Apr. 17—After cementing his place in St. John's lore with a game-winner in the NCAA Tournament, Spokane product Dylan Darling is leaving the Big East school and heading back west.Darling has committed to Grand Canyon University, according to a report Friday from On3.The Central Valley High grad spent one season in New York with St. John's, averaging 6.9 points, 2.6 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game in 35 appearances with 15 starts.

The 6-foot-2 point guard helped the Red Storm win the Big East regular-season and conference-tournament titles.Darling earned recognition throughout the season from veteran coach Rick Pitino for his clutch plays in big moments — none bigger than his layup at the buzzer to beat Kansas in a second-round NCAA Tournament game and send St. John's to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999.The bucket made Darling a St. John's hero.

He even threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a New York Mets game.But Darling opted to enter the transfer portal earlier this week and find a new home for his final season of eligibility. According to the New York Post, he had NIL offers topping seven figures, though it's unclear what GCU offered him. But joining the Phoenix school gives Darling a chance to be a team's primary ball-handler and a star player in the Mountain West Conference.After earning Class 4A Player of the Year honors as a senior at CV, Darling spent two years at Washington State, appearing in 25 games as a freshman before taking a medical redshirt in 2023-24 after suffering a season-ending injury in practice.

He then transferred to Idaho State, where he captured the Big Sky MVP award after averaging 19.8 points and 5.7 assists per game. That season made Darling a power-conference prospect, and he landed with St. John's last April.