Saturday's game between St. John's and Kansas State at Carnesecca Arena will be even more interesting as it will be the team's first game since the death of Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca.
Coach Zubby Ejiofor said the team will dedicate Saturday's game to Carnesecca, and the seats in the arena named after Carnesecca will remain empty in his honor.
The game was already significant enough for St. John's, which is 2-2 after winning its first four games of the season.
On Saturday, head coach Rick Pitino said he didn't adequately bench a guard against Georgia in the Bahamas, and Davon, who was suspended for the last game in the game against Harvard. Smith's possible return could give momentum to those numbers.
Pitino said at the time that he was leaving it up to the team to decide what to do with Smith, and on a Zoom call Friday, team captain Ejiofor said he and his teammates were satisfied with how the 6-foot-1 Smith recovered from the penalty. He said he is doing so. Disciplined.
“He's been practicing hard the last couple of days and bringing a lot of energy and positivity to the program,” Ejiofor said. “We're back to normal. I'm not saying everything will be back to normal, but that's the way it is.”
Asked for details, Ejiofor said it would be Pitino's decision whether Smith ultimately returns to the lineup.
Smith led the team with 5.3 assists per game and averaged 9.4 points per game in his first year at St. John's after transferring from Utah State.
“We're all looking forward to him getting back in shape and playing basketball and doing what he loves.” “We all support him and know he's a really great addition to this team.”
Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 11:15 a.m. before the 11:30 tipoff as Carnesecca is honored.
