St. John’s guards Kadary Richmond, Deivon Smith named to preseason Big East teams

The two transfer guards earned preseason recognition, with Richmond making the first team and Smith making the second team

The Red Storm’s two biggest offseason acquisitions earned preseason recognition on Wednesday morning.

Kadary Richmond and Deivon Smith were named to the preseason all-conference teams, the Big East announced ahead of media day on Wednesday morning. Richmond earned a First Team nod, while Smith received a Second Team honor.

Richmond is the only player on the preseason first team who was named on last season’s All-Big East First Team, earning the honor as a member of rival Seton Hall. The Brooklyn native averaged 15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists last season, paced the conference in steals with 77, and led the Pirates to their first NIT championship since 1953.

Deivon Smith will be playing on his fourth team in five seasons, hoping to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time before his college career ends. Last year at Utah, Smith averaged 13.3 points, a Pac-12-best 7.1 assists, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 28 games for the Utes.

Smith also made history by breaking the Pac-12’s single-season triple-double record set by Arizona legend Jason Kidd, recording five such performances in his only season playing in the conference.

Richmond and Smith transferred to St. John’s last spring, forming one of the best backcourts in the country alongside returning sophomore Simeon Wilcher. 247Sports ranked Richmond as the number one transfer and Smith as the 12th-best transfer in the 2024 class.

Richmond and Smith will make their official Red Storm debuts against the Fordham Rams on Monday, November 4, at Carnesecca Arena (6:30 p.m., FS1).