Former St. John’s star RJ Luis Jr. is keeping his name in the 2025 NBA draft, his agent, Sam Permut of Roc Nation, told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeff Borzello on Wednesday.
“There will be no change of heart,” Reggie Luis, RJ’s father, told The Field of 68. “RJ’s excited about the future. He’s appreciative of St. John’s, Coach Pitino and the fans. He wants to leave college as a Johnnie.”
RJ Luis Jr. Had A Breakout Season At St. John’s
Luis, the Big East Player of the Year and a second-team All-American, was among the best available players in the NCAA transfer portal, and was being recruited by programs like Georgetown, Kansas, North Carolina, Ole Miss, and Villanova.
Luis, a Miami native, had his biggest breakout season with the Red Storm after beginning his college career with one season at UMass before transferring to St. John’s in 2023.
In 35 games (32 starts) of the 2024-25 season, he averaged career highs of 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 31.8 minutes per contest while shooting 43.9% from the field and 33.6% from 3-point range.
“I’m just truly blessed and very happy to bring this championship back to New York City and St. John’s University.”
RJ Luis Jr. on winning the Big East Championship: pic.twitter.com/RpYeltueaS
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 16, 2025
The 6-foot-7 small forward finished fourth in points (637) in the Big East, fourth in total rebounds (251), ninth in steals (49), third in free throws (133), and third in defensive rating (92.8).
Luis played his best at the end of the season, recording 28 points and 11 rebounds in the regular-season finale at Marquette and posting 29 points and 10 rebounds in the Big East tournament championship game against Creighton.
He also earned Big East tournament MVP honors after leading St. John’s to the conference’s regular-season and tournament titles.
Coach Rick Pitino Benched Luis In Final Minutes Against Arkansas
However, after scoring 22 points and making five 3-pointers in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Omaha, Luis struggled in the Red Storm’s second-round loss to Arkansas.
In fact, he shot 3-for-17 from the field and failed to reach double figures in scoring for just the second time of the season. Coach Rick Pitino benched Luis for the final 4:56 of the 75-66 loss.
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Luis said he was “hurt” and that “I think [Pitino] could have did a better job… picking my head up.”
“I’m kind of past that,” Luis said Thursday. “Now, obviously, I’m focused on the draft process. You can only control what you can control. I feel like everything is in the past.”
A week after the NCAA tournament loss, Luis announced he was entering the NBA draft along with the transfer portal. He was also invited to the NBA draft combine and averaged 14 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in the two 5-on-5 scrimmages.
Although Luis missed a lot of shots, going 9-for-29 from the field and 3-for-10 from beyond the arc, his lackluster shooting should not overshadow his accomplishments at St. John’s.
The 2025 NBA draft will be held June 25-26 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
