Deivon Smith question mark for St. John’s Big East Tournament opener

Deivon Smith remains a question mark for playing for the Big East Tournament Operner Againd Vatler on Thursday.

The sixth-placed St. John's senior point guard practiced the final two days after missing out on Saturday's victory at No. 25th Marquette.

After suffering a wounded right shoulder against Villanova on January 11, Smith missed five games and is restricted in several other games.

“[Since] He returned from Villanova's match, he was never the same Davon. He was always worried about getting hit again,” coach Rick Pitino said Wednesday. “More than anything, he has to get over the mental aspect of being hit again, because if you're a point guard you'll hit, you have to get over the screen, you have to handle picks and rolls.

“If he gets through that mental side, he'll be fine and he'll be a great player in the first half of the season.”

Pitino said that one of St. John's top three-point shooters and the speedy Smith, the key to that transition game, actually looked “rust” this week.

He hadn't practiced at all last week. Smith wanted to make it available for postseason after being hit hard on the shoulder in a victory at Seton Hall on March 1st.

“I just don't want to miss a more game,” Smith posted Monday. “We're going to do something clever at the end of the day.”

Pitino made history by acquiring the coach of the year at each meeting.

Richard Pitino He was named Mountain West Coach of the Year after leading New Mexico to a regular season title.

Rick won in the Big East alongside St. John's.

Father/son tandem never won Coach of the Year honors in the same year.

“I'm happy, don't get me wrong [with my award]But I'm even more pleased that my son won and the players won the award. My son did one of the incredible jobs in the country with what he lost,” Rick said. “I really thought he was going to have a hard time – I never told him.