Big East Player of the Year departing St. John's after disastrous NCAA Tournament

This past season was a historical one for St. John’s Basketball. They went 31-5 overall and won their first Big East regular-season title in decades. The Red Storm got the second seed in the NCAA Tournament and made it to the Round of 32 before losing to Arkansas.

A big reason why St. John’s was so good was due to star wing RJ Luis, who had a breakout campaign as a junior. He led the team with 18.2 ppg and 7.2 rpg, earning Big East Player of the Year honors. Luis was viewed as a potential NBA Draft first-round pick but with another year of eligibility left and center Zuby Ejiofor alongside him, the Red Storm could’ve been a preseason top-10 team for the 2025-26 campaign.

However, the transfer portal has other plans.

Luis instantly becomes the best available player in the portal. He's a proven college basketball star who can play anywhere. He’s also in the NBA Draft process, so he could be going pro after all. This also means we’re a while away from Luis potentially picking a new destination.

Luis hails from the Miami area, so instantly, teams like Miami and Florida will stand out as possible options. Of course, the blue bloods will be in the mix as well. For St. John’s, this is a tough blow if he doesn’t return but they could have a replacement on the way, as they’re reportedly taking a visit from Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins this weekend. Plus, the team already landed former Arizona State guard, Joson Sanon.

The last we saw of Luis in a St. John’s uniform, he didn’t play the final five minutes of the team’s loss to Arkansas after shooting 3/17 from the field. It was one of the most notable moments of the NCAA Tournament and could be what led to the star wing ultimately hitting the transfer portal.

We’ll see what happens next with Luis and St. John’s Basketball.