The St. John’s basketball season can be summarized by its ability to snap extended droughts.
From having the Big East Player of the Year, to winning the Big East regular season and tournament championships as well as landing an NCAA Tournament victory, the Johnnies rewrote its record book this year and are hoping for one more drought snapping milestone to cap its remarkable turnaround.
The Red Storm have not seen a player drafted since 2015 when Sir’Dominic Pointer was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft and its last first round draft choice was in 2012 with Moe Harkless.
The hope is that at least one of those streaks is snapped this week in Brooklyn.
RJ Luis remains the team’s best chance of having a player selected in the 2025 NBA Draft, although most projections have him as a second-round choice.
Luis’ decision to remain in the NBA Draft was heavily scrutinized after he declined the option to return to college and likely earn a multimillion-dollar deal in the transfer portal.
Rick Pitino said he supported his decision to remain in the draft earlier this month prior to throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium and was not surprised by his choice. Still, it’s a gamble by Luis and one that he’s hoping pays off.
St. John’s players having success in the NBA has been nonexistent after the retirements of Ron Artest and Harkless until the surprising successful career of undrafted free agent Julian Champagnie, who is coming off of a season in which he averaged 9.9 points per game for the San Antonio Spurs.
Kadary Richmond, Aaron Scott, and Deivon Smith are the other draft eligible players from the St. John’s roster that are hoping to hear their names called, which would come during the second round on Thursday night.
“Someone will get a great one with Kadary Richmond,” Pitino posted to social media on Tuesday afternoon. “You will be shocked how good he is on and off the court!”
Someone will get a great one with Kadary Richmond. You will be shocked how good he is on and off the court!
— Rick Pitino (@RealPitino) June 24, 2025
The last time St. John’s had two players picked in the same draft was 2000 when Erick Barkley was selected at No. 28 overall, and Lavor Postell was at No. 39.
At the worst, the expectation is that all four Johnnies will land a Summer League deals to try and prove they can play at the next level.
The NBA Draft begins with the first round on Wednesday night (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN) at the Barclays Center and continues with the second round on Thursday (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Brooklyn.