Idaho State guard and Big Sky Player of the Year Dylan Darling committed to St. John’s on Thursday, giving coach Rick Pitino another ball-handler and strong three point shooter in what is already regarded as the No. 1 transfer portal class in college basketball.
Darling is a Spokane native who went to Central Valley high school and began his college career at Washington State back in 2022-23. He appeared in 25 games and made four starts as a freshman – averaging 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game.
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He only made three appearances for the Cougars in the 2023-24 campaign before redshirting, and after the season the 6’2 guard hit the portal and landed at Idaho State, a move that immediately paid off both for Darling and the Bengals.
Darling started 28 games for Idaho State, playing over 34 minutes per game and averaging 19.8 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game while earning Big Sky Player of the Year honors.
Darling is a true three-level scorer, showcasing the ability to hit shots from beyond the arc (35.6% on 5.2 attempts per game) and a proclivity to get downhill and to the free throw line, where he shot 81% on a staggering 7.3 attempts per game – leading the conference in both free throws made and attempted.
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The redshirt sophomore will have two years of eligibility remaining, and now joins a backcourt in Queens that already includes newcomers Ian Jackson, Joson Sanon, and Oziyah Sellers – transfers coming in from North Carolina, Arizona State, and Stanford, respectively.
Gonzaga has yet to land its first transfer of the offseason, as of this writing, but did get welcome news that both Graham Ike and Braden Huff will return for the 2025-26 season.
The team is expected to utilize redshirts Braeden Smith and Jalen Warley in the backcourt, as well as returner Emmanuel Innocenti, injured sharpshooter Steele Venters, and incoming freshman Davis Fogle.
Related: Gonzaga Forward Jun Seok Yeo Announces Transfer Portal Decision
