Big East Basketball: 2024 offseason grades for each team

St. John’s Red Storm - Grade: B+

Coach Rick Pitino knew there was going to be a lot of roster turnover, as five of the top six scorers from last season were all seniors with no eligibility left. The only other rotation who left was Glenn Taylor, who is now at Oklahoma. They were able to keep RJ Luis and Zuby Ejiofor, along with potential sophomore breakout candidates, Simeon Wilcher and Brady Dunlap.

The Red Storm landed four transfers, including one of the best players in Big East Basketball last season. Kadary Richmond comes over from Seton Hall as a proven power conference star, while Deivon Smith is a triple-double threat coming over from Utah. Aaron Scott is a 6’5 guard/wing from North Texas, a veteran double-digit scorer, and a capable shooter.

St. John’s also added Vincent Iwuchukwu, a former 5-star prospect who dealt with past heart issues at USC. He gives them frontcourt depth, while also adding international forward Ruben Prey to the group this offseason.

Compared to a year ago, Coach Pitino didn’t overload the roster with transfers. This time around, he added more proven power conference players in hopes of getting the program back to the NCAA Tournament. It’s hard to find a better transfer duo than Richmond and Smith this offseason.