St. John’s guard Deivon Smith expects his nagging right shoulder injury to persist for the rest of the season.
There was uncertainty going into Thursday’s Big East Tournament quarterfinal about whether Smith would suit up. While he did play in the 78-57 win over Butler at Madison Square Garden, Smith seemed to be in discomfort.
“I don’t want to miss any more games,” Smith said afterward. “This is super special and I want to be part of it all.”
Since he suffered the injury on Jan. 11, Smith has sat out of five games, including Saturday’s regular-season finale at Marquette.
In mid-February, head coach Rick Pitino suggested Smith could miss the remainder of the regular season. But Smith played in each of the next five games, logging more than 30 minutes in four of them.
Smith said Thursday that there were discussions about whether he should rest for some of the Big East Tournament to get ready for the NCAA Tournament, but that he wanted to give it a go.
“I think he’s mentally very self-conscious, and it’s bothering him more mentally than it will bother physically,” Pitino said.
“[With] injuries, you’ve got to get over the hump mentally, and he has to get over the hump mentally. I’m sure it’s bothering him. He’s a tough kid. … He pays too much attention to it. He’s got to block it out of his mind, and it’s easier said than done.”
Smith played only 12 minutes in Thursday’s win, but that was largely the result of him drawing two fouls within 13 seconds of entering the game. That was the only time he saw in the first half.
The senior finished with three points, four rebounds and two assists.
“Everything feels pretty normal,” Smith said. “I’m just getting my wind back up. I felt good out there.”
The speedy Smith is an important part of the Red Storm’s press defense and transition offense, and he’s one of the team’s top on-ball defenders.
He suffered another hit in Thursday’s game, but he expects to play in Friday night’s semifinal game against Marquette, even with the quick turnaround.
“I should be fine,” Smith said. “Get some treatment tonight. Get some in the morning. [We] play at 6:30 [p.m.] so I have enough time. I’ll be more than fine.”
GREAT SCOTT
Aaron Scott delivered a well-rounded performance in Thursday’s win, finishing with 15 points, five steals and four rebounds in 22 minutes.
But there could have been more.
That’s because Scott picked up his second foul at the 13:42 mark of the first half, then subbed out for the remainder of the half.
“The first foul was really ridiculous,” Pitino said. “He had the guy locked up. He couldn’t dribble, and all [Scott] had to do was just stay square. He reached in and tried to slap at the ball. Had no shot. That was an absurd foul, and then he goes and gets two. He makes one or two of those per game and it makes no sense at all.”
Scott drew his fourth foul with 8:34 left in the game and again went to the bench, that time for more than three minutes.
It’s a persisting problem for Scott, who has drawn at least four fouls in four of his last six games.
The solution, Scott said, is to do a better job of showing his hands and to stop reaching.
“I feel like I impact winning,” Scott said. “I did feel good about the minutes I had on the court, but obviously I have to stay out there and stop getting stupid fouls.”
READY FOR REMATCH
Friday’s semifinal meeting with Marquette comes just six days after St. John’s eked out an 86-84 overtime win over the Golden Eagles in Milwaukee.
That game featured 16 ties and 17 lead changes.
“There are a lot of things we can take from that game that we want to do better,” Marquette head coach Shaka Smart said after Thursday’s 89-97 win over Xavier in the Big East Tournament quarterfinal.
“I thought that game actually helped us today to be better down the stretch, making free throws specifically. But St. John’s has got a heck of a team.”
St. John’s swept its regular-season series against Marquette.
“They’re a very athletic team, very physical team,” said Golden Eagles guard Kam Jones, who had 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists against St. John’s last weekend.
“They’ve got a lot of long, tall players, and they’re older, too. It’s pretty hard to deal with at this level, but it is what it is, and we’re gonna go after them for 40 minutes.”