The Johnnies acquire one of the best mid-major players in the country and a great insurance option in case the Ian Jackson point guard experiment fails
Rick Pitino is leaving nothing to chance next season. While the Hall of Fame head coach is entrusting starting point guard duties to star North Carolina transfer Ian Jackson, he is also bringing in a proven playmaker in case the former five-star recruit cannot handle the table-setting role. That playmaker also happens to be one of the best mid-major players in the country last season.
Idaho State transfer and reigning Big West Player of the Year Dylan Darling committed to St. John’s on Thursday night, according to multiple reports. Darling joins a star-studded transfer class that includes the aforementioned Ian Jackson from North Carolina, Bryce Hopkins from Providence, Joson Sanon from Arizona State, Oziyah Sellers from Stanford, and Dillon Mitchell from Cincinnati.
NEWS: Idaho State transfer point guard Dylan Darling has committed to St. John’s, he told @On3sports.
The 6-1 sophomore averaged 19.8 points and 5.7 assists per game this season. https://t.co/DjUIm49hih pic.twitter.com/xMQDVYAS02
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 25, 2025
A standout from Central Valley High School in Spokane, Washington, Darling played limited minutes in his freshman year at Washington State, then suffered a season-ending back injury and used a medical redshirt in his sophomore season. After two seasons on the Palouse, Darling transferred to Idaho State, where he broke out last season, averaging 19.8 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.7 steals, leading the Big Sky with a 35.3% assist percentage and only having a 12.6% turnover rate.
The 6-foot-1 guard shot 44.1% from the field, 35.6% from three, and 81.0% from the free throw line and was rated as the 24th most valuable offensive player in the country last season, according to Bart Torvik.
Darling had a couple of impressive performances against high-major competition last season. On November 7 versus USC, he posted 22 points and seven assists on 6-of-12 shooting. Against UCLA almost two weeks later, he registered 13 points and three assists in only 25 minutes of action.
He is also the son of former NFL linebacker James Darling, who spent ten seasons in the league, including two with the New York Jets.
St. John’s men’s basketball has eleven scholarship players for the 2025-26 season. No upcoming visits have been reported, but that does not mean Rick Pitino is finished digging through the transfer portal.