From an outsider’s perspective, one might think that the St. John’s basketball team was a ‘loser’ following the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline after RJ Luis decided to remain in the draft instead of returning to college.
However, just the opposite is true. The Red Storm are a big winner as all the dust settles around the prospects.
Luis’ decision had the most controversy around him from a financial standpoint as he could have returned to college and cashed in on a major payday to play another season but continued to pursue his dreams of being a professional basketball player in the NBA this summer.
The caveat is that if he opted to return to college, it would not have been at St. John’s. Luis also entered the transfer portal when he announced his intentions to declare for the NBA Draft a week after he was benched for the final five minutes of the Red Storm’s Round of 32 loss in the NCAA Tournament.
It was an ugly breakup between RJ Luis and the Johnnies while Rick Pitino made it known quickly that the Big East Player of the Year would not be back in Queens as the program could not afford to wait until late May for his decision.
Nevertheless, Luis remaining in the draft is a major win for St. John’s. It would have been awkward to see him in another uniform for Johnnie fans after he just turned in a season that hasn’t been seen by a St. John’s player in decades.
He was the first St. John’s player to win a Big East Player of the Year since Walter Berry in 1986. He helped lead the program to its first Big East regular season title since 1985 and tournament championship since 2000.
Yes, the college basketball landscape is constantly changing, and the movement of players in the transfer portal is something that hasn’t been seen before, but it feels right that Luis’ lasting memory as a college basketball player will be in a St. John’s uniform and should be welcomed back by the program with open arms any time he decides to come watch a game.
The Red Storm also learned that Arizona State transfer Joson Sanon withdrew from the NBA Draft and will play for the Johnnies next season. The expectation was that Sanon would remove his name from consideration after he declined an invitation to the NBA G-League Combine but did participate in individual workouts for organizations.
While the moves surrounding St. John’s at the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline weren’t flashy, it made the program a winner in late May and its fanbase to feel good about themselves.
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