Kadary Richmond transfers from Seton Hall to St. John’s

Former Seton Hall guard Kadary Richmond, the No. 1 participant within the switch portal, has dedicated to St. John’s and coach Rick Pitino, he advised ESPN on Tuesday.

“They were big on life after basketball and player development,” Richmond mentioned. “That stood out to me, the way they kept it real from day one. They are going to allow me to showcase my ability and become a better basketball player and person. I’d like to make a long run deep into the NCAA tournament and eventually win a national championship. I’m ready to get to work and see what Coach Pitino has in store.”

Richmond visited Oklahoma over the weekend and mentioned he additionally thought-about Syracuse, Miami and USC, however an opportunity for the Brooklyn native to keep shut to dwelling and play for Pitino was an excessive amount of to go up.

“Seeing what [Knicks star] Jalen Brunson is doing for New York City right now, winning in New York is a big thing,” Richmond mentioned. “I want to be a part of that.”

A 6-foot-6 level guard, Richmond instantly moved to No. 1 in ESPN’s transfer rankings upon his entrance into the portal in late April. He earned first-team All-Big East honors after averaging 15.7 factors, 7.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists and main Seton Hall to an NIT championship. He had 20-plus factors 9 occasions in Big East play, together with a triple-double in opposition to Creighton, when he completed with 21 factors, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. In three video games in opposition to Pitino and St. John’s this previous season, Richmond averaged 14.3 factors, 8.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

Richmond was terrific within the postseason, posting 21 factors, 13 rebounds and 5 assists within the NIT title sport in opposition to Indiana State. He averaged 13.8 factors, 9.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists in 5 NIT video games.

After spending one season at Syracuse in 2020-21, Richmond transferred to Seton Hall. He began 85 video games over three years, however his true breakout marketing campaign didn’t come till this previous season. Richmond confirmed flashes of this stage of manufacturing down the stretch of his 2022-23 season with the Pirates, averaging 12.6 factors, 5.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists in his closing eight wholesome video games earlier than struggling a again harm.

“I’ll always appreciate the coaching staff at Seton Hall for giving me the freedom to put myself in this position,” Richmond mentioned. “I wish them the best.”

Richmond is St. John’s second crucial portal addition in as many days, after Utah switch Deivon Smith committed on Monday. Smith, a 6-foot level guard, averaged 13.3 factors, 6.3 rebounds and seven.1 assists this previous season, rating sixth nationally within the latter class. He additionally shot almost 41% from 3-point vary.

A backcourt of Richmond and Smith must be among the many finest within the nation, combining two elite playmakers who can rating in contrasting methods. It might be Pitino’s finest guard duo since Peyton Siva and Russ Smith led Louisville to the nationwide championship in 2013.

“I like the additions we’ve put together,” Richmond mentioned. “Deivon Smith is also all about winning and making winning plays. RJ Luis is someone I’ve played against, he’s a competitor. Same with Vincent Iwuchukwu. The pieces are aligning. I like the vision that was put together.”

Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft professional and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a personal scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and worldwide groups.