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New York Post
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Three St. John's stars go pro after signing NBA contracts following draft
Access the St. John's beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Zach Braziller about the inside buzz on St. John's. TRY IT NOW St. John's best season in 25 years didn't result in a draft pick, but shortly after it was over, three of the Red Storm's former stars — Kadary Richmond, RJ Luis and Aaron Scott — agreed to pro contracts. Luis, the Big East Player of the Year and Most Outstanding Player of the Big East Tournament, agreed to a two-way contract with the Jazz, according to a source. Richmond came to terms on a deal with the Wizards, while Scott agreed to attend summer league with the Celtics, according to sources. Deivon Smith still was waiting to decide on his next step. It was somewhat of a surprise that Luis, who was projected by some to be a mid-second-round pick, didn't get chosen in the two-day NBA Draft. 3 Kadary Richmond is going pro with the Wizards. Jason Szenes / New York Post He had a sensational junior year, averaging 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds. Multiple scouts felt he would wind up with a two-way deal but told The Post there were questions about his 3-point shot and decision-making. 'It's a tough thing, but he's gotta go from a star on his team to a role player,' an NBA scout familiar with Luis said. 'Tough transition, so he's probably going to have to get some G-League reps and go from there. Be a consistent shooter.' 3 RJ Luis Jr. was the Big East Player of the Year. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post When Luis declared for the draft in March, he also entered the transfer portal. The Miami native opted to stay in the draft, although he could've really cashed in by transferring. Top transfers this spring were getting upward of, and in some cases above, $2 million. 3 Aaron Scott reacts after scoring during St. John's Big East semifinal win at Madison Square Garden JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST This past season, an NBA two-way contract paid just south of $560,000. Luis and coach Rick Pitino had agreed it was best for both sides to go their separate ways when the Johnnies' season ended with a loss to Arkansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. 'The money in the NBA is night and day compared to college. It wasn't a hard decision,' Luis, who had 18 NBA workouts, said prior to the draft. 'My goal was to do the same thing at St. John's my sophomore year, but injuries held me back. I think I had an amazing year this year. [This was] ultimately the end goal, to play in the NBA and stick there.'
Fox Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
St. John's Coach Rick Pitino On NIL, Transfer Portal: 'Complaining is of No Value'
Rick Pitino took St. John's from being a team that was nowhere to be found in the NCAA Tournament conversation to a No. 2 seed in just two seasons. How did Pitino get the Red Storm to rise to prominence so quickly? Living in the reality of NIL and the transfer portal, rather than fighting it. "I felt the change was here and quitting, resigning, complaining is of no value," Pitino said about NIL on Wednesday's edition of "The Herd." "You have to win the day. You have to get the job done, and I just felt that 'Okay, we're going to use it to the best of our abilities at St. John's.' "So, we're an urban school; we're a computer school; we play in Madison Square Garden as our home court: How can we maximize our potential by embracing the NIL and the transfer portal? We went away from high school basketball players, although we have taken one or two to develop, but by and large we've gone after older players." Pitino also expressed that parents have never been more involved in the recruiting process than now. On the basketball front, Pitino explained what his practices look like. "We have player development sessions every morning, Monday through Friday, where we go three-to-four different sessions with four players, and we try to take players like a Donovan Mitchell, a Terry Rozier who maybe's not ranked top-20 or 25 in high school, and they've got a little bit of a weakness. Donovan Mitchell had a weakness with the arc on his jump shot. Everybody's got a weakness coming out that's not top 10, so we try to take those player development sessions and make the players better," Pitino said. "Our practices, yes, are very difficult, but I will say this: They're not long. We don't go more than two hours, but we go hard for two hours. We're up and down for two hours. If I make a comment or a correction, it's going to be within 12 seconds, and then we're moving on because conditioning is a gigantic part of our style of play." After going 20-13 in the 2023-24 season, Pitino and the Red Storm put together a 31-5 campaign highlighted by winning the Big East regular-season title with an 18-2 conference record, winning the Big East Tournament and claiming a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. While St. John's was upset in the second round by No. 10 seed Arkansas, the 2024-25 season marked the first time in six years that the program had made the NCAA Tournament and the first time in 10 years that it had done so without having to play in the First Four round. On the personal front, Pitino won the 2024-25 Naismith, AP and Big East Coach of the Year awards. St. John's is Pitino's sixth full-time men's college basketball head-coaching gig, with the Hall of Famer previously coaching three seasons at Iona before leaving for Queens in March 2023. St. John's had a gargantuan transfer portal class this offseason, reeling in former five-star recruits and now sophomores Ian Jackson (previously of North Carolina) and Joson Sanon (previously of Arizona State), former Providence forward Bryce Hopkins, former Cincinnati forward Dillon Mitchell and former Stanford wing Oziyah Sellers, among others. 