‘He Called It’: Pitino Credits Dylan Darling for Bold Game-Winning Play
SAN DIEGO – Rick Pitino has spent nearly five decades on a basketball sideline, but even the Hall of Famer admitted he was stunned by the “audacity” shown in the closing seconds of St. John’s 67-65 upset over Kansas. With the game tied and 3.9 seconds on the clock, Pitino intended to draw up a set for his leading scorers. Instead, junior guard Dylan Darling took over the huddle.
“Bells [Darling] comes up to me and says, ‘Run Power,'” Pitino told a crowded press room, referring to a high back-screen pick-and-roll. “I walked away and thought, ‘Wait a second. This kid hasn’t made a single bucket all night, and he wants to call his own number?'”
Darling, who had been 0-for-4 from the field and was mired in a multi-game shooting slump, didn’t blink. He took the inbound at midcourt, utilized four precise dribbles to weave through the Jayhawks’ defense, and banked in a contested runner as the buzzer sounded. It was his only field goal of the game, and arguably the most important shot for the program in twenty-five years.
The win sends St. John’s to its first Sweet 16 since 1999. While star transfers Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins carried the scoring load with 18 points each, it was Darling’s confidence that stole the headlines. “I probably didn’t deserve that shot based on how I played,” Darling laughed post-game, “but my teammates had my back. I just wanted to keep the season alive.”
