Monday, January 13, 2025

St. John's RJ Luis Big East Player Of Week & Storm On Brink Of Returning To Top 25

 

RJ Luis Jr. went along the baseline for this layup early in Saturday's win over Villanova. Photo by Jason Schott.


The St. John's Red Storm announced on Monday that RJ Luis Jr. was named the Big East Player of the Week.

Luis, a junior guard, averaged 24.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and he went 22-26 (84.6 percent) from the free throw line in St. John's two wins over Xavier and Villanova last week.

In St. John's 80-68 win over Villanova on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, Luis led the way for St. John's, as he poured in 30 points - 23 of them in the second half - on 6-15 from the field, 2-6 on three pointer, and an astonishing 16-20 from the free-throw line, with 10 rebounds for a double-double, with an assist and a steal.

Luis is now the third St. John's player to earn Big East Player of the Week honors in the past five years, and the first since Joel Soriano on November 28, 2022.

RED STORM RISES IN NATIONAL RANKING: St. John's, now 14-3 on the season, including 5-1 in Big East Conference play, is also on the brink of the AP Top 25, as it came in with 83 votes, the first team to just miss it.

This is the highest the Red Storm have appeared in the national rankings since it was in the Top 25 poll released on November 18.

AP TOP 25 MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL POLL (January 13):

RANKING - TEAM - RECORD - POINTS - FIRST-PLACE VOTES:

1. Auburn - 15-1 - 1548 - 60

2. Iowa State - 14-1 - 1469 - 0

3. Duke - 14-2 -1403 - 1

4. Alabama - 14-2 - 1338 - 0

5. Florida - 15-1 - 1326 - 1

6. Tennessee - 15-1 - 1251

7. Marquette - 14-2 - 1184

8. Kentucky - 13-3 - 1039

9. Kansas - 12-3 - 983

10. Houston - 12-3 - 935

11. Texas A&M - 13-3 - 883

12. Michigan State - 14-2 - 797

13. Oregon - 15-2 - 781

14. UConn - 13-4 - 665

15. Mississippi State - 14-2 - 624

16. Gonzaga - 14-4 - 569

17. Purdue - 13-4 - 553

18. Memphis - 13-3 - 511

19. Illinois - 12-4 - 496

20. Michigan - 13-3 - 418

21. Ole Miss - 14-2 - 351

22. Utah State - 16-1 - 250

23. Georgia - 14-2 - 221

24. Wisconsin - 13-3 - 132

25. Baylor - 11-4 - 119

RECEIVED VOTES: St. John's (83), Oklahoma (63), West Virginia (61), Arizona (26), Louisville (17), Texas Tech (12), Maryland (11), Clemson (8),Missouri (8), Cincinnati (4), San Diego St. (4), Saint Mary's (3), UC Irvine (2), New Mexico (2).

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