St. John’s loaded its backcourt for the 2024-25 season in a 24-hour span this week with back-to-back commitments from highly regarded transfers Deivon Smith and Kadary Richmond. The duo will combine to give coach Rick Pitino a formidable guard unit in the season ahead.
Smith committed Monday after a standout season at Utah before Richmond followed Tuesday after shining for Big East rival Seton Hall in the 2023-24 campaign. With both players in the fold, the Red Storm’s roster is close to complete with a mix of incoming transfers, returners and a trio of freshmen.
Richmond projects to be the star of the show after averaging 15.7 points, 7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.2 steals for a Seton Hall team that won the NIT. What sets Richmond apart — both within his own roster and from the sport’s other top transfers — is his defense. The 6-foot-5 guard ranked as the second-best defensive player in the Big East during the 2023-24 season behind only UConn center Donovan Clingan, per evanmiya.com‘s performance rating.
But Smith is no afterthought after averaging 13.3 points and 7.1 assists at Utah in 2023-24 while shooting a career-best 40.8% from 3-point range.
The deadline for players to enter the transfer portal and be eligible next season passed on May 1. The chaos isn’t quite over yet, though. Players who entered before the deadline still have ample time to choose their new school ahead of the 2024-25 season. Those who are exploring the NBA Draft process have until May 29 to withdraw if they want to return to college next season.
Check out the latest transfer portal updates from 247Sports
1. Johnell Davis
Old school: FAU | New school: Arkansas
Davis played a key role in taking FAU to the 2023 Final Four and built on his breakout season by upping his scoring average to 18.2 points in 2023-24. The 6-4 guard hit 41.4% of his 3-pointers, pulled down 6.3 rebounds and averaged 1.4 steals for the Owls in his fourth season of college basketball. Assuming he opts against staying in the NBA Draft, the co-AAC Player of the Year will be headed to Arkansas to play for first-year coach John Calipari.
2. Tucker DeVries
Old school: Drake | New school: West Virginia
DeVries won Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year twice during three seasons while playing for his father, Darian DeVries. The 6-7 wing averaged 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in 2023-24. He’s a career 35.9%…
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