The St. John’s basketball team was hoping to be preparing for a trip to San Francisco for the Sweet 16 this weekend but instead exit interviews are commencing in Queens and plans to officially attack the transfer portal have begun.
It’s the start of an important offseason for the Johnnies who will look to build upon its historic season entering its third year under Rick Pitino.
There are already holes to fill on the roster with the departures of seniors Kadary Richmond, Deivon Smith, and Aaron Scott but there will surely be more players exiting from the program this offseason.
“The beginning of the year, we were not the most connected team in the Bahamas at all but that's going to happen to all of us every year,” Rick Pitino said before his team was set to take on Omaha in the Round of 64.
“Next year we'll have about six or seven players returning and that'll be a major benefit.”
The players who figure to definitely return are Zuby Ejiofor, Sadiku Ibine Ayo, Ruben Prey, and Lefteris Liotopoulos but there are questions with other players on the roster.
RJ Luis will be the biggest question mark entering the offseason for the Red Storm as the Big East Player of the Year and Second Team All-American ended his incredible season on a sour note but plans to test the NBA Draft waters in the coming weeks. Should Luis return to St. John’s, it could give Pitino a Top-10 roster in the sport pending his other portal additions.
“I have always said I don't mind the NIL. I don't mind the portal,” Pitino added.
That leaves decisions to make for Simeon Wilcher, Brady Dunlap, Jaiden Glover, Vince Iwuchukwu, and Khaman Maker.
Wilcher and Dunlap are cornerstones for the program under Pitino, entering as his first high school recruiting class. Each have endured struggles with the Red Storm, which are not unexpected for young players getting acclimated to the Hall of Fame coach.
Wilcher shot just 29.7-percent from 3-point range this season but started 25 of the 36 games for the Red Storm. He averaged 8.0 points per game on 25.4 minutes. St. John’s is likely to add at least two guards in the transfer portal and if Wilcher returns he will have competition for his starting job in the backcourt.
Dunlap was ravaged by injuries this season, from a torn UCL in his thumb to abdomen surgery that forced him to miss the rest of the season. He’s played just 35 games in his two seasons with the Johnnies but did make 12-of-32 attempts from 3-point range this season.
At a certain point it becomes a numbers game after Pitino said a handful of players would return and if you take for certain Ejiofor, Ibine Ayo, Prey, and Liotopoulos with Wilcher and Dunlap – plus the potential of Luis – it already adds up to seven players.
Jaiden Glover flashed potential during his rookie season in Queens, but a wrist injury cut his season short after he aggravated it during a practice, forcing him to get surgery.
Khaman Maker, the freshman who had his redshirt burned for two minutes in mid-December against DePaul would be a long shot to return despite his imposing size at 7-foot-1.
Vince Iwuchukwu is a much more interesting conversation considering his potential, but he posted career low numbers across the board with 2.7 points and 7.2 minutes per game. He was hampered by being the backup to Zuby Ejiofor and with Ejiofor’s return it could be hard to envision a much bigger role for him next season.
Expect St. John’s to be active quickly in trying to shape its roster for next season during the opening days of the transfer portal.