St. John's RJ Luis impresses against New Mexico, coach Rick Pitino says he looked like 'a first-round draft choice'
St. John's guard RJ Luis Jr. (12) reacts after scoring against New Mexico during the first half of an NCAA men’s college basketball game, Sunday, Nov 17, 2024, in New York. Credit: Noah K. Murray
St. John’s victory over New Mexico on Sunday was significant. After beating up on three lesser foes, the 22nd-ranked Red Storm took down an NCAA Tournament-caliber opponent and looked ahead to this week’s challenging trip to the Bahamas, three games in four days starting with No. 13 Baylor in a Baha Mar Hoops Championship semifinal on Thursday.
Perhaps most significant was the play of RJ Luis Jr., who may be taking his game to a higher level only glimpsed last season. Luis’ potential was apparent in 2023-24, even as he battled through painful shin splints in both legs — addressed with surgeries this past offseason — to average 10.9 points in just 21 minutes per game.
Against the Lobos on Sunday, he was much more than a scorer, though he did finish with a team-high 21 points. He eschewed shots he normally takes and became a distributor, tallying career-high seven assists with just one turnover. He had 11 rebounds in a game coach Rick Pitino said “was won on the boards.” And given the most challenging defensive assignment, Luis held New Mexico high-scoring point guard Donovan Dent to just 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting.
Asked about his assist total, Luis replied, “I feel like with my abilities, I’m able to do that . . . I’m able to create for myself and others.”
“The way he played that [game], he’s a first-round draft choice,” Pitino said on Tuesday. “The way he played the first three games, by forcing the action, he wasn’t. So, he played like a pro. He gave it up as soon as he saw a double-team and created shots for people. And when he didn’t see a double- team, he attacked the rim.”
In the Storm’s first three games, Luis averaged 9.8 shots in 20 minutes. It was a discussion topic for him and his coach entering the matchup against New Mexico.
“He’s a great listener,” Pitino said. “I just said, ‘RJ, [when] you try to attack three people, you look like you don’t know how to play. If you let the game come to you and you create shots for other people, you look like a first-round draft choice. So, what do you want to look like: a first-round draft choice or a guy that doesn’t know how to play?’”
“He gets the message loud and clear,” Pitino added.
“What he’s able to do on the court, everybody sees it,” Zuby Ejiofor said on Tuesday. “He has stepped up tremendously with the numbers that he’s been able to [produce]. He’s really impactful for us and we’re going to need him.”
Aaron Scott has the reputation as St. John’s lockdown defender; however Pitino said of Luis, “He can cover all four positions — he’s the best defensive player on the team at all four positions . . . RJ contains the basketball the best on [our] team and he has the best hands.”
And defense will be critical against Baylor (3-1), which averages 85.8 points on 49% shooting and has seven players averaging between 8.8 points and 13.3 points. That includes VJ Edgecombe and Glen Head product Jalen Celestine, who both played at Long Island Lutheran High School.
After beating New Mexico, Luis sounded like he has the mindset for it when he said, “I’m just trying to play hard on both ends of the court.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.