Another Day, Another Signing For St. John's

 

Provided by St. John's.

St. John's announced on Wednesday that is has signed forward Dillon Mitchell, the third big addition to their roster in as many days and sixth this off-season.

The week began with St. John's signing guard Ian Jackson, a Bronx native who transferred from North Carolina, on Monday, followed by Tuesday's news that they signed Imram Suljanovic, an Austrian native currently playing in Italy. The additions in the past month, since St. John's was ousted in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, started with five-star prospect Joson Sanon from Arizona, then Bryce Hopkins, a 2022-23 All-Big East First Team Selection, from Providence; Oziyah Sellers, a guard from Stanford, and on Monday, Ian Jackson, a guard who's a Bronx native who transferred from North Carolina.

Dillon Mitchell is a 6-foot-8 forward who played two seasons for Texas before spending one season with Cincinnati. He has started 106 out of a possible 107 games in his college career. 

Last season with Cincinnati, Mitchell averaged 9.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. He hot 61.4 percent from the field, partly because he ranked tenth in the country with 66 dunks. He scored in double-digits 22 times, and he led his time, while ranking seventh in the Big Ten, with six double-doubles. 

St. John's Head Coach Rick Pitino said in a statement, "We are thrilled to have Dillon Mitchell join our basketball family. Pound for pound, inch for inch, (Dillon is) one of the hardest working and most productive players in the nation. He brings great experience and talent to our team."

Mitchell's time in Texas was quite impressive, starting with a freshman year in a 2022-23 season in which they went 29-9 and made the Elite Eight for the first time in 15 years. Mitchell started all 38 games that season, a Texas freshman record, and he led the team in field goal percentage, as he shot 63.6 percent, as he averaged 4.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per games.

As a sophomore, Mitchell stepped it up to 9.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, with the latter number second-best in the Big 12. He also had eight double-doubles, which ranked third in the Big 12, plus 17 double-digit scoring outings.