RJ Luis Jr. had options.
After winning 2024-25 Big East Player of the Year, the former St. John’s standout declared for the NBA Draft in March.
But he also entered the NCAA transfer portal, allowing him to go through the pre-draft process while maintaining the ability to return to college for his senior season.
North Carolina, Kansas, Ole Miss, Villanova and Georgetown were among the schools to express interest in Luis, according to ESPN.
But Luis kept his focus on the draft.
“He’s looking at it not as a business move, but as a future move to making the NBA,” St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino said this month at Yankee Stadium. “Every year that you don’t go that route, it’s tougher to get there.”
Entering this week’s two-day draft at Barclays Center, the 6-7 Luis was considered a potential second-round pick, with The Athletic ranking him as its No. 44 prospect, ESPN ranking him No. 56, and Yahoo Sports ranking him No. 67.
Last season, Luis averaged 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds for St. John’s and was among the team’s better wing defenders.
In addition to winning the conference’s regular-season MVP award, Luis was named the Big East Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
However, Luis shot 43.9% from the field and 33.6% on 3-pointers. He went 3-of-17 before he was benched for the final 4:56 of the Red Storm’s second-round loss to Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament.
Shortly after Luis declared for the draft and entered the portal, Pitino confirmed that Luis would not be back in Queens.
“He’s going to be a great pro,” Pitino said this month. “What people don’t realize, because they haven’t coached him, is how good of a passer he is, how good of a shot-blocker he is, how good of an offensive rebounder he is.
“They just see the scoring ability, so he’ll improve his 3-point shooting once he gets to that level, and then I think he’ll be lethal with what he can do.”
Luis was the highest-rated St. John’s alum eligible for this year’s draft, leading a list that also included guard Kadary Richmond and wing Aaron Scott.
On Tuesday, Pitino advocated for the Brooklyn-born Richmond, who averaged 12.4 points. 6.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game as a senior but shot a career-low 17.5% on 3-pointers.
“Someone will get a great one with Kadary Richmond,” Pitino wrote on the social-media website X. “You will be shocked how good he is on and off the court!”
