Sure, Simeon Wilcher would rather be playing than watching. Like any competitor, he would prefer to be on the court instead of on the bench.
But a season of mostly learning from the sideline hasn’t soured the highly regarded freshman on St. John’s or coach Rick Pitino.
“To be totally honest with you, I’m not making too much of a big deal about it because I know my time is going to come,” Wilcher said ahead of the Johnnies’ meeting with No. 15 Creighton on Sunday at the Garden. “I feel like I’m pretty comfortable here. I’m happy where I am.”
Wilcher was one of the big additions of the offseason, a top-40 recruit from Roselle Catholic (N.J.) who had initially signed with North Carolina. There have only been brief glimpses of his potential as he bides his time behind fifth-year senior point guard Daniss Jenkins. He’s averaging 2.6 points and 1.1 assists in 9.3 minutes across 23 games and two starts. The 6-foot-4 guard is coming off a seven-point performance in a win over Georgetown when he provided a jolt in the second half, and Pitino is planning to get him more minutes the rest of the way.
Even without playing, Wilcher believes he is improving. Practicing every day against Jenkins has made a major difference, just in terms of him seeing how important it is to be a leader and find his own voice. Jenkins does not take it easy on him.
Pitino has raved about Wilcher the teammate throughout the season, as someone always rooting for his teammates and not letting his own disappointment over playing time negatively impact him. Wilcher got that from his older brother C.J., who had a similar role as a freshman at Xavier. He may not be playing a ton, but he can help in other ways.
“It’s not just about me, it’s about all of us,” Wilcher said. “If I can help in any way, then I’m going to do that.”
Wilcher is a bit of an anomaly in today’s world of top prospects. He didn’t switch high schools, spending all four years at Roselle Catholic. He turned down a six-figure deal with the new high school sports league, Overtime Elite. He didn’t hop from AAU program to AAU program, playing for Albany City Rocks and the New York Rens. He is loyal, and isn’t planning to jump ship just because this year hasn’t gone according to plan.
“I just feel that I’ve been through so much this year, so there is no reason to go through the same thing next year somewhere else,” he said. “I feel pretty comfortable here. My parents talk to me, making sure I see things through.
“I bet on myself coming here. I’m just about relationships, so I feel like I’ve built good relationships with everyone here and there is no reason for me to get up and move because that’s not a part of the grind as a college player.”
Ultimately, Wilcher opted for St. John’s because he felt Pitino was the best choice to develop his game and gave him the best opportunity to play in the NBA one day. That hasn’t changed. Pitino is known for not playing freshmen much and then getting a ton out of them later in their careers, like former Louisville stars Peyton Siva and Russ Smith.
“I’m not in a rush to try and get to the next level,” Wilcher said. “I just want to be the best player that I can be, so when my time comes, and God blesses me with the opportunity to move on to the next level then I’m completely ready and I can stay there.”