The timeline for Deivon Smith to return to the St. John’s basketball lineup is still unclear and the decision on when he comes back will be left up to its players.
Smith was dressed but did not play on Saturday evening in a 77-64 victory over Harvard after a confrontation with Rick Pitino in the Red Storm’s final game in the Bahamas against Georgia.
The Utah transfer did not play in the final 13:28 against the Bulldogs and was pulled back from the scorer’s table when trying to check back into the game in the final minutes. He and Pitino had words with each other as he sat back on the bench.
However, Smith was dressed and participated in warmups on Saturday but never got off the bench. He appeared to know that he wasn’t going to play, a punishment that was administered by the rest of the players, because he did not have his hair tied back as he usually does for games.
“The team will decide when he is going to play,” Pitino said when asked if Deivon Smith could play next week against Kansas State.
Smith did not participate in team practice this week, which was a part of his punishment, after returning from the Bahamas. He only did individual workouts and weight room training.
Pitino said that he will practice this week. Smith is averaging 9.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
“I’m a disciplinarian, I’m a believer in that lessons have to be learned now so you can be a great parent someday, so you can be a great leader someday, and I don’t think I’m the right guy to make decisions along those lines because the guys have changed today,” Pitino continued.
“What I’m trying to teach every single guy on this team is to become a St. John’s man and what we stand for. Selflessness, caring for each other, and that’s what I want from all of them, regardless of how they play.”