Central Valley High alum hits game-winning shot for St. John's

Dylan Darling's buzzer-beater sends St. John's to Sweet 16 matchup with Duke

Mar. 26, 2026 at 10:04pm

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Dylan Darling, a Spokane Valley native who played high school basketball at Central Valley High School, hit a game-winning buzzer-beater against Kansas to send his St. John's team to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, where they will face the number one overall seed Duke.

Why it matters

Although no teams from Washington state remain in the NCAA tournament, Darling's heroics have put a player from the Spokane Valley region on the national stage, showcasing the talent that can come out of the area.

The details

Darling's college career started at Idaho State before transferring to Washington State and then joining the St. John's team led by Hall of Fame head coach Rick Pitino. In the final seconds of the game against Kansas, Pitino was initially hesitant to have Darling take the final shot since he hadn't scored previously, but Darling proved him wrong by draining the game-winning buzzer-beater.

  • Darling hit the game-winning shot as time expired in the game against Kansas on March 26, 2026.
  • St. John's will face Duke in the Sweet 16 on Friday, March 28, 2026 at 4:10 p.m.

The players

Dylan Darling

A Spokane Valley native who played high school basketball at Central Valley High School before joining the St. John's basketball team, where he hit the game-winning shot against Kansas to send his team to the Sweet 16.

Rick Pitino

The Hall of Fame head coach of the St. John's basketball team, who was initially hesitant to have Darling take the final shot but was proven wrong when Darling hit the game-winner.

TJ Milless

The head coach at Central Valley High School, where Darling played, who described the scene at his home when Darling hit the game-winning shot.

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What they’re saying

“And we start, oh my god! Like kids are out in the yard and come running in. What's going on? What's going on? Something happen with Dylan? And I was like yeah, he literally just hit the game-winning shot! Unbelievable at the buzzer!”

— TJ Milless, Head Coach, Central Valley High School

“When he was here, I was just a low on the totem pole assistant. I want to be abundantly clear I taught him nothing he can do.”

— TJ Milless, Head Coach, Central Valley High School

“Yelling at me. Yelling at me per usual.”

— Dylan Darling

“Wait a second, he hasn't scored a bucket and he wants to run a play for himself?”

— Rick Pitino, Head Coach, St. John's

What’s next

St. John's will face the number one overall seed Duke in the Sweet 16 on Friday, March 28, 2026 at 4:10 p.m.

The takeaway

Darling's game-winning shot has put a player from the Spokane Valley region on the national stage, showcasing the talent that can come out of the area and proving that players from smaller programs can make a big impact on the biggest stage.