Central Valley grad Dylan Darling hits clutch 3 for St. John’s, helps coach Pitino pick up 900th win

Central Valley High School graduate Dylan Darling hit a clutch 3-pointer for St. John’s, helping coach Rick Pitino secure his 900th career victory.

Darling, a junior who started his career at Washington State, knocked down three 3s in the final 8:39, including a go-ahead triple with 53 seconds left, to lift the visiting Red Storm to an 88-83 over Xavier on Saturday in Cincinnati.

Darling finished with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists off the bench. His late 3 gave St. John’s (15-5, 8-1 Big East) an 84-82 lead, and the team held off the Musketeers (11-9, 3-6) from there.

Darling, a 6-foot-1 guard, is averaging 5.7 points, 2.2 assists and 2.1 rebounds this season, his first with St. John’s after spending last year with Idaho State. He has started six games this season.

Pitino became the fourth Division I coach to reach 900 wins. He hit the milestone against his son, Xavier coach Richard Pitino.

After earning Class 4A Player of the Year honors at CV in 2021-22, Darling spent two seasons with the Cougars, appearing in 28 games with four starts for WSU – from where both of his parents graduated.

Darling transferred to Idaho State and shined during his one year with the Bengals, winning Big Sky Conference Player of the Year after averaging 19.8 points, 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Now, he’s a key player on an NCAA Tournament contender from one of the nation’s top conferences.