Lou Carnesecca helped St. John’s land Simeon Wilcher

Give Lou Carnesecca an assist. 

Sophomore guard Simeon Wilcher, the highest-rated recruit to pick St. John’s since Rysheed Jordan in 2013, said a meeting with the legendary late coach helped convince him to be a Johnnie. 

Last spring, when Wilcher was visiting St. John’s, he met Carnesecca.

The Hall of Fame coach sat down with Wilcher and his family and spoke about his St. John’s experience. 

“That had a crazy impact,” Wilcher said after St. John’s topped Kansas State, 88-71, in its first game since Carnesecca’s passing last Saturday. 

Wilcher, a Plainfield, N.J. native who starred at local powerhouse Roselle Catholic, was adamant that Carnesecca played a role in his decision. 

“Just to try to be a part of something,” said Wilcher, who had 11 points and four rebounds in the win. “His legacy is going to live forever here, and to just be a part of that is something I wanted to do.” 

Wilcher’s father, Sergio, grew up a St. John’s fan, attending games when Carnesecca was still the coach.

His favorite player as a kid was Walter Berry and one of Wilcher’s older brothers is named after the late Malik Sealy.

It was a thrill for the entire family to meet Carnesecca. 

“He didn’t lose anything one bit. He was still the slickest guy I ever met,” Wilcher said. “He was talking to me about games in the ’50s and ’60s, when he started coaching, and he was telling me about players he recruited. It was crazy to have that moment with him and be there with him.

“It was an honor to be able to meet him before he passed away.” 

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Deivon Smith returned after he was suspended for the win over Harvard a week ago.

The senior guard made a difference, notching five points, nine rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes off the bench. 

Smith was benched in the second half of a loss to Georgia in The Bahamas and reacted poorly.

Coach Rick Pitino has said he wanted the team to decide when Smith would return to the court. 

“I told him, ‘Look, I’ve got the shortest memory in the world. Everybody makes mistakes,’” Pitino said. “‘It’s what you do after you make mistakes that counts.’ I said, ‘You’re a big part of this team, you’re going to help us win.’ You learn valuable lessons from making mistakes. I wanted the team to decide, not me, and I wanted them to talk to him because it’s their locker room.”