St. John's HC Rick Pitino "excited" as team lands Big Sky MVP through transfer portal

Former Idaho State point guard Dylan Darling has committed his future to Rick Pitino's St. John's after entering the transfer portal. The 6-foot-1 guard had a fantastic season with the Bengals and will be a crucial addition to St. John's.

St. John's legendary head coach Rick Pitino was ecstatic with the signing. He expressed his joy via a X (formerly Twitter) post on Saturday highlighting Darling's phenomenal season for the Idaho State Bengals.

"Loved Dylan Darling's workout at SJU. Hard worker and talented point guard. Love his PHD! Exactly what our culture is all about. Excited!" Rick Pitino wrote on X.

The St. John's Red Storm are planning for a big offseason with multiple incoming players after they lost to Arkansas and crashed out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

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Rick Pitino's Red Storm will hugely benefit from Dylan Darling's arrival

Dylan Darling, who was named the Most Valuable Player in the Big Sky Conference, will add great value to the Red Storm roster, especially with his superlative shooting. He averaged 19.8 points, 5.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 44.1% from the field and 35.6% from the three-point line.

NCAA Basketball: Oregon State at Washington State - Source: Imagn

The sophomore guard was a cut above the rest in the Big Sky Conference, and therefore, he was one of the most sought-after players in the conference. But Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino did enough to influence him to join St. John's.

Despite his heroics, the Idaho State Bengals finished fourth in the Big Sky Conference with an average 10-8 record. Next up in the Big Sky Tournament, the Bengals defeated Portland State in the quarterfinals before losing to Montana State in the semifinals.

Before making it big in Idaho State, he was with Washington State in 2022, but joined the Bengals with the hope of getting more gametime. It worked wonders for the sophomore guard as he was one of the best offensive players in college basketball last season.

St. John's did decently well last season, winning the conference and the tournament in the Big East after finishing with an 18-2 record. They defeated Creighton in the Big East tournament final but crashed out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament after losing to the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Dyland Darling's arrival will surely boost their offensive game and will help Rick Pitino's men make a deep postseason run.