As the final seconds ticked away in the St. John’s men’s basketball team’s season, this past Saturday, RJ Luis Jr. and Kadary Richmond sat on the bench, their faces marked by disappointment, but for different reasons. The Red Storm, the NCAA Tournament’s No. 2 seed in the West Region, fell in the second round to the No. 10 seed Arkansas Razorbacks, 75-66, in Providence, Rhode Island.
The loss marks the end of the collegiate career of 6-6, fifth-year senior guard Kadary Richmond from Brooklyn, who played only 16 minutes due to foul trouble, scoring just five points and grabbing four rebounds. As for Luis Jr., a 6-7 junior guard from Miami, Florida, the team’s leading scorer and Big East Player of the Year, he failed to reach double figures for only the second time this season, totaling just nine points on 3-17 shooting and experienced the frustration of being benched by head coach Rick Pitino for the final 4:56 of the game.
Zuby Ejiofor, a 6-9 junior forward from Garland, Texas, who won the Big East Most Improved Player award, led the team with 23 points on 7-12 from the field and 12 rebounds. But the rest of the team shot an agonizing 14-63 (22%), with senior point guard Deivon Smith the only other St. John’s player in double figures with 13. The Red Storm shot a horrific 2-22 on three-point attempts and missed eight foul shots (22-31). The team’s Achilles heel all season was below average shooting, and it ultimately was their downfall.
“Tonight we didn’t play a great brand of offensive basketball, and that’s disappointing, but overall, I’m grateful for these three guys that gave me everything they had,” Pitino said after the loss. “They were the reason for the turnaround that St. John’s had, winning a regular season and winning a tournament. I’m just very, very thankful for them.”
The emotionally draining defeat temporarily put a blemish on the remarkable campaign St. John’s had built, going 31-5, winning their first conference regular season title in 33 years, first conference tournament in 25 years, and making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019.
Time will tell if St. John’s can sustain their newfound success. Hall of Fame coach Pitino is a spry 72-years-old and as long as he leads the program his track record says the team will be back. If Luis and Ejiofor return, St. John’s will have two of college basketball’s best players as their core. Roc Nation Sports represents Luis Jr., and so he may declare for the 2025 NBA Draft, projected as a second-round pick. However, Luis Jr. should return to St. John’s and try to improve his draft status, taking in a healthy NIL (name, image and likeness) payment. Pitino, Ejiofor and Luis Jr. running it back should have St. John’s poised to make a run at another Big East title and an NCAA Tournament title.