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RJ Luis’ Dad Sends Strong Message to Rick Pitino After Son’s Career Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated May 28, 2025 6:59 PM ET

Under Hall of Fame head coach Rick Pitino, St. John’s posted a stellar 31-5 overall record and finished 18-2 in Big East play, surging to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and capturing both the Big East regular-season and tournament titles.

Despite the early NCAA Tournament exit at the hands of John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks, the campaign marked St. John’s best finish in school history and its first appearance in the Round of 32 since 2000, vaulting the program back into national relevance.

With momentum clearly in St. John's favor, insider Jeff Goodman shared some news that has Johnnie's fans feeling otherwise.

Goodman revealed that 6-foot-7 guard RJ Luis Jr. will remain in the 2025 NBA Draft, with his dad, Reggie Luis, saying, "We understand the situation, we were offered a lot of money to go back to college. But we have a plan and we're going to stick with the plan."

BREAKING: RJ Luis' father, Reggie, tells @TheFieldOf68 that his son is definitely remaining in the NBA Draft.

"There will be no change of heart," Reggie Luis told @TheFieldOf68. "RJ's excited about the future. He's appreciative of St. John's, Coach Pitino and the fans. He wants…
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) May 28, 2025

Luis Jr. began his Division I career at UMass, where he earned Atlantic 10 All-Freshman Team honors in 2023 after averaging 11.5 points and 4.6 rebounds.

After entering the transfer portal, Luis committed to St. John’s for the 2023-24 college basketball season, and by 2025 had emerged as the face of Pitino’s rebuilding project.

Last season, Luis Jr. won Big East Player of the Year, Big East Tournament MOP and was a consensus Second Team All-American as St. John's leading scorer, averaging 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.

The headline loss of last year's breakout star represents a significant blow to Pitino’s plans to build sustained success in Queens.

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

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