The accolades keep coming for Rick Pitino and RJ Luis Jr.
Pitino was named a semifinalist for Naismith College Coach of the Year and Luis was selected as a semifinalist for Naismith College Player of the Year after the duo helped lead St. John’s to a long-awaited Big East championship.
Both categories include 10 semifinalists, all of whom were announced Friday.
The national recognition came two days after Pitino was named Big East Coach of the Year and Luis was named Big East Player of the Year.
Pitino, 72, was the only Big East coach selected as a Naismith semifinalist.
The other semifinalists include Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Houston’s Kelvin Sampson, Duke’s Jon Scheyer, Florida’s Todd Golden, Missouri’s Dennis Gates, Louisville’s Pat Kelsey, Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland and Drake’s Ben McCollum.
Now in his second season at St. John’s, Pitino led the resurgent Red Storm to a 27-4 record in the regular season, including 18-2 in conference play, and to the school’s first outright Big East regular-season championship since 1985.
Pitino has never won Naismith Coach of the Year, but he was named the John Wooden National Coach of the Year and the NABC Coach of the Year in 1987 when he was with Providence.
A St. John’s coach has never received the Naismith honor, which UConn’s Dan Hurley won last year.
Luis, meanwhile, is one of three Big East players to be named a Naismith semifinalist, along with Marquette’s Kam Jones and Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner.
The other semifinalists include Duke’s Cooper Flagg, Auburn’s Johni Broome, Texas Tech’s JT Toppin, Purdue’s Braden Smith, Wisconsin’s John Tonje, Alabama’s Mark Sears and Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr.
Luis, a junior guard, averaged 18.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in the regular season and flourished as a defender.
His breakout season followed a 2023-24 sophomore campaign at St. John’s in which Luis played through nagging shin injuries, for which he underwent surgery in April.
“Once he got over the shin injuries, we knew he’s got a great vertical,” Pitino said of Luis. “He’s a good shooter, a great passer, very good on-the-ball defender, very good rebounder, runs well. He’s got the total package.”
A St. John’s player has never won the Naismith award, which went to Purdue’s Zach Edey, now of the Memphis Grizzlies, in both of the past two seasons.
Both awards will be announced next month during the NCAA Tournament Final Four in San Antonio.
St. John’s also boasts a semifinalist for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award in Kadary Richmond, who was one of 10 players selected. The others include Kalkbrenner, who this week won Big East Defensive Player of the Year for a fourth time, and Flagg.
