Dylan Darling reveals wish for St. John's future after March Madness buzzer-beater

Members of the St. John’s Red Storm experienced the ups and downs often associated with an NCAA Tournament. While Dylan Darling became a program icon for his heroic buzzer-beater lay-up in a second-round win over the Kansas Jayhawks, the Johnnies ultimately suffered an 80-75 loss to the No. 1 overall-seeded Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet 16. 

Nevertheless, Darling received a unique opportunity when he was asked to throw out the first pitch ahead of Wednesday's game between the
New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field. The guard who has one year of eligibility remaining also made it clear that he wants to continue playing for legendary head coach Rick Pitino. 

Has Dylan Darling played his last game for St. John's?

"We’re working on it," Darling said about returning to St. John's for one more season, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post. "We just kind of flipped that switch on figuring everything out and sitting down with the coaches. At first, I took the time to decompress and do a whole lot of nothing. We’re figuring out what’s best for me and what’s best for the team. I love St. John’s, I love the coaching staff, I love all the people at St. John’s." 

Darling picked up quite a unique nickname given to him by Pitino during the season before the southpaw delivered one of the most clutch moments in the history of the program. As noted by Denis P. Gorman of Newsday, Darling confirmed on Wednesday that he'd be fine coming off the bench again as part of Pitino's 2026-27 squad. 

"I want to end on a high note," Darling added about his St. John's career.

About that Dylan Darling first pitch

As for Darling's pitch, one could politely say it wasn't his top moment of the spring: