March Madness: St. John's is winning big, and Kadary Richmond doesn't need the credit

NEW YORK – In the summer of 2023, Jaden Bediako arrived at Seton Hall doubting himself and suspicious of New Yorkers.
Kadary Richmond changed his mind on both counts.
“Kadary can read people, like a great point guard does,” Bediako said. “He read me and knew I had some confidence issues – that this guy is coming from Santa Clara, didn’t have the senior year he wanted, and now he’s going to a bigger league. Sometimes he would send me a GIF or a meme and say, ‘You’re doing fine, you’re doing well, just be confident.’ Having him believe in me, that’s the greatest thing to have from your point guard.”
Bediako blossomed at center for the Pirates that season. Now back home in Toronto after a stint playing international basketball in Montenegro, he’s watching intently as Richmond leads St. John’s on a dream season that appears poised to continue deep into March – possibly spilling into April.
“I root for him,” Bediako said.
On and off the court, Richmond is one of college basketball’s most complex characters this March Madness. He presents as reticent and distant, a default disposition that shrouds a witty, thoughtful guy. His game can be mercurial but when he’s locked in, as he has been for the last two-and-a-half months, he impacts winning in more ways than maybe any player in college basketball. He left Seton Hall for a better-paying rival, but in a sport that has become dominated by free agency, he seems to feel kind of bad about it. NBA scouts only have moderate interest in him, but when given the chance, he’s taken it to guards and wings who are higher on the draft boards.
In Friday’s Big East Tournament semifinals, Richmond posted 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals and was omnipresent defensively as the Johnnies rolled past Marquette 79-63.
It was such a typical performance that it didn’t even gain him inclusion in the postgame press conference. St. John’s coach Rick Pitino brought two other players to the interview dais. In Saturday's final he compiled 12 points, 12 boards, four assists and two steals as the Johnnies won their first Big East Tournament title since 2000.
“I don’t think many people realize how much he impacts winning,” teammate Aaron Scott said afterward. “I don’t think he gets enough credit for what he does, but he’s a winner. He’s won a lot of games in his career.”
That winning started at Seton Hall, where head coach Shaheen Holloway pushed, pulled and prodded the best out of Richmond. It finally came together for him last season with a 25-win campaign and NIT title. As St. John’s enters the Big Dance with big goals, the Brooklyn native knows more about surviving and advancing than any of his teammates.
“It was the NIT, but it was still some big games,” he said. “I learned I have to be a calming presence.”
Much has been made this season of St. John’s spending $4 million to assemble its roster with the help of billionaire booster Mike Repole, and that obviously matters, but the sport is littered with big-spending underachievers this winter – Kansas State, Arkansas, Indiana, Villanova.
There has to be a buy-in of roles, and St. John’s has it in part because Richmond has prioritized winning over scoring. He didn't even make first-team All-Big East.
“It’s not about me,” he said. “I could go out there and try to score as many points as I want, but it’s about getting other guys going and letting them see the ball go through the rim.”
There’s one more telling thing about Richmond that the public doesn’t see.
“The managers loved him,” Bediako said. “Some guys before didn’t treat them well. That’s mind-boggling. They do a lot for us, and Kadary was never needy. He would relate to them.”
At Seton Hall, Richmond nicknamed them “The Goodfellas.” He befriended them.
“We’ve got great guys this year, too,” Richmond said. “They do big things behind the scenes for us. Being nice to those guys is a big thing because sometimes they feel underappreciated. They’re a part of our success…nobody notices what they do day-in and day-out.”
You get the sense he knows the feeling.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.