Rick Pitino’s benching of RJ Luis Jr. was not about instructing the St. John’s star a lesson.
Luis didn’t play the ultimate 4:56 of the Crimson Storm’s NCAA Match loss to Arkansas as a result of it was the “right move for the team and for us winning,” Pitino stated on Thursday’s sequence finale of VICE TV’s “Pitino: Red Storm Rising” docu-series.
“It was the right move because of where he was mentally,” Pitino stated, including, “He was forcing shots, and it was affecting the rest of his game.”
Luis, the Massive East Participant of the 12 months, shot simply 3-of-17, together with 0-of-3 on 3-point makes an attempt, within the second-seeded Crimson Storm’s 75-66 loss to Tenth-seeded Arkansas within the second spherical of the match.
Pitino beforehand declined to elaborate on the benching, saying throughout his postgame press convention that he was “not going to knock one” of his gamers.
“[Luis] was not only getting down about his game, he wasn’t playing the defense we needed,” Pitino advised VICE. “He wasn’t playing the transition defense we needed. He wasn’t blocking out. All the missed shots and the forced shots were affecting him.”
Luis, a junior guard, averaged a team-high 18.2 factors this season however completed with solely 9 factors in half-hour towards Arkansas.
St. John’s trailed by two factors when Pitino pulled Luis for good in favor of freshman ahead Ruben Prey.
“It was very difficult,” Luis, 22, stated on the VICE episode. “Obviously, nobody wants to play their last game and not play, but as difficult as it was for me, it was probably more difficult for the seniors.”
The upset loss introduced a sudden finish to a storybook season by which St. John’s (31-5) gained its first outright Massive East regular-season championship since 1985 and its first Massive East Match title since 2000.
It additionally marked the tip of Luis’ St. John’s profession.
Final weekend, Luis declared for the NBA Draft and entered the switch portal. He has one 12 months of NCAA eligibility remaining.
“He will not be back with us,” Pitino advised VICE.
“I personally think it would be a mistake for him to come back to any school. I think he should try to make it in the NBA.”
ESPN ranks Luis as its No. 72 draft prospect. This 12 months’s draft has 59 picks.
“As an athlete, you want to compete at the highest level,” Luis stated.
Pitino has already been busy constructing subsequent season’s roster. He landed well-regarded transfers Joson Sanon, who shot 36.9% on 3-pointers as a freshman with Arizona State, and Bryce Hopkins, who made the 2022-23 All-Massive East first workforce with Windfall earlier than knee accidents derailed his final two seasons.
In asserting the addition of Hopkins, Pitino lauded the 6-7 ahead as a “great replacement” for Luis.
Pitino advised VICE he expects to have “seven or eight guys coming back.” Amongst them is energy ahead Zuby Ejiofor, who made the All-Massive East first workforce and was the convention’s Most Improved Participant.
Pitino, who’s getting into his third 12 months at St. John’s, additionally particularly named Prey; guards Simeon Wilcher, Lefteris Liotopoulos and Jaiden Glover; and heart Vince Iwuchukwu.
St. John’s is shedding senior guards Kadary Richmond, Aaron Scott and Deivon Smith, whereas ahead Brady Dunlap entered the switch portal this week.
