St. John’s guard Dylan Darling to transfer to Grand Canyon weeks after March Madness heroics

The Dylan Darling era is over at St. John’s.

The fan-favorite point guard has committed to transfer to Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, according to the recruiting outlet On3, ending his tenure in Queens after only one season.

Darling averaged 6.9 points and 2.6 assists per game as a junior last season, starting 15 of his 35 appearances, including the Red Storm’s final 10 games.

Despite that modest production, Darling became known for his late-game heroics — none bigger than his buzzer-beating lay-up to defeat Kansas and send St. John’s to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999.

But Darling entered the transfer portal this week on the same day head coach Rick Pitino landed a commitment from coveted European point guard Quinn Ellis.

“We’re just figuring out what’s best for me, what’s best for that team,” Darling had said last week of St. John’s, before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Citi Field.

“It’s just hard when you have to replace so many dudes, and so many impactful dudes, even though we don’t really know what it looks like. But I love St. John’s. I love the coaching staff. I love all the people at St. John’s.”

Darling now joins a Grand Canyon roster on which playing time should not be a problem.

And the lefty-shooting Darling has a track record of producing at a mid-major school, having averaged 19.8 points and 5.7 assists per game at Idaho State in 2024-25 en route to Big Sky Player of the Year honors.

With Darling’s departure, St. John’s will have to replace all five players who finished this past season as starters. Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins, Dillon Mitchell and Oziyah Sellers are each out of NCAA eligibility.