A breathtaking sound filled the Carnesecca Arena.
Cadary Richmond, St. John's valuable offseason addition who had yet to make a real impact as Johnny, had just airballed toward the free-throw line.
It was a shocking moment for such an accomplished player. But he wasn't fazed by that and stole the ball on his next possession and scored with a mid-range jumper.
“After the free-throw line situation, I started telling myself that whether I made the shot or missed it, I was a good player,” the senior guard from Brooklyn reflected on Thursday. “Just keep playing and stay aggressive.”
It was the low point of an encouraging performance.
At 6-foot-6, Richmond resembled the player who led Seton Hall to a surprising fourth place in the league a year ago.
He tied St. John's career-high with 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds in St. John's (9-2, 1-0) impressive 28-point win over DePaul in Tuesday's Big East opener. , added 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 28 minutes.
His season so far this year hasn't gone as well as many expected. St. John's changed shots and the process was slow.
Richmond admitted he sometimes overthinks jumpers and free throw attempts.
The Johnnys' best players are returnees Zuby Ejiofor and RJ Lewis. The most impactful transfer was Davon Smith.
Richmond is averaging 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists, all of which are lower than last winter.
He's still adjusting to his new surroundings, shot mechanics and the up-tempo style St. John's employs.
He stopped short of saying Tuesday was a turning point in the season. But it was fundamental.
“I think this is a step in the right direction,” Richmond said. “I wouldn't call it a breakthrough or anything like that. … My teammates were getting the ball to me and I was putting the ball in the right places. We were making shots and continuing to attack in the first half. But the shots started falling.”
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It was no coincidence that St. John's' best performance of the season came on the same night as Richmond's strong performance.
The Johnnys need him to be that player as the Big East season begins. On Friday night, they will visit their rival Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence for their first true road game of the year. This arena is the one where St. John's last won in front of fans in 2017.
He has more Big East experience than anyone else on the roster and knows what the Johnnys need to have a big season.
“I think we have a chance, but we can't get too comfortable in this conference,” he said. “When a team gets hot and runs, anything can happen. It's going to be a dogfight every night. You can't really take it easy in this conference.”
It feels like coach Rick Pitino's team is starting to hit its stride. Since the disappointing 1-2 loss to the Bahamas, they have won four straight by an average margin of 20 points over Harvard, Kansas State, Bryant and DePaul.
There have been some positives lately, from Smith finding his game to the consistency of Ejiofor and Lewis to Simeon Wilcher scoring in double figures in all four games.
If Richmond builds on Tuesday's efforts, it would be a significant development.
“We're just trying to maintain the same intensity we had against DePaul to increase our chances of winning on the road. It's tough to win on the road in this conference,” Richmond said. “Just bringing the defensive intensity that we had will help us.”
Providence star forward Bryce Hopkins (left knee) will be called on during the game. He has played in three of the Friars' 12 games since returning from a torn ACL. He missed last Saturday's loss to San Bonaventure.