247Sports ranks St. John's transfer class as the best in men's college basketball. While the Red Storm have minimal returning players, they have big man and 2024-25 All-Big East honoree Zuby Ejiofor back for his senior season. Next season, St. John's will square off against SEC powerhouses Alabama and Kentucky, among other notable out-of-conference matchups. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience College Basketball Big East St. John's Red Storm recommended Get more from College Basketball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
New York Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Ex-St. John's star RJ Luis on cusp of NBA draft possibilities he once couldn't have imagined
Four years ago, RJ Luis Jr. couldn't have imagined this. Forget playing in the NBA. Even big-time college basketball was far from a given. Advertisement Luis held just two Division I scholarship offers, from Northeastern and Lamar University. He didn't want to settle, so the Miami native opted to do a prep year at Mount Zion Prep in Maryland. That's when everything changed. 'Once I went to prep school, I kind of made that jump and started to figure out myself and my work ethic,' he recalled in a phone interview with The Post. 'Everything just clicked. Since then, it's been a gradual [climb], improving and getting better as a player. Advertisement 'I wouldn't change it. The stuff that we go through in life is what makes us. It's just super cool to see all my hard work paying off.' The former St. John's star is on the cusp of a professional career, a projected second-round pick in this week's NBA Draft. He worked out for 18 teams and took part in the scouting combine in Chicago. The past few months have been a whirlwind for the 6-foot-7 wing. Advertisement 3 RJ Luis Jr. handles the ball during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine on May 15, 2025 NBAE via Getty Images In March, he became the first Johnnie to be named the Big East Player of the Year since Walter Berry in 1986. He led St. John's to its first Big East Tournament title since 2000 as the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Afterward, he called it the best week of his life. But the following weekend, second-seeded St. John's was upset by Arkansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and Luis struggled through a nightmarish 3-for-17 shooting performance. Advertisement He was benched over the final 4:56 by coach Rick Pitino. 3 RJ Luis Jr. shoots a three point basket during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine on May 14, 2025 at Wintrust Arena. NBAE via Getty Images Luis declared for the NBA Draft and entered the transfer portal a week after that disappointment. There was some thought he could return to school — top transfers were getting upward of $3 million — but Luis opted to stick with his initial plan of going pro. 'The money in the NBA is night and day compared to college. It wasn't a hard decision,' Luis said. 'My goal was to do the same thing at St. John's my sophomore year, but injuries held me back. I think I had an amazing year this year. [This was] ultimately the end goal, to play in the NBA and stick there.' Luis has been a much-debated prospect in this draft. Teams like his athleticism, versatility and scoring ability. But his 3-point shot and decision-making need work. He will have the ball in his hands less frequently on the next level. 3 St. John's Red Storm guard RJ Luis Jr. reacts after hitting a 3-point shot during the team's opening NCAA Tournament game. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post 'It's a tough thing, but he's gotta go from a star on his team to a role player,' an NBA scout familiar with Luis said. 'Tough transition, so he's probably going to have to get some G-League reps, and go from there. Be a consistent shooter. Advertisement 'Is he one of the best 75 draft prospects in this draft and is he one of the best 500 players in the world, where he should be on some kind of NBA contract?' Said a second scout: 'He's going to have to make some modifications to his game. He's a two-way guy for sure, because he can score the ball. But he has to learn to score the ball on my terms, as opposed to his.' Luis has been somewhat of a target since that Arkansas loss. He was criticized for that performance and later questioned for not cashing in on his last year of college eligibility. He's heard the doubters. Advertisement 'One hundred percent, but that's how life is. You're always going to have people rooting against you,' Luis said. 'I'm fully positive. I know the amount of work I put in.' Luis has come a long way from those two Division I scholarship offers. His first season at St. John's was marred by injuries, a fractured left hand and nagging shin splints. He wasn't able to do much basketball-wise last summer following surgery on each shin, but still had a sensational junior season, leading the Johnnies to their best season in 25 years. If he is selected, he would become St. John's first player to hear his name called since Sir'Dominic Pointer (53rd overall by the Cavaliers) in 2015. 'It would be the same thing as winning the regular-season championship and Big East Tournament and getting a bid to the [NCAA] Tournament,' he said. 'To be able to leave my little bit of a legacy at St. John's, just make that fan base proud.'
