Kadary Richmond transfers to St. John’s: Rick Pitino bolsters backcourt with Seton Hall’s all-Big East star

USATSI

St. John’s landed a blockbuster addition to its 2024-25 backcourt Tuesday, when highly touted transfer Kadary Richmond announced his commitment to the Red Storm. Richmond, who is ranked the No. 5 player in the CBS Sports Transfer Rankings, led Seton Hall in points and assists last season while guiding the Pirates to an NIT title.

The 6-foot-5 guard will be an instant impact addition for St. John’s as he uses his final season of collegiate eligibility under coach Rick Pitino after three seasons playing for a Big East rival. Richmond earned all-Big East honors for the 2023-24 season while ranking as the conference’s No. 8 player in evanmiya.com’s performance ratings.

“This is all about him winning, having a chance to make a Final Four and wanting to play for Rick Pitino to be a pro, to playing in the NBA and being a first-round pick next year,” a source told CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander.

With former Georgia Tech and Utah guard Deivon Smith also committing to St. John’s on Monday, the Red Storm have bolstered their roster significantly this week. Both players enjoyed breakout seasons this past year and will combine to give Pitino a duo of seasoned veterans who will be eager to get a taste of the NCAA Tournament before their eligibility expires.

Richmond averaged 15.7 points, 7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.2 steals while proving to be one of the best two-way guards in college basketball for the Pirates last season. Though just a career 33.7% 3-point shooter, Richmond’s chops as a distributor and scorer inside the arc made him one of the top talents of the 2024 portal cycle. He began his career at Syracuse in the 2020-21 season.