St. John’s Basketball: Why Kadary Richmond is the most important team transfer for 2024-25

Basketball at St. John’s truly changed a lot when Rick Pitino was hired to lead the program last offseason. His first season at the helm wasn’t super special, though 20 wins and a tie for 5th in the Big East is certainly not a disappointment. A patchwork lineup excelled at times in one of the nation’s deepest conferences and there’s certainly potential for the Red Storm to build on that this upcoming year.

One thing that’s for certain is that the lineup will be really different in year two under Pitino. St. John’s got excellent play from three seniors that are all gone, namely Jordan Dingle, Daniss Jenkins, and Joel Soriano. Other starters Chris Ledlum and Glenn Taylor won’t be back either, though RJ Luis and his 10.9 points a game represent the biggest return for the Red Storm.

St. John’s and their staff certainly didn’t sit on their hands, getting very active in the Transfer Portal. The Red Storm got a boost in the frontcourt with the additions of Vincent Iwuchukwu, formerly of USC, as well as North Texas small forward Aaron Scott. Another major impact presence will be Devion Smith, the former Utah point guard who had several triple-doubles this season.

However, it’s Kadary Richmond who really floats to the top of this heap of prospects. After a mediocre freshman season at Syracuse, Richmond spent the last three years in the Big East at Seton Hall, developing into one of the best point guards in the league. He’s coming off a senior season where he averaged 15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game while earning First Team All-Big East honors.

There’s a lot to love about Richmond’s game, and the Red Storm have seen it up close in recent years. He’s great on defense, fresh off a year where he led the Big East in steals. He has a total impact on offense as well, with solid interior production, improved free throw shooting, and a great eye for spreading the ball around. Any team was going to be ecstatic with bringing him to town and the Red Storm are no different.

Things won’t quite be the same as last season, but Richmond and this new-look backcourt will be profound for this upcoming season. This veteran talent combines nicely with some of the younger prospects on this St. John’s squad. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Red Storm take a measured step forward, especially with the combined efforts of the other transfers we touched upon.

When Richmond is on the court, St. John’s is a better basketball program and he’ll make everyone around him a little better too. Things won’t be perfect and there’ll be a transition, even though he’s not changing leagues, but we’ll have to see just what kind of numbers he puts up in Pitino’s system. Can the Red Storm get back to the Big Dance? Will more All-Big East honors await Richmond by season’s end?