There will be added attention on St. John’s matchup against Kansas State on Saturday at Carnesecca Arena since it will be the team’s first game since the death of Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca.
Zuby Ejiofor said the team will dedicate Saturday’s game to Carnesecca, whose seat at the arena that bears his name will remain empty in his honor.
The game already had plenty of importance for St. John’s, which has gone 2-2 since winning its first four games of the season.
It may get a boost Saturday, with the possible return of Deivon Smith, who was suspended for the last game — a win over Harvard — after head coach Rick Pitino said the guard handled his benching against Georgia in the Bahamas poorly.
Pitino said at the time that he was leaving it to his team to determine Smith’s punishment, and during a Zoom call on Friday, team captain Ejiofor said he and his teammates were pleased with how the 6-foot-1 Smith has bounced back from being disciplined.
“Over the past two or three days, he’s been practicing and bringing a lot of energy and positivity to the program,” Ejiofor said. “It’s back to normal. I wouldn’t say everything is going to be exactly the way it was, but it’s looking like it.”
Asked to elaborate, Ejiofor noted it would be Pitino’s call to determine if Smith is ultimately back in the lineup.
Smith leads the team with 5.3 assists per game and is averaging 9.4 points per game in his first year at St. John’s following his transfer from Utah.
“We’re all looking forward to him getting back into a groove and just playing basketball and doing the things he loves to do,” Ejiofor said. “We all support him and know he’s a really good asset to this team.”
Fans are advised to be in their seats by 11:15 a.m. before the 11:30 tipoff since there will be tributes to Carnesecca.
