A press release victory by St. John’s over UConn didn’t come with out concern.
“Kadary Richmond is more injured than any player I’ve coached right now, and he fights through it,” Pitino mentioned. “He’s got double groin pulls. He’s got problems all over his anatomy, and he played the game and played hard.”
Richmond tied for the sport excessive with 18 factors on 6-of-13 taking pictures and added three rebounds and 4 assists.
He additionally frolicked defending UConn freshman Liam McNeeley, an anticipated lottery choose who managed solely 14 factors on 2-of-13 taking pictures.
However Richmond’s 25 minutes have been the fewest among the many St. John’s starters, and afterward, he missed the postgame press convention to obtain medical consideration.
“Every part of his body’s hurting right now,” Pitino mentioned. “Ninety-nine percent of the players would not have played right now, and I don’t say that just to geek him up.”
Richmond, a 6-6 guard from Brooklyn, is in his first season at St. John’s after transferring from Seton Corridor. The fifth-year senior is averaging 12.9 factors, 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists per sport.
After UConn lower the St. John’s result in single digits within the second half of Sunday’s sport, Richmond responded by making jumpers on back-to-back possessions.
“He’s a big-time player,” Pitino mentioned. “Rebounds, steals, points. He always makes big plays.”
Pitino mentioned he didn’t know whether or not Richmond would play Wednesday at Butler, however he additionally didn’t rule out sitting the senior sooner or later in an effort to get him more healthy for the stretch run.
“I’m being very, very straight honest, 100%,” Pitino mentioned. “He should not have played tonight, and we’ve got some problems, because he’s hurting big time.”
Richmond isn’t the one St. John’s participant to get banged up.
Senior level guard Deivon Smith missed three video games final month and one other on Feb. 12 with a nagging neck/shoulder concern.
Main scorer RJ Luis Jr. sat out of final Wednesday’s win at DePaul with a groin damage. The junior guard scored 14 factors on 4-of-18 taking pictures in his return Sunday — an uneven efficiency Pitino attributed to him lacking 4 days of follow.
With Sunday’s win, Tenth-ranked St. John’s improved to 24-4 and to a conference-leading 15-2 in Massive East play.
Now in its second season beneath Pitino, St. John’s is closing in on its first NCAA Event berth since 2019 and its first outright Massive East regular-season title since 1985.
