# 2024–25 St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team

The 2024–25 St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team represents St. John's University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They are coached by Rick Pitino, in his second year at the school, and play their home games at Carnesecca Arena and Madison Square Garden as members of the Big East Conference.

## Previous season

The Red Storm finished the season 20–13, 11–9 in Big East play to finish in fifth place. They defeated Seton Hall in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament before losing in the semifinals to UConn.

## Offseason

Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Cruz Davis | 0 | G | 6'3" | 172 | Sophomore | Plano, TX | Transferred to Hofstra |
| Jordan Dingle | 3 | G | 6'3" | 196 | Senior | Valley Stream, NY | Graduated |
| Nahiem Alleyne | 4 | G | 6'4" | 200 | GS Senior | Buford, GA | Graduated |
| Daniss Jenkins | 5 | G | 6'3" | 175 | GS Senior | Dallas, TX | Graduated/undrafted in 2024 NBA draft; signed with the Detroit Pistons |
| Chris Ledlum | 8 | G/F | 6'6" | 225 | GS Senior | Brooklyn, NY | Graduated |
| Joel Soriano | 11 | F | 6'11" | 255 | GS Senior | Yonkers, NY | Graduated/undrafted in 2024 NBA draft; signed with the Charlotte Hornets |
| Sean Conway | 30 | G | 6'4" | 200 | GS Senior | Fairfield, CT | Graduated |
| Glenn Taylor Jr. | 35 | F | 6'6" | 205 | Junior | Las Vegas, NV | Transferred to Oklahoma |
| Drissa Traore | 55 | F | 6'8" | 215 | Junior | New York City, NY | Transferred to Rhode Island |
Incoming transfers :
| Name | Num | Pos | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Aaron Scott | 0 | G/F | 6'7" | 200 | Senior | Spring, TX | North Texas |
| Kadary Richmond | 1 | F | 6'6" | 205 | GS Senior | Brooklyn, NY | Seton Hall |
| Deivon Smith | 5 | G | 6'1" | 172 | Senior | Loganville, GA | Utah |
| Vincent Iwuchukwu | 8 | F | 7'1" | 240 | Junior | San Antonio, TX | USC |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jaiden Glover #23 SF | Elizabeth, NJ | The Patrick School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 12, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84 ||||||
| Khaman Maker #34 C | Las Vegas, NV | Trinity International School | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Sep 18, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Lefteris Liotopoulos SG | Thessaloniki, Greece | DEKA Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | N/A | May 23, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Rúben Prey PF | Lisbon, Portugal | Club Joventut de Badalona, S.A.D | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | N/A | Jun 17, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 17, 2024* 6:30 p.m., BTN | | at No. 25 Rutgers Charity Exhibition benefiting the V Foundation | W 91–85 | | 27 – Ejiofor | 13 – Ejiofor | 6 – Richmond | Jersey Mike's Arena (4,240) Piscataway, NJ |
| October 26, 2024* 12:00 p.m. | | Towson Charity Exhibition benefiting Autism Speaks | W 64–46 | | 11 – Tied | 8 – Luis Jr. | 2 – Tied | Carnesecca Arena (1,742) Queens, NY |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | Fordham Rivalry | W 92–60 | 1–0 | 17 – Wilcher | 9 – Richmond | 6 – Smith | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| November 9, 2024* 2:00 p.m., FS2 | | Quinnipiac | W 96–73 | 2–0 | 24 – Luis Jr. | 13 – Luis Jr. | 10 – Smith | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| November 13, 2024* 6:30 p.m., FS2 | No. 22 | Wagner | W 66–45 | 3–0 | 13 – Luis Jr. | 8 – Smith | 7 – Richmond | Carnesecca Arena (4,751) Queens, NY |
| November 17, 2024* 12:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 22 | New Mexico NYC Hoops for Heroes Classic | W 85–71 | 4–0 | 21 – Luis Jr. | 11 – Luis Jr. | 7 – Luis Jr. | Madison Square Garden (12,310) New York, NY |
