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  • Rick Pitino Welcomes Utah Utes Transfer Deivon Smith To St. John's Basketball

Rick Pitino Welcomes Utah Utes Transfer Deivon Smith To St. John's Basketball

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Basketball

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Rick Pitino has announced the addition of Utah transfer Deivon Smith.

A fifth-year senior from Decatur, Ga., Smith will join the Red Storm men's basketball program for the 2024-25 season after averaging 13.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists for the Utes last year.

"Super excited to have Deivon Smith joining the Johnnies," said Pitino. "He reminds me of Terry Rozier. Total dog who rebounds, creates, and scores."

Smith shined during his lone season at Utah in 2023-24. The 6-foot guard recorded five triple-doubles, which were the second-most in a single season in NCAA history and the most by any player in the Pac-12. Smith recorded two of his triple-doubles during Utah's run to the semifinals in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), becoming the first player in the last two decades to register multiple triple-doubles in the same postseason competition.

A former four-star recruit, Smith finished the 2023-24 campaign ranked sixth in the nation averaging 7.1 assists per game. He recorded double-digit assists in 10 games last season. Smith also ranked 32nd in NCAA Division I with a 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio and 33rd with 13 double-doubles. In addition, Smith averaged 13.3 points shooting a career-best 46.7 percent from the field to go with 6.3 rebounds in 28 appearances. He scored double figures 20 times last season with three 20-point performances, including a career-high 28 points against NIT runner-up Indiana State on April 2.

Prior to his tenure at Utah, Smith made 48 appearances in two seasons at Georgia Tech, averaging 6.8 points, 6.4 boards and 2.9 assists per game. He posted 13 double-digit scoring performances during his time with Yellow Jackets. Smith also made 33 appearances at Mississippi State as a freshman in 2020-21 where he helped the Bulldogs advance to the NIT championship game after scoring a season-best 17 points against Memphis.

Smith starred at Grayson High School prior to his collegiate career. A consensus top-70 recruit in the class of 2020, Smith averaged 17.6 points, 8.3 assists, 8.1 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game as a senior. He was named the 2020 Gwinnett Prep Sports Player of the Year for his outstanding contributions. Smith also led his AAU team, the Atlanta Celtics, to the 2019 Adidas Gauntlet U17 Championship.