St. John's basketball standout junior, RJ Luis, returns to court after surgery

It was a difficult debut season for RJ Luis with the St. John's basketball program but none of it was by his own doing.

Luis suffered a broken hand in practice weeks before the season began, which was followed by a major flare up of chronic shin splints that sidelined him after just one game and limited his practice time through March.

Between the start of the season in early November through January 1, Luis had only played in three games but still managed to take the court 21 times for the Johnnies last year and average 10.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

It was known that the UMass transfer was likely going to need surgery after the season and time away from the court to heal properly, but now he's already back on the floor.

"Rehabbing a lot," Luis said of his summer on Wednesday night at a team NIL event at Applebee's in Queens.

He underwent surgery on April 8 and was given permission to return to the weight room and begin on-court activities on June 24. Luis said he expects to be cleared for full contact practices in September.

"I got new legs," he joked. "For me, the main thing is staying healthy."

The Miami native flashed his potential last season, which was more impressive given his lack of practice time, but still has areas of his game he wants to improve, specifically shooting just 20-percent from 3-point range.

He averaged 13.8 points per contest in St. John's final five games of the season, including a 18-point showing in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament against Seton Hall which gave the Red Storm its first semifinal berth since 2000.

Many believed last offseason that RJ Luis was one of the most impressive players in St. John's workouts and the expectation is that he will be a major force in the Johnnies' rotation this season as long as he remains on the floor.