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St. John's Reacts to RJ Luis News After Unexpected Transfer Portal Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Escarpio | Last updated Apr 24, 2025 4:30 PM ET

This past season for the St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team will forever be remembered in the program's history.

Under the leadership of head coach Rick Pitino, St. John's earned the Big East Tournament title and entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed.

Amid the Red Storm's historic run, winning their first Big East Tournament title since 2000, St. John's also featured the Conference Player of the Year in RJ Luis Jr.

Luis led the team in scoring, taking a major leap in his second season at St. John's and third season at the collegiate level.

After a successful season at St. John's, Luis made an unexpected decision by choosing to transfer from the program.

Despite that, the Red Storm announced that Luis has officially been named the Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Player of the Year.

"Congratulations to RJ for being named the Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Met Player of the Year," posted the official social media account of St. John's men's basketball.

Congratulations to RJ for being named the Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Met Player of the Year!

️: https://t.co/bgCPCS4mV0 pic.twitter.com/DHIj9zy1ww
— St. John's Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) April 24, 2025

Luis capped off his second season with the St. John's Red Storm posting 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

The Miami native received a couple of prestigious awards, recognizing his play for the 2024-25 college basketball season, but Luis has decided to cut his time at St. John's short.

He has yet to speak on the surprising move, but Luis has re-entered the recruiting process via the transfer portal.

While the Rick Pitino will be losing the Big East player of the year, the St. John's Red Storm have added some of the best talent available in the transfer portal.

A couple of the latest additions for St. John's includes Ian Jackson (North Carolina Tar Heels) and Dillon Mitchell ( Cincinnati Bearcats), both of whom were originally ranked as five-star prospects heading into the collegiate ranks.

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

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