Dylan Darling added another memorable moment to his first year at St. John’s: Throwing out the first pitch at a Mets game.
The hero of St. John’s memorable second-round NCAA Tournament win over Kansas, the southpaw point guard didn’t play little league growing up. He was a football and basketball player.
But he jumped at the opportunity anyway. Darling didn’t lob it in, like Zuby Ejiofor did a year ago when he threw out the first pitch before a Mets game. He wound up bouncing it to athletic director Ed Kull, who was a catcher at Stony Brook years ago.
He did throw it from the mound.
“I bounced it, I blew it,” Darling said with a smile. “It was cool. A lot of fun. I honestly don’t know what I was doing. I can’t believe I just bounced it.”
Darling was joined by his teammates at Citi Field as St. John’s was honored by the Mets for winning the Big East regular-season and postseason titles. Darling, an Idaho State transfer, was a major part of that. He earned the nickname “church bells” after a come-from-behind win at Xavier when he hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute. Coach Rick Pitino joked that day he had “balls the size of church bells.”
His biggest moment came in the NCAA Tournament, when he beat the buzzer to eliminate Kansas and send St. John’s to the Sweet 16.
The Johnnies ultimately fell short in their first trip to the second weekend of the tournament since 1999, losing by five points to Duke, the overall No. 1 seed.
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“It’s a sensitive topic. I just had to watch UConn play in the national championship game,” Darling said. “We were close, we came up a little short. It was heartbreaking, but we accomplished a lot this year. I don’t want to discredit any of that stuff, but I’m looking forward to the future.”
Darling has yet to make a decision on his future.
He has one year of eligibility remaining, and he wants to make the most of it. A return to St. John’s seems likely. During the season, Pitino talked about Darling being a captain next season.
“We’re working on it,” Darling said. “We just kind of flipped that switch on figuring everything out and sitting down with the coaches. At first, I took the time to decompress and do a whole lot of nothing. We’re figuring out what’s best for me and what’s best for the team.
“I love St. John’s, I love the coaching staff, I love all the people at St. John’s.”
Only one Johnnie with remaining eligibility, Sadiku Ibine Ayo, has decided to enter the transfer portal. Ayo is very close with Pitino, and the head coach believes it is in his best interest to explore his options in terms of playing time and NIL opportunities. Pitino is personally helping Ibine Ayo find a home for his final season.
