RJ Luis Jr.
| No. 12 – St. John's Red Storm | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward |
| League | Big East Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | November 27, 2002 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Mt. Zion Prep Academy (Lanham, Maryland) |
| College |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
RJ Luis Jr. (born November 27, 2002) is an American college basketball for the St. John's Red Storm of the Big East Conference. He previously played for the UMass Minutemen.
Early life and high school
[edit]Coming out of high school, Luis Jr. was rated as the 233rd overall player in the class of 2022, where he committed to play college basketball for the UMass Minutemen.[1]
College career
[edit]UMass
[edit]As a freshman in 2022-23, Luis Jr. appeared in 27 games with ten starts, where he averaged 11.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from 3-point range. He was named to the Atlantic 10 Conference all-freshman team.[2][3] After the season, Luis Jr. he entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.[4]
St. John's
[edit]Luis Jr. transferred to play for the St. John's Red Storm.[5] In his first season with the Red Storm in 2023-24, he appeared in just 23 games with ten starts due to being hampered by a hand injury, where he averaged 10.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.[6][7] On February 7, 2025, Luis Jr. dropped 21 points and seven rebounds in a win over UConn.[8] On February 16, 2025, Luis Jr. notched 21 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists in a win over #24 Creighton.[9] On March 1, 2025, Luis Jr. scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds in a win over Seton Hall to clinch the Big East championship.[10] Luis Jr. is considered a top NBA prospect for either 2025 or 2026.[11][12]
References
[edit]- ^ McGavic, Matthew. "Report: UMass Transfer R.J. Luis to Visit Louisville". Louisville Cardinals on SI. SI.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ^ McGavic, Matthew. "Louisville Transfer Target R.J. Luis Commits to St. John's". Louisville Cardinals on SI. SI.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ^ Braziller, Zach. "RJ Luis transferring to St. John's in another big get for Rick Pitino". The New York Post. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ^ Grabowski, Kyle. "UMass basketball freshman guard R.J. Luis enteres transfer portal". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ^ Zagoria, Adam. "St. John's Pitino says RJ Luis will test NBA Draft waters, is a 'lock' for Big East Player of the Year". NJ.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ^ Sblendorio, Peter. "St. John's breakout stars RJ Luis Jr., Zuby Ejiofor Jr. step up in Big East clincher; Aaron Scott leaves with injury". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ^ Zagoria, Adam. "Rick Pitino expecting 'killer year' from St. John's wing RJ Luis". NJ.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ^ Braziller, Zach. "St. John's optimistic RJ Luis Jr. will play vs. rival UConn". The New York Post. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ^ Fox, Kyler. "Brooklyn Nets Prospect Watch: RJ Luis Jr.'s Potential". Brooklyn Nets on SI. SI.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ^ Zagoria, Adam. "Seton Hall's Holloway endorses St. John's star for Big East Player of the Year". NJ.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ^ Zagoria, Adam. "St. John's wing RJ Luis is '100%' going pro after this season, Rick Pitino says". NJ.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ^ Braziller, Zach. "A 2025-26 St. John's return is still a 'possibility' for star RJ Luis". The New York Post. Retrieved March 2, 2025.