St. John's HC Rick Pitino drops big Deivon Smith update for Providence clash
Today at 07:15 PM
St. John’s basketball is back. The molten-hot team is cruising toward its first NCAA Tournament bid in five seasons and currently ranks among the top-15 squads in the country. Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino has revamped the program and reinvigorated the fan base’s passion in less than two full years at the helm. The Johnnies are rolling right now, and they are about to get a boost.
Pitino says senior Deivon Smith will suit up in Saturday afternoon’s home matchup versus the Providence Friars, per the New York Post’s Zach Braziller. The 6-foot guard will try to help St. John’s win its eighth consecutive contest.
He missed the team’s last two games with a shoulder sprain. The Mississippi State, Georgia Tech and Utah transfer suffered the injury after colliding with Villanova’s Wooga Poplar on Jan. 11. He exited but pushed to play against Seton Hall a few days later. Smith’s perseverance unfortunately resulted in him re-aggravating the issue.
Although the Red Storm survived Xavier and blew out Georgetown without him, they will need the former four-star recruit for an upcoming slate of games that features No. 9 Marquette and two-time defending champion UConn. Fans do not want to lose this invincible feeling.
Rick Pitino is leading Johnnies to heights people haven’t seen in a long time
Pitino first arrived in the Big East Conference in 1985, shortly after St. John’s last Final Four appearance. Now, the legendary coach is looking to transport the Red Storm community back to those glory days. Following an 18-3 run, which is highlighted by an undefeated January, it is safe to say that he is off to a nice start.
The only blemishes on a landmark St. John’s campaign include one-point losses to Baylor and Creighton and a 66-63 defeat to Georgia. RJ Luis, Zuby Ejiofor, Kadary Richmond and Deivon Smith all average double-figures and at least five rebounds per contest. Their experience and tenacity is a major reason why the Storm are tied with Marquette for first place in the Big East.
There is still a long way to go, but St. John’s basketball has a realistic shot at winning their first regular season conference crown since 1991-92 (won a share of the league title). Rick Pitino, who expressed outrage when the team was notably left out of the March Madness festivities last year, is coaching with a chip on his shoulder.
He welcomes Smith and his 10.3 points, 5.5 boards, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals back into the lineup on Saturday.
The post St. John’s HC Rick Pitino drops big Deivon Smith update for Providence clash appeared first on ClutchPoints.