Fox Sports
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Former Villanova coach Jay Wright not interested in Knicks head coach job
Jay Wright will not be the next head coach of the New York Knicks. The former Villanova men's basketball head coach has informed the Knicks that he's not interested in succeeding Tom Thibodeau and will remain retired, he told Sports Illustrated. Wright added in his comments to Sports Illustrated that he and Knicks president Leon Rose briefly discussed the position. Even though he and Rose are good friends, Wright reiterated his plans to remain retired as he never asked to interview for the vacancy. In the moments after Thibodeau was fired, Wright was immediately viewed as a top candidate to replace him. He coached three of the Knicks' top players in college, winning multiple national championships with guard Jalen Brunson and forward Mikal Bridges. He also won a national title coaching wing Josh Hart. However, some insiders viewed the Knicks' chances at obtaining the two-time national championship-winning head coach as a bit of a long shot. "Jay Wright is enjoying red wine, basketball, television and his family," FOX Sports college basketball expert John Fanta recently said on "The Herd." "If he wanted to coach again, he'd be the Villanova coach. "Jay Wright is not going anywhere." Wright, 63, announced his retirement from Villanova after leading the Wildcats to the Final Four in 2022. That marked his fourth Final Four trip as Villanova's head coach, winning eight Big East regular-season titles and five Big East Tournament titles to go with his two national championship victories. Wright is one of multiple coaches with Big East ties who have said they don't plan to pursue the Knicks' head coach gig. St. John's coach Rick Pitino, who coached the Knicks for two seasons in the late 1980s, said he was "absolutely not" interested in becoming New York's next head coach. UConn's Dan Hurley, meanwhile, sidestepped a question about his possible interest in the job. In addition to those three, a pair of other rumored Knicks candidates seem unlikely to interview for the job. New York has reportedly expressed interest in Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka and Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd. But after capturing the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference during the 2024-25 season, the Rockets aren't interested in letting the Knicks potentially negotiate a deal and trade involving Udoka, per The Athletic . As for Kidd, the Knicks reportedly planned to ask the Mavericks for permission to interview their head coach. However, the Mavericks are expected to turn down any request the Knicks make to interview Kidd, longtime NBA insider Marc Stein reported Saturday. Beyond those five candidates, former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone and current Cleveland Cavaliers associate head coach Johnnie Bryant have been viewed as possibilities for the Knicks' head coach job. Bryant is the current betting favorite for the job, while Malone has the second-best odds, via DraftKings Sportsbook. Bryant, who was the Knicks' associate head coach from 2020-24, was one of the finalists for the Phoenix Suns' head coach vacancy, but they named fellow Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as their next head coach on Friday. Malone, who grew up near Madison Square Garden in Queens, was fired by the Nuggets with less than a week to go in the regular season. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily ! recommended Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hartford's XL Center re-named PeoplesBank Arena
Hartford's downtown arena will now go by a new name: PeoplesBank Arena. On Monday, the State of Connecticut announced the Holyoke, Massachusetts-based company purchased the naming rights to the venue, which had been known as the XL Center since 2007. CT Insider reported the deal is worth $20 million over 10 years. PeoplesBank — different than People's United Bank, which merged with M&T Bank a few years ago — has five branches in Hartford County with a six set to open soon. 'We chose to invest in this arena because we believe in Hartford,' PeoplesBank CEO and chairman Thomas Senecal said at a ceremony. 'We believe in the revitalization happening here, the momentum building downtown, the renewed energy in the business district, the arts, the restaurants, the culture. And of course, the sports.' Originally called the Hartford Civic Center, the arena serves as the part-time home for three UConn sports teams: Men's basketball, women's basketball and men's hockey. The two basketball split their home games between Hartford and Gampel Pavilion in Storrs. The Ice Bus moved downtown on a full-time basis after joining Hockey East in 2014 but scaled back to just 4-6 games per season once the new on-campus ice rink, Toscano Family Ice Forum, opened in 2022. The venue also houses the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, concerts and other events throughout the year. Originally opened in 1975, it's currently undergoing a $145 million renovation that will add premium seating, an upgraded concourse, new locker rooms and other improvements. The work is expected to be completed by October. More from Le Moyne transfer Dwayne Koroma commits to UConn men's basketball Dorka Juhász to sit out 2025 WNBA season UConn Baseball clinches share of Big East regular season title with sweep over Butler UConn assistant Ben Kantor leaving for Georgia Tech UConn softball wins Big East Tournament, earns first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001 2025 forward Jacob Ross commits to UConn men's basketball
