The rules of college basketball continued to be blurred, and it got even more confusing on Tuesday morning when RJ Luis, the former St. John’s basketball standout, committed to LSU. Â
Luis is thought of to have forgone his college eligibility after declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft following a season in which he won the Big East Player of the Year with St. John’s and, after not being selected in the draft, signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz.
Due to injury, Luis never played in the NBA Summer League but was traded to the Boston Celtics where he played in an exhibition game during the preseason. He never appeared in an NBA regular season game, or a G-League game, as he was waived by the Celtics due to injury.
Still, it’s expected that a judge will need to rule on his eligibility as he is currently ineligible to play college basketball.
While in his final season at St. John’s, he averaged 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 43.9-percent from the field and 33.6-percent from 3-point range.
While declaring for the NBA Draft, he also entered the transfer portal but never seriously considered a return to college. If he opted to withdraw from the draft, he could have made in excess over $2 million.
The relationship between RJ Luis and LSU has been building as new Tigers head coach Will Wade tried to get the former Johnnie to join him at NC State last offseason before Luis opted to remain in the draft.
There was never an option of pathway for Luis to return or rejoin St. John’s following his departure. Now, he will hope to get a favorable ruling to return to the sport and land a major payday from Wade and LSU.
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