Rick Pitino pinpoints key area to help with Kadary Richmond

Rick Pitino recently sat down and watched three of Kadary Richmond’s best games at Seton Hall last year.

There was one thing that the St. John’s coach noticed between Richmond this year and last year.

“The only major difference I witnessed is the ball was in his hands more at Seton Hall, and I feel he’s put on about eight to 10 pounds that he needs to lose,” Pitino said Friday. “He’s not as quick as he was then. I talked to him last night about it, in studying you could see it. … He needs to be at 205 not 212, 214, and I think that’ll help him immensely not get as fatigued and it will help his quickness.”

Asked if that’s feasible to do during the season, Pitino joked: “Just lose a pound or two a week, like most of you guys should.”

St. John's Red Storm guard Kadary Richmond dribbling up the basketball court against Creighton Bluejays guard Steven Ashworth during a game. — Kadary Richmond attended Seton Hall from 2021-24. Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

The 6-foot-6 Richmond is averaging 10.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists, numbers that are down across the board for him from a year ago.

Obviously, this is a different style and he is playing with another ball-dominant guard in Deivon Smith.

Richmond is actually shooting the highest percentage of his college career from the field at 46.8 percent, but on only 9.9 shot attempts.

“In his defense, he’s playing with Deivon, who wants the ball,” Pitino said. “At Seton Hall, he had the ball 80 percent of the time.”

Most, if not all, of the Big East coaches this weekend will wear sweaters to honor late St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca, the conference’s director of communications, John Paquette, told The Post.

Carnesecca would have turned 100 on Sunday.

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They will also wear a Carnesecca pin.

In memory of St. Johnâs legend Lou Carnesecca, St. John's head basketball coach Rick Pitino wore a sweater when the St. John's Red Storm played the Kansas State Wildcats Saturday, December 7, 2024 at St. John's University in Queens, NY. — In memory of St. John’s legend Lou Carnesecca, Rick Pitino wore a sweater when the St. John’s Red Storm played the Kansas State Wildcats on Dec. 7, 2024. Robert Sabo for NY Post

“We thought about doing this around the time of the funeral, but didn’t think that was the right time,” Paquette said. “We thought this would be a good time to acknowledge all he’s meant to St. John’s and the Big East and New York college basketball. I think it will be kind of cool.”

Injured wing Brady Dunlap has returned to the team after spending the holidays at home in California.

He remains on track to return from left hand surgery in either late January or early February.