A gasp swept over Carnesecca Arena.
Kadary Richmond, the prized St. John’s offseason addition who had yet to make a true impact as a Johnnie, had just shot an airball at the free-throw line.
It was a jarring moment for such an accomplished player. But instead of letting it shake him, on the following possession he took the ball and scored on a mid-range jumper.
“After the free-throw line situation, I started to tell myself that I’m a good player, no matter about making or missing shots,” the senior guard from Brooklyn recalled Thursday. “Just keep playing and keep being aggressive.”
It was the low point of an encouraging performance.
The 6-foot-6 Richmond looked more like the player who led Seton Hall to a surprising fourth-place finish in the league a year ago.
In St. John’s (9-2, 1-0) impressive 28-point rout of DePaul in Tuesday’s Big East opener, he equaled a St. John’s career high with 18 points and added seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
He was assertive, aggressive, made quick decisions and lived in the paint.
The Johnnies outscored DePaul by a whopping 32 points in his 28 minutes.
His season so far this year hasn’t gone as many expected it would. St. John’s has changed his shot and the process has been slow.
Richmond admitted that at times he’s thinking too much on jumpers and free-throw attempts.
The Johnnies’ best players have been returnees Zuby Ejiofor and RJ Luis. Deivon Smith has been the most impactful transfer.
Richmond is averaging 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists, all down from what he did last winter.
He’s still adjusting to his new surroundings, his shot mechanics and the up-tempo style St. John’s employs.
He wouldn’t go as far as to say Tuesday was a turning point in his season. It, however, was something to build on.
“I’d say it’s a step in the right direction,” Richmond said. “I wouldn’t call it a breakthrough or anything like that. … My teammates were getting me the ball and I was getting the ball in the right spots. I was making shots and continuing my aggression from the first half, and shots just started falling.”
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It was no coincidence that St. John’s best performance of the season came on the same night that Richmond played so well.
The Johnnies need him to be that player, as the Big East season gets going. Friday night will mark their first true road game of the year when they visit Providence at hostile Amica Mutual Pavilion, an arena St. John’s last won at in front of fans in 2017.
He has the most experience in the Big East of anyone on the roster and knows what it will take for the Johnnies to have a big season.
“I like our chances, but in this conference you can’t get too comfortable,” he said. “Teams get hot and go on a run and anything can happen. Every night is going to be a dogfight. You can’t get too comfortable in this conference.”
Coach Rick Pitino’s team feels like it is beginning to hit its stride. Since the disappointing 1-2 trip to The Bahamas, it has won four straight games, manhandling Harvard, Kansas State, Bryant and DePaul by an average of 20 points.
There have been several positives of late, from Smith finding his game to the consistency of Ejiofor and Luis to Simeon Wilcher scoring in double figures in all four games.
Richmond building off Tuesday’s effort would be a significant development.
“We’re just trying to keep up the same intensity we had against DePaul to help our chances of winning on the road. It’s tough to win on the road in this conference,” Richmond said. “Just bringing that defensive intensity we had will help us.”
Providence star forward Bryce Hopkins (left knee) will be a game-time decision. Coming off a torn ACL, he has appeared in three of the Friars’ 12 games. He missed their loss to St. Bonaventure last Saturday.
