RJ Luis transferring to St. John’s in another big get for Rick Pitino

MIAMI — It wasn’t either/or as it turns out.

When St. John’s hosted two of the top available wings in the transfer portal, Glenn Taylor Jr. of Oregon State and RJ Luis of UMass, the common belief was it could land one of the two players.

But this is Rick Pitino.

He wanted both of them — and he got them.

Less than a week after Taylor committed to the Hall of Fame coach, Luis did as well, adding another quality shooter to a remade roster full of them.

The 6-foot-7 Luis, a Miami, Fla. native, had a strong freshman year at UMass.

He averaged 11.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals and shot 34.8 percent from 3-point range.

He was named to the Atlantic 10’s All-Freshman team.

After entering the portal, Luis had a long list of high-major suitors.

He ultimately visited Texas A&M, Louisville and St. John’s.


RJ Luis of UMass is transferring to St. John's.
RJ Luis of UMass is transferring to St. John’s.
Getty Images

RJ Luis playing for UMass against George Washington on Jan. 7, 2023.
RJ Luis playing for UMass against George Washington on Jan. 7, 2023.
Getty Images

“He has a lot of skills. He was one of the guys from that team that you had to prepare for. It was my scout,” a college coach who faced UMass told The Post. “The kid can score from the outside. Really, really good off the dribble, can create his own shot. Strong finisher, athletic. Good size and length at the three-spot. He’s talented.”

Luis and the 6-foot-6 Taylor could end up starting together in a small-ball lineup at the three and four, according to sources, but that depends obviously on how St. John’s fills out the rest of the roster.

His commitment cut down the number of available scholarships left for Pitino to three with two clear needs: A scoring guard and power forward.

St. John’s has zeroed in on three targets: Jordan Dingle, the Ivy League Player of the Year from Penn; Mackenzie Mgbako, a McDonald’s All-American from Roselle Catholic who was once signed at Duke; and Kentucky forward Lance Ware, a former top-40 recruit.


Rick Pitino during his St. John's introduction on March 21, 2023.
Rick Pitino during his St. John’s introduction on March 21, 2023.
Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post

St. John’s recently hosted Mgbako for an official visit.

He took trips over the last week to Kansas and Indiana.

Ware is expected to visit St. John’s in the near future.

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