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Former Four-Star Recruit Leaves Rick Pitino for SEC Powerhouse

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Rodney Knuppel | Last updated Apr 24, 2025 11:47 AM ET

One of the most active teams in the NCAA transfer portal this spring has been Rick Pitino and his St. John's Red Storm. However, not all the news surrounding Pitino and his staff has been positive.

Like most programs in college basketball, while they’ve secured strong additions, they’ve also had to cope with the departure of players from last season’s roster.

That was the case again on Thursday. Although the news wasn’t unexpected — this player entered the portal earlier this month — the reality of his transfer became official.

College basketball insider Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reported Thursday that Simeon Wilcher has committed to Texas.

Source: St. John's transfer Simeon Wilcher has committed to Texas.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 24, 2025

Wilcher arrived at St. John's as a four-star prospect out of Roselle Catholic in New Jersey. He originally committed to North Carolina in October 2021 but decommitted in June 2023. Later that month, he enrolled at St. John's.

Wilcher played two seasons at St. John's, appearing in 64 games and starting 27. During the 2024-25 season, he averaged 8 points per game while logging 25.4 minutes per contest.

St. John's finished the season with an impressive 31-5 overall record and an 18-2 mark in Big East play. The Red Storm advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they were eliminated by Arkansas.

Wilcher will now join Sean Miller at Texas. Miller is entering his first season with the Longhorns following the dismissal of Rodney Terry. Miller has been a head basketball coach since the 2004-05 season. In between stints at Xavier, he spent 12 seasons with the Arizona Wildcats. Miller is 487-196 in his career.

Texas reached the First Four of the NCAA Tournament but fell to Xavier 80-76. The Longhorns were in the Elite Eight as recently as 2023.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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