"He's like a fine wine": Rick Pitino "very lucky" to have Kadary Richmond on St. John's squad as team prepares to play UConn

As the St. John's Red Storm prepares to visit UConn on Friday, St. John's coach Rick Pitino said that he is "very lucky" to have Kadary Richmond on his team.

“I think (Seton Hall coach) Shaheen Holloway did a fabulous job preparing him, and I think that he has taken his conditioning level to an all-time high," following Red Storm's 70-64 win over the No. 11 Marquette Golden Eagles on Tuesday as reported by NJ.com.

"He can play a whole game without getting tired. ... He doesn’t take plays off. You’re seeing a well, well-oiled, conditioned basketball player who makes big plays. Great player, great player, excited to have him.”

“And I’ll tell you, in this day and age, you don’t get Kadary Richmond’s anymore. You don’t get that: talking about the team, deferring the praise to somebody else. Kadary has been a joy to coach. A humble, hard-working guy who’s getting better at his age. He’s like a fine wine."

Richmond began his college career at Syracuse in 2020-21 and then spent the last three seasons at Seton Hall, where he was an All-Big East first-team selection last season.

Richmond helps St. John maintain winning streak

Kadary Richmond's outstanding play has been a key factor in St. John's nine-game winning streak.

Powering the No. 12 Red Storm (20-3, 11-1 Big East) past Marquette 70-64, Richmond scored 18 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and provided eight assists in 37 minutes.

This season, he has consistently delivered strong numbers, averaging 12.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game and shooting 50.0%.

He will be looking to continue his groove when St. John's visits the No. 19 Connecticut Huskies (16-6, 8-3) on Friday.