If there were any doubt before, there shouldn’t be any now.
Deivon Smith is one of St. John’s most impactful players.
It’s no coincidence that the Johnnies’ two worst performances of the season coincided with his benching.
The senior point guard was terrific Wednesday night, producing 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals off the bench in the Red Storm’s 99-77 rout of Bryant at Carnesecca Arena.
In his 17 minutes — Smith would’ve been out there more if not for foul trouble — St. John’s outscored the Bulldogs by 18 points.
“He gave us a big lift, because he picks up the pace, gets everybody going with easy shots,” coach Rick Pitino said.
The performance included a highlight-reel put-back dunk in which the 6-foot Smith skied over everyone in the paint for a one-handed slam.
“I lost my mind. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t just me that was going crazy,” junior forward Zuby Ejiofor said. “The whole crowd was into it, our whole bench was into it. It was just a fantastic play. I give him the best bounce on the team as of right now.”
Added Pitino: “I’ve seen a lot of great plays in my time. What he did on that follow-up is not to be believed. I don’t know any player I’ve ever coached that can get up that high. I was speechless when I saw that.”
Smith was benched in the second half of a loss to Georgia in the Bahamas, and suspended for the following game after he reacted poorly to Pitino’s decision. He returned for Saturday’s win at Kansas State, and sparked St. John’s after a slow start. He was even better on Wednesday.
“He’s coming off a [tough] situation. He could’ve hung his head, could’ve made excuses,” Pitino said. “He was a man, he stepped up like a man and that’s pretty commendable.”
Sophomore wing Brady Dunlap wore a mask after suffering an injury in practice to his face.
Former Johnnie Rafael Pinzon returned to his old school and scored nine points on 4-for-10 shooting in defeat while mostly being guarded by senior forward Aaron Scott.
The senior guard entered the contest averaging 19.6 points per game.
