[He] simply annihilated everyone. 10-of-11 from [the] field, 4-of-5 from three, 3-of-4 from free throw line, five rebounds, six assists, five steals.”
“Awesome performance and worked his a— off.”
While Pitino’s post didn’t specify what Richmond’s final scoring total was, the provided efficiency numbers suggest a 27-point showing for the fifth-year senior. Before his landing in Queens, these gaudy all-around performances became synonymous with the 23-year-old.
During his final season with the Pirates, Richmond recorded the University’s second triple-double in school history in a Jan. 20 triple-overtime loss to Creighton.
Beyond the evident versatility, Richmond’s efficiency from beyond the arc is the most encouraging aspect of his stat line. After connecting on just 27% of his three-point attempts in 2023-24, he appears to have sharpened his shooting under Pitino. If Richmond can hit the 40% mark in his final collegiate season, he could solidify himself as a legitimate first-round NBA draft prospect.
His success in practice landed him one of only three currently confirmed starting slots, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post. Richmond, sophomore guard Simeon Wilcher and junior big man Zuby Ejiofor have all been tabbed as starters ahead of the clash with Rutgers.
UPDATE: Richmond and Ejiofor have been named team captains for the upcoming season, per Pitino’s X account.
With less than a month until the Red Storm’s season opener on Nov. 4 against Fordham, fans can look forward to Pitino sharing more insights and anecdotes from practice as he prepares for his second season at the helm.
