Deivon Smith’s social-media submit stated all of it.
On Choice Sunday, a number of hours earlier than St. John’s landed a No. 2 seed and a first-round matchup with No. 15 Omaha within the NCAA Match, Smith shared a collection of photographs on X.
One confirmed Smith hoisting the trophy after his resurgent Purple Storm’s Massive East Match championship. One other confirmed him slicing down the web at Madison Sq. Backyard.
“Best Decision I’ve Ever Made!” Smith captioned the photographs.
The choice Smith referred to got here final spring, when he transferred to St. John’s for his closing season of NCAA eligibility.
A storybook season adopted, incomes St. John’s its first berth within the NCAA Match since 2019 — and the first-ever journey for Smith, a fifth-year senior now together with his fourth faculty.
“Going through the process, finding a home to win in … I’m happy I took a leap of faith,” Smith stated. “I came on a visit with these guys, gelled with them. I didn’t even visit another school or answer the call from anybody else.”
Smith, a speedy guard who helped gas the Johnnies’ transition offense and high-pressure protection, wasn’t the one St. John’s veteran making his NCAA Match debut Thursday evening towards Omaha at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Windfall, R.I.
Senior guard Aaron Scott spent his first three seasons at North Texas. All three years ended with journeys to the NIT, a match the Imply Inexperienced gained in 2023.
Scott, a do-it-all defender with a status for combating for 50/50 balls, additionally transferred to St. John’s final offseason for a closing run on the NCAA Match.
“I’m in the moment right now,” Scott stated, “so of course living it is better than dreaming it.”
Main scorer RJ Luis Jr., in the meantime, didn’t make it to the Massive Dance as a freshman with UMass in 2023 or as a sophomore with St. John’s final 12 months.
“It’s just crazy,” Luis stated, “and I’m just trying to soak it all in.”
Not like Smith or Scott, the junior Luis has NCAA eligibility remaining past this season. However after a breakout season by which he was named Massive East Participant of the Yr and the convention match’s Most Excellent Participant, Luis might enter this summer season’s NBA Draft.
“To go through a career and not be part of March Madness is really difficult for any athlete, especially at the major level,” head coach Rick Pitino stated.
“So for these guys to see Madison Square Garden packed … and then to experience that the entire year, to win the Big East, to win the Big East Tournament, sold-out Madison Square Garden louder than I’ve ever heard it, even as the Knicks coach, was an amazing feeling for them.”
These emotions are in contrast to something Smith skilled at his earlier stops at Mississippi State, Georgia Tech or Utah.
“When I hopped off the plane, I did an individual workout, and that was like what we were going to do every day. I just knew that, in order to take my game to the next level, I had to put the grind in,” Smith stated of his recruiting journey.
“If Coach P. could get out there and work us out each and every day, that shows how dedicated he is to the game and investing time in us as players. That was super special, and that was kind of all I needed to see.”
