From the Big Sky to the Big Apple

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the court with the Big East Player of the Year and multiple five-star recruits, it was a small guard from Spokane, Wash., who averages under seven points per game and hadn’t scored all day, who took the final shot.

But to anybody following St. John’s closely over the course of the season, Dylan Darling’s ability to step up in a big moment isn’t anything new. So head coach Rick Pitino wasn’t surprised when he drove right past Elmarko Jackson and dropped in a game-winning buzzer-beater layup

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In fact, it may just have been the natural outcome that Pitino expected. Completing a crescendo of key plays made by Darling throughout the season. It gave the Red Storm a 67-65 win over Kansas to send the program to the nation’s capital for its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999.

After an 88-83 win over Xavier where Darling made the go-ahead basket in January, Pitino said that he had “balls as big as church bells.”

He took over the second half defensively and ripped off a game-sealing steal and score against Seton Hall later that month. When he hit a few big shots to close out UConn in early February, Pitino said that “they just keep growing and growing.”

And while the main story of St. John’s success this year may be one about playing big, with Zuby Ejiofor alongside Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell, it’s Darling who has come through time and time again.

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The “church bells” line took on a life of its own. Now, Pitino simply refers to Darling as “Bells,” as he did in the direct aftermath of the Kansas winner.

“We’re going to run a play, but they’ve got fouls to give,” Pitino said. “And Bells come up to me and says, run power. So, I walk away and I said, wait a second. He hasn’t scored a bucket, and he wants to run a play for himself? But he’s Bells. And not only did he do it, he went with his right hand.”

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Darling’s former coach wishes he had come up with that one himself.

“It’s…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/big-sky-big-apple-182900504.html

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Publish date : 2026-03-27 18:29:00

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