Deivon Smiths leap of faith to fourth school pays off with St. Johns March Madness berth

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Deivon Smith traversed the country to get to Providence.Smith is headed north with the rest of No.2 seed St.

John’s for a first-round game in the NCAA Tournament, and that three-hour bus ride from Queens should feel like nothing for a supersub who transferred three times in search of the opportunity that lies ahead Thursday against No.15 Omaha.“It’s kind of a dream-come-true moment, especially with these guys,” Smith said on Selection Sunday during the team’s on-campus watch party.

“I’m just soaking it all in.”Smith took some friendly ribbing from teammates about his journey from Mississippi State to Georgia Tech to Utah to St.John’s over a five-year career.“It’s a great opportunity,” Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis Jr.

said.“I’m glad Deivon got in on his fourth school.

So happy we could help him out.”A few hours before the bracket was revealed — with St.John’s knowing that it already had secured an automatic bid — Smith published to social media photos of himself holding the Big East Tournament championship trophy, cutting down the net and sitting with his teammates as confetti rained down at Madison Square Garden.

He captioned the post, “Best Decision I’ve Ever Made!!”Why is that the case?“Going through the process, finding a home to win in,” Smith said.“I’m happy I took a leap of faith and came on a [recruiting] visit with these guys.

I didn’t even visit another school or talk to anybody else.I have family here, so it all just came together.”Smith was an early-season starter before suffering a badly bruised right shoulder on Jan.

11.He was just hitting stride again with four straight double-figure games before experiencing a setback on March 1 that nearly cost him the rest of the season.CHECK OUT THE LATEST BIG EAST STANDINGS AND ST.

JOHN’S STATSBut Smith...