On Monday, as St. John’s prepared for practice, the entire team huddled together.
Kadary Richmond’s teammates wanted him to know how much they valued his contributions even if the Big East coaches declined to vote him onto the first team.
“He should’ve been on the first team, honestly,” Deivon Smith said after the top-seeded Johnnies’ 78-57 romp of No. 9 Butler in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals at the Garden on Thursday afternoon. “He’s a great guard, he almost had another triple-double today. We’re winning. I think three of the guys should’ve been on the first team.”
Zuby Ejiofor and RJ Luis were first team selections, while Richmond made the second team.
Asked about the slight, Richmond said: “Everybody said it doesn’t matter. We know who you are, we know what you do. It just felt good that everybody in this locker room appreciates me and appreciates what I do.”
Richmond was once again at his best Thursday.
He nearly compiled his second straight triple-double, notching 15 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
He produced St. John’s first triple-double since Ron Artest (now Metta Sandiford-Artest) on Jan. 9, 1999, in Saturday’s win at Marquette to close out the regular season.
“I’m happy to see my two guys [make it],” Richmond said. “They worked very hard, they’ve been consistent all year. I’m excited for them. I got second team, but we have bigger things to accomplish.”
St. John’s bench continued to show its newfound depth in the win.
It scored 20 points, six coming from Greek freshman Lefteris Liotopoulos.
The sharpshooting guard also had two rebounds and three assists in 15 minutes.
Rarely used much of the season, the international import has seen his playing time increase in recent weeks.
“It’s a blessing for me to be playing big minutes for one of the best teams in the country,” he said.
Liotopoulos singled out sophomore Simeon Wilcher for helping him acclimate to his new surroundings and not let his lack of minutes get to him.
“From the day I stepped in the U.S., he’s always lifted me up,” Liotopoulos said. “He tries to bring my confidence up. He shared experiences with me. He’s been really helpful about that.”
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