Daniss Jenkins follows Rick Pitino to St. John's as transfer

NEW YORK — Guard Daniss Jenkins is following coach Rick Pitino from Iona to St. John's and joining the Red Storm as a graduate transfer.

St. John's announced the signing of the Dallas native on Friday. It's the first since Pitino was hired last month by the Big East school to rebuild a once-proud program.

«Daniss Jenkins is a lightning quick guard who is a tremendous leader on and off the court,» Pitino said in a statement. «He is someone we will rely on heavily to lead us into next season.»

Jenkins was the only Iona player to start all 35 games last season, helping the Gaels win the MAAC regular-season and tournament titles and make the NCAA tournament. Iona was beaten in the first round by eventual national champion UConn.

The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 15.6 points and 4.9 assists per game. His assist rate led the MAAC and ranked in the top 50 in Division I.

This will be the fourth college for Jenkins. He played his first two seasons at the University of the Pacific, the 2021-22 campaign at Odessa College and last season at Iona.