It was not the week that RJ Luis or St. John’s basketball envisioned as the program was hoping to snap its 9-year drought of not having a player selected in the NBA Draft, but the streak extended to double digits as the Big East Player of Year was not drafted in the 59-pick draft.
Many experts were bullish on the St. John’s standout, projecting him anywhere between a mid-to-late second round pick throughout the pre-draft process. He received heavy backlash for not returning to college after he entered the transfer portal which would have netted him a multimillion-dollar payday.
Sir’Dominic Pointer remains the last St. John’s player to be selected in the NBA Draft back in 2015 and the program has not had a first round pick since Maurice Harkless in 2012.
The Big East had five players picked in the NBA Draft with Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber and UConn’s Liam McNeeley. Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, Marquette’s Kam Jones, and Georgetown’s Micah Peavy were selected in the second round.
However, all hope is not lost for Luis. Julian Champagnie, the only player from the Red Storm in the NBA, was undrafted in 2022 and created his own path to success which led to a 4-year, $12 million contract in 2023.
RJ Luis averaged 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.4 steals per game this season for the Johnnies, playing in 35 games after he was limited to just 23 games during his sophomore season due to a fractured hand and shin splints.
His next steps will be landing a two-way contract and trying to make a big impression during the NBA’s Summer League in July.
St. John’s other draft eligible players also were not selected in Kadary Richmond, Aaron Scott, and Deivon Smith. Each of the players will be hoping to land on a team that will give them a chance this summer.