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RJ Luis Jr.’s name is currently in the transfer portal and the NBA draft, but the former St. John’s star made it clear Thursday that one of those is a clear preference over the other.
“I’m fully into the draft right now,” Luis said before accepting the Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Metropolitan Player of the Year Award, as decided by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association. “The transfer portal’s kind of like a backup plan. Just weighing my options in case I don’t like anything that’s going on as far as the draft. Definitely fully focusing on the draft right now.”
Currently, Luis has a “Do Not Contact” attached to his name in the portal.
He’s working out in Florida with the full intention of going to the draft combine and keeping his name in the draft, with shooting being a heavy focus.
“Just staying square,” said Luis, who shot 33.6 percent from 3-point range last season. “Lot of balance, lot of repetitions. Trying to get a quicker release, obviously shoot the ball on motion. And obviously, the line is a little further back [in the NBA], so just getting used to that.”
Luis had a breakout junior season, leading the Johnnies to the Big East Championship and a No. 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament while averaging 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds.
The 6-foot-7 wing’s season ended in ignominious fashion, however, as he was benched down the stretch of a second-round upset loss to No. 10 seed Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament.
He said Thursday that the way the season ended had no bearing on his decision to leave St. John’s.
“It was fully determined on entering my name in the draft this year after the incredible season that I had,” Luis said. “That was always the main goal. I feel like the entire coaching staff was also on board with that decision. It was mutual.”
Asked whether he’d fully digested that game, Luis described himself as “past that now.”
“I feel like everything is in the past,” he said. “I have a great relationship with the coaches still. Just continue to put the work in.”
That he flew back up to New York to accept the award, representing St. John’s while doing so, is an obvious sign that Luis still has a strong relationship with the university.
Teammate Zuby Ejiofor, who will be back with the Johnnies next season as a senior, was there with Luis.
“It’s one of many awards that RJ Luis has gotten this season,” Ejiofor said. “The man, he’s more than deserving of this award, he put in a lot of work. Just to see him overcoming adversity time and time again, to have the season that he did this past season, myself and everybody can say we wouldn’t have had the season we had without RJ Luis. For him to get this award, the amount of time he put in, really supportive of him.”
Ejiofor will return to a largely overhauled roster, with a transfer portal class compiled by coach Rick Pitino that includes Bryce Hopkins, Ian Jackson, Joson Sanon, Oziyah Sellers and Dillon Mitchell.
The Johnnies even added reigning Big Sky MVP Dylan Darling on Thursday.
“Oziyah, he’s probably one of the best 3-point shooters in the country in my opinion,” Ejiofor said. “He just came in, he did the workout, he just blew the numbers. Dillon Mitchell, really athletic guy. Guy that can get into transition. Really special. Special player. Bryce Hopkins, we already know what he brings to the table, being a first-team All-[Big East]. He worked out as well, he was doing fine. Joson, another great shooter.
“So we have a lot of great shooters. That was the main focal point for this season. I’m really excited for how they’re gonna come to the team and contribute and build on the things we did last year.”
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