St. John's picks up forward Bryce Hopkins, loses Brady Dunlap in transfer portal
Bryce Hopkins #23 of the Providence Friars dribbles the ball during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at The Fieldhouse at Greensboro Coliseum on March 17, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Credit: Getty Images
St. John’s has added a second big-time talent to the roster for the 2025-26 season, getting a commitment from Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins.
The 6-7 forward was a 2023 all-Big East first-team selection after averaging 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds as a sophomore at Providence, but knee injuries limited him to 17 games over the past two seasons. He joins Arizona State guard Joson Sanon, who committed last week, as new members of the Red Storm.
Coach Rick Pitino said on X: “We are so excited to have Bryce Hopkins part of our family. He epitomizes everything I love in a basketball player; Passionate, Hungry, and Driven. Can’t wait to work with him! Will become a great one for St John’s.”
Hopkins chose St. John’s over Georgetown, which is coached by Ed Cooley, who brought him in from Kentucky after one year with the Wildcats. He visited Georgetown last week and was on the St. John’s campus last weekend for a visit.
The hard-nosed Hopkins will make an already great rebounding team even better. His addition creates a formidable combination with Zuby Ejiofor, who was an all-conference first-team selection this season.
“Bryce reminds me so much of Zuby from a personality standpoint,” Pitino said in a statement. “He’s selfless, humble, hard-working and has outstanding talent. I worked him out and was extremely impressed with his abilities in so many areas. He will be a great replacement for the void left with RJ [Luis Jr.] moving on to the pros.”
After his excellent first season with the Friars, Hopkins had his junior year cut short by an ACL injury that required season-ending surgery. Up to that point, he was averaging 15.5 points and 8.6 rebounds in 14 games. He battled knee discomfort this season and was limited to three games in which he averaged 17.0 points and 7.7 rebounds.
As Hopkins arrives, it appears that Brady Dunlap will leave St. John’s after two seasons. He is putting his name in the NCAA transfer portal. The 6-7 wing and three-point threat was limited to 10 games this season and required two different surgeries.
In December he had one to repair a ligament in his wrist. In February he required another for a small abdominal tear. He averaged 5.7 points and 2.2 rebounds and shot 38% on three-point attempts.
“I talked to Coach Pitino and he wanted me to stay,” Dunlap told Newsday. “I love Coach Pitino and I love the staff and everybody here, the culture here, everything about this place. I love it all . . . I just wanted a place where I knew for sure my style of play fit better.”
St. John’s on Monday hosted Georgia transfer Silas Demary Jr., a 6-5 combo guard. The Red Storm also could be in line to land Lithuanian guard Imran Suljanovic, who made a mid-March campus visit.
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.
