By Jason Dimaio (@JasonDimaio1)
NEW YORK — It’s not every day that the nation’s second-leading scorer enters the transfer portal looking for a change.
Jordan Dingle did just that this past offseason after departing the University of Pennsylvania, and one can argue the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year might be getting a bit overshadowed by some of the other newcomers since his arrival at St. John’s.
The second Dingle’s name was mentioned in the portal, questions and rumors of a return home immediately started to fly for the Valley Stream native. However, the reality was that he could have gone anywhere he so chose, with an array of suitors lined up for his services. In the weeks that followed, it became more and more likely that a homecoming to Queens was well within the realm of possibility for one of the hottest commodities in the portal.
On May 12, it was official, as Dingle announced his commitment to play for Rick Pitino and the Red Storm, assuming he would forgo entering the NBA Draft, which eventually did happen. Dingle is going to be a vital piece in what is a revamped backcourt for St. John’s, playing alongside newcomers Daniss Jenkins, Nahiem Alleyne and Simeon Wilcher.
“I didn’t give many schools a fair shot since I was so focused on the draft,” Dingle admitted. “The only schools I really considered were St. John’s, Oklahoma State and Florida State. St. John’s was the only one I took a visit to.”
Most of the time a player of Dingle’s stature can figure he will slot right into a starting spot wherever he ends up, but that is not the case here. Pitino has made it a point to remind everyone that only two of the five starting positions are locked up, with Jenkins at point guard and Harvard transfer Chris Ledlum at power forward. This leaves Dingle in unchartered waters, as he is adjusting his game to a new position at shooting guard and figuring out how to expand his game without being as ball dominant as he was at Penn.
“Right now, we only have one guy that makes everyone better,” Pitino said. “Daniss is that guy. Jordan isn’t there yet. He’s getting there, but he’s not there yet.”
Dingle is welcoming the challenge of being around new faces and a completely new role on this team. In fact, the thought of coming off the bench does not seem to affect him.
“I think (Pitino) likes to play a lot of mind games with people and try to challenge them,” he quipped with a smirk. “I don’t think we need any motivation to be competitive with one another, but when it comes down to it, if my main concern was starting, I would have stayed at Penn.”
Although there is still a learning curve at the position for him right now, Dingle mentioned the added talent around him as a benefit for him and that being here has made him able to expand his game as opposed to focusing only on what he did previously at Penn. Pitino’s vaunted player development program was just one of the many things Dingle raved about on his transition at St. John’s.
“I can’t say there is any game I’m specifically looking forward to,” he admitted. “I’m really excited to be playing in front of my friends and family every night and building relationships with all my teammates.”
While Dingle hasn’t reached the level neither he nor Pitino want him to be at yet, it seems like this was a match tailor-made for a local kid aiming for the goal of ultimately playing professionally, with the perfect choice to help him get there and take St. John’s to heights it has not reached in decades.
“I am here because I want to experience winning at the highest level possible,” Dingle proclaimed. “However I can do that, I am more than happy to do it.”
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