It took some time, roughly seven weeks after the transfer portal opened March 18. But St. John’s has broken through.
One day after landing do-it-all Utah guard Deivon Smith, Rick Pitino and co. picked up a verbal commitment from Seton Hall’s Kadary Richmond, one of the premier players to enter the portal.
The 6-foot-6 Brooklyn native, an All-Big East first team selection, immediately raises the team’s ceiling for next year, joining Smith and rising sophomore Simeon Wilcher to comprise one of the premier backcourts on paper in the country.
“It can be very dynamic,” Richmond told The Post. “We all do things differently, we all have different styles I would say. As long as we can get it to mesh early, it can be something big for us.”
Richmond visited St. John’s twice, right after entering the portal on April 26, and again Monday and Tuesday of this week. He tripped to Oklahoma over the weekend. Illinois, Syracuse and West Virginia were among his other suitors. He considered taking other visits, but after his trip to Queens on Monday, Richmond was set on his new home.
“Just the fact that they were keeping it real from day one,” Richmond said. “With the track record of coach Pitino, what he’s done with guards in the past. I liked the vision they put together along with the guards they have already and the players they have coming in. That also was a big deal for me.”
This is a seismic addition.
The website EvanMiya.com rates the uber-talented Richmond as the top player to switch schools this offseason, based on a formula that incorporates box stats and advanced metrics to quantify a player’s overall impact.
It also shows the ever-changing landscape of the sport, that Richmond would leave Seton Hall for inter-conference rival St. John’s.
The Pirates, it should be noted, did bring in St. John’s transfer Dylan Addae-Wusu last spring, although Addae-Wusu was part of an exodus of players following a coaching change.
“Everyone might not be happy with it, but I just hope they understand sometimes you have to make the best decision to go places you want to go in life,” Richmond said. “If they were in my shoes, they would probably have a better understanding of that. I’m pretty sure everyone is going to be in an uproar and there’s going to be a lot of backlash from many different places.”
It will be fascinating to see how Richmond and Smith, who is ranked 15th by EvanMiya.com, co-exist.
The two lead guards are used to playing with the ball in their hands and it will take adjustments from each player.
Pitino has often had two ball-dominant guards throughout his career, most notably at Louisville when Russ Smith and Peyton Siva starred together.
Richmond and Smith talked on Monday after the Utah transfer’s announcement, and both expressed an interest in teaming up.
“Just being able to play off each other, he’s a good player as well,” Richmond said. “He makes the right plays about winning, and mainly that’s what it’s all about in these next coming months.”
Richmond comes to St. John’s after a brilliant season for its rival a year ago, averaging career-bests of 15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.2 steals and 44.1 percent shooting from the field.
He led the Pirates to a fourth-place finish in the Big East after they were predicted by the league’s coaches to come in ninth. Following an NCAA Tournament snub, they won the NIT crown.
The one hole in Richmond’s game is the 3-point shot. He’s never averaged more than 1.8 attempts and shot only 27 percent this past season. He’s at his best penetrating, either off the dribble or in post-up opportunities.
Best known throughout his career for his player development, Pitino will work with Richmond on that weakness in his game.
“He told me to do some research on the players he had that struggled shooting and take a look at jumps they made after being with him,” Richmond said. “They showed improvements in all areas. That really stood out to me as well.”