The St. John’s Red Storm enter No. 13 overall and will seek a new leading scorer for 2026-27. But one past star under Rick Pitino dealt with a massive playing blow Tuesday. And this move involving RJ Luis impacts his potential return to the college game.
Luis, Pitino and the Storm’s leading scorer from their first Big East title run of 2025, learned his eligibility fate.
“RJ Luis will NOT be cleared to play by the SEC and LSU has given up its fight for him to be eligible, sources told CBS Sports,” Matt Norlander of the outlet posted on the social media website X, formerly Twitter.
Norlander added that Luis faced a big dilemma anyway.
“Luis would be in violation of the SEC’s rule that prevents players returning to college after signing a pro contract,” Norlander added.
So another words, the SEC’s anti-pro ruling doesn’t just pertain to former NFL rookies aiming to restart their college career. But also NBA tryouts like Luis.
RJ Luis Clearly Left for NBA Too Early
Luis established himself as a reliable scoring threat for St. John’s.
He torched Big East competition in averaging 18.2 points per game during the 2024-25 season. Luis helped elevate the Red Storm to newer heights rarely seen out of the historic Queens, New York university.
St. John’s had never won a regular season or Big East tournament title in the same season before Pitino and Luis’s arrival. Yet that Storm team went 31-5 overall and returned to March Madness.
Luis left St. John’s early to test the NBA Draft waters. But he never got selected in both rounds of the June draft and landed with the Boston Celtics as an undrafted rookie. His pro career became short-lived, but aimed to take advantage of the NCAA’s fifth-year eligibility ruling pertaining to high school graduates of the 2022 class.
Where LSU Stood in RJ Luis Eligibility Case
So Luis pivoted back to college and eyed LSU as a destination. Even coach Will Wade tried to fight for Luis.
Norlander, however, added more nuggets there involving where Wade stood.
“Will Wade had been privately confident for months that Luis would eventually find his way to play, but the SEC would not budge,” Norlander shared. “Sources tell CBS Sports that, in recent days, Wade has come to accept the reality that Luis would not be allowed to compete for LSU this season.”
Luis likely has played his final college basketball game too. Meanwhile, LSU’s roster construction turned heads. LSU featured only 10 players listed on the online roster as of Oct. 13.
State of St. John’s Post RJ Luis
Pitino takes advantage of the current climate of college basketball: One ruled by NIL and the transfer portal now.
Zuby Ejiofor went from Kansas transfer to the Red Storm’s leading scorer last season during the Sweet 16 run. Dillon Mitchell rose as one more impact transfer who played at Texas then Cincinnati. Bryce Hopkins shared a Kentucky connection with the former national champion winning head coach of the Wildcats while also playing for Providence. All three landed in the NBA Draft this past June.
But the Red Storm looks reloaded for another Big East title run. The back-to-back Big East champs even convinced Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou to bypass entering the 2026 NBA Draft to join them. St. John’s also landed legacy recruit Kyle Cuffe Jr., whose father played for St. John’s in the early 2000s.
Ex-St. John’s Star Receives Huge Blow About 2026-27 Playing Status