RJ Luis Jr. says goodbye to St. John’s in social media post after staying in NBA draft

After formally deciding to go pro, the 2025 Big East Player of the Year addressed Red Storm fans this week with a heartfelt message

One week after formally committing to remain in the NBA draft, RJ Luis Jr. addressed St. John’s fans in a social media post on Thursday, bidding farewell to the team he played two seasons with and expressing gratitude to the fans who cheered for him.

“Johnnies nation: I’m deeply grateful for the incredible support and love you’ve shown me and my family over the past two years. From battling through double shin surgery to winning a regular season and a Big East championship in front of a sold-out crowd in Madison Square Garden is a dream I’ll cherish forever,” Luis wrote on social media this Thursday.

Very few players have dealt with the highs and lows of college basketball quite like Luis Jr. over the past couple of seasons. The UMass transfer dealt with ongoing shin splints in his first year at St. John’s in the 2023-24 season, which handicapped his development, but the Miami-born wing blossomed into the face of the Red Storm’s best team this century once he became healthy in his junior year.

Last season, Luis averaged 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.4 steals while earning distinctions like becoming the first Red Storm player to win the Big East Player of the Year award since Walter Berry in 1985 and being named a consensus second-team All-American. He also led St. John’s to their first outright Big East regular season title in over 40 years and their first Big East tournament title in 25 years, scoring a team-high 29 points in the Red Storm’s 82-66 win over Creighton in the tournament championship game.

However, Luis ended his storybook junior season under the microscope after an uncharacteristically poor outing in St. John’s 75-66 second-round loss to Arkansas in the 2025 NCAA tournament, in which he only scored nine points on 3-of-17 shooting and was benched for the final 4:56 of the game action even though the game was still close. One week later, Luis declared for the NBA draft and entered his name in the transfer portal, becoming one of the most sought-after players this offseason. Despite a lack of buzz from scouts and draft pundits, Luis ultimately turned down the chance to play his senior year and is taking a chance on a professional career.

While Luis’s career with St. John’s ended unceremoniously, he should be remembered for helping lead the Red Storm out of the wilderness of mediocrity and back into the national spotlight in college basketball.