RJ Luis Sends Strong Message on St. John’s After Leaving Rick Pitino

Rated as a three-star recruit and No. 5 overall prospect in the state of Florida, Luis initially committed to UMass for his freshman season in 2022-23.

At UMass, Luis started 10 of 27 games, averaging 11.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 45.5% from the field and 34.8% from 3-point range.

His performance earned him a spot on the Atlantic 10 All-Freshman Team.

After that season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal and committed to St. John’s for the 2023-24 season.

In his first year with the Red Storm, Luis was limited by a hand injury, appearing in just 23 games (10 starts) and averaging 10.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per outing.

Last season, Luis was at the center of St. John’s success.

He averaged 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, earning Consensus Second-Team All-American honors, First-Team All-Big East, Big East Player of the Year, Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player and the prestigious Haggerty Award.

Though Luis declared for the NBA Draft back in March while preserving college eligibility, it was widely speculated that he would turn professional given his All-American resume and Big East Player of the Year honors.

In recent weeks, reports indicated St. John’s believed his return was unlikely, and this post cements it.