Point guard Deivon Smith is transferring to St. John's from Utah, giving Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino a veteran replacement for Daniss Jenkins next season.
Smith, a fifth-year senior, ranked sixth in the country with 7.1 assists per game last season. He averaged 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds for the Utes, compiling five triple-doubles, the second-most during a single season in NCAA history and the most by any Pac-12 player.
In a press release from St. John's on Monday, Pitino said the 6-foot Smith reminds him of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, a standout player of Pitino's at Louisville.
“I'm very excited to have Deivon Smith join the Johnnies,” Pitino said. “Total dog that rebounds, creates and scores.”
Smith, from Decatur, Georgia, played his freshman season at Mississippi State and then spent two years at Georgia Tech. He shot a career-high 46.7% from the field in 28 games during his lone season at Utah.
Two of his triple-doubles came during Utah's run to the NIT semifinals, and he scored a career-high 28 points against tournament runner-up Indiana State on April 2.
Smith becomes the third notable transfer the Red Storm has landed this offseason, joining 7-foot-1 center Vincent Iwuchukwu from USC and 6-foot-7 forward Aaron Scott from North Texas. The two got engaged last month.
At point guard, St. John's also returns sophomore Simeon Wilcher, a touted recruit who began showing marked improvement late last season in his limited role as a freshman. Wilcher averaged 2.8 points and 9.1 minutes in 28 games as Jenkins' backup.
Jenkins followed Pitino from Iona to St. John's for his senior season and led the Red Storm to a 20-13 record, including 11-9 in conference play for its most Big East wins in 14 years. They reached the semifinals of the Big East tournament for the first time since 2000, losing 95-90 to eventual NCAA champion UConn.
Jenkins led the team in scoring (14.9 points per game), assists (5.4), steals (1.6) and minutes (30.7), earning him second-team All-Big East honors.