| November 21, 2024* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 22 | vs. No. 13 Baylor Bahamas Championship semifinals | L 98–99 $^{2OT}$ | 4–1 | 22 – Ejiofor | 10 – Ejiofor | 7 – Richmond | Baha Mar Convention Center (2,077) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 22, 2024* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 22 | vs. Virginia Bahamas Championship 3rd place game | W 80–55 | 5–1 | 18 – Luis Jr. | 10 – Smith | 8 – Smith | Baha Mar Convention Center (2,119) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 24, 2024* 11:00 a.m., CBSSN | No. 22 | vs. Georgia Atlantis Resort Series | L 63–66 | 5–2 | 22 – Ejiofor | 8 – Ejiofor | 2 – Tied | Imperial Arena (419) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 30, 2024* 5:00 p.m., Peacock | | Harvard | W 77–64 | 6–2 | 24 – Luis Jr. | 10 – Luis Jr. | 4 – Tied | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| December 7, 2024* 11:30 a.m., FOX | | Kansas State Big East–Big 12 Battle | W 88–71 | 7–2 | 28 – Ejiofor | 13 – Ejiofor | 4 – Tied | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| December 11, 2024* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Bryant | W 99–77 | 8–2 | 22 – Ejiofor | 10 – Tied | 5 – Richmond | Carnesecca Arena (4,573) Queens, NY |
| December 17, 2024 6:30 p.m., Peacock | | DePaul | W 89–61 | 9–2 (1–0) | 19 – Luis Jr. | 7 – Tied | 8 – Smith | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| December 20, 2024 8:00 p.m., FOX | | at Providence | W 72–70 | 10–2 (2–0) | 19 – Ejiofor | 10 – Ejiofor | 4 – Smith | Amica Mutual Pavilion (12,104) Providence, RI |
| December 28, 2024* 6:00 p.m., FS1 | | Delaware | W 97–76 | 11–2 | 20 – Smith | 13 – Smith | 8 – Smith | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| December 31, 2024 4:00 p.m., Peacock | | at Creighton | L 56–57 | 11–3 (2–1) | 16 – Ejiofor | 8 – Ejiofor | 2 – Tied | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,466) Omaha, NE |
| January 4, 2025 2:00 p.m., FS1 | | Butler | W 70–62 | 12–3 (3–1) | 20 – Luis Jr. | 11 – Luis Jr. | 6 – Richmond | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| January 7, 2025 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Xavier | W 82–72 | 13–3 (4–1) | 18 – Tied | 12 – Ejiofor | 6 – Richmond | Cintas Center (9,328) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 11, 2025 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Villanova | W 80–68 | 14–3 (5–1) | 30 – Luis Jr. | 10 – Luis Jr. | 5 – Richmond | Madison Square Garden (18,178) New York, NY |
| January 14, 2025 7:30 p.m., Peacock | | Georgetown Rivalry | W 63–58 | 15–3 (6–1) | 19 – Luis Jr. | 9 – Tied | 8 – Richmond | Madison Square Garden (12,757) New York, NY |
| January 18, 2025 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Seton Hall | W 79–51 | 16–3 (7–1) | 24 – Luis Jr. | 9 – Ejiofor | 6 – Richmond | Prudential Center (9,652) Newark, NJ |
| January 22, 2025 7:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 20 | Xavier | W 79–71 $^{OT}$ | 17–3 (8–1) | 19 – Richmond | 8 – Ejiofor | 5 – Richmond | Madison Square Garden (14,545) New York, NY |
| January 28, 2025 6:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 15 | at Georgetown Rivalry | W 66–41 | 18–3 (9–1) | 13 – Tied | 9 – Tied | 5 – Wilcher | Capital One Arena (4,386) Washington, D.C. |
| February 1, 2025 12:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 15 | Providence | W 68–66 | 19–3 (10–1) | 24 – Richmond | 8 – Tied | 8 – Richmond | Madison Square Garden (19,196) New York, NY |
| February 4, 2025 6:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 12 | No. 11 Marquette | W 70–64 | 20–3 (11–1) | 18 – Richmond | 13 – Ejiofor | 8 – Richmond | Madison Square Garden (16,521) New York, NY |
| February 7, 2025 8:00 p.m., FOX | No. 12 | at No. 19 UConn | W 68–62 | 21–3 (12–1) | 21 – Luis Jr. | 7 – Luis Jr. | 6 – Richmond | Gampel Pavilion (10,299) Storrs, CT |
| February 12, 2025 6:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 9 | at Villanova | L 71–73 | 21–4 (12–2) | 22 – Scott | 8 – Luis Jr. | 10 – Richmond | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA |
| February 16, 2025 3:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 9 | No. 24 Creighton Johnnies Day | W 79–73 | 22–4 (13–2) | 23 – Luis Jr. | 14 – Luis Jr. | 5 – Tied | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| February 19, 2025 9:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 10 | at DePaul | W 82–58 | 23–4 (14–2) | 18 – Smith | 9 – Tied | 5 – Tied | Wintrust Arena (4,844) Chicago, IL |
| February 23, 2025 12:00 p.m., FOX | No. 10 | UConn | W 89–75 | 24–4 (15–2) | 18 – Tied | 9 – Ejiofor | 8 – Smith | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| February 26, 2025 9:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 7 | at Butler | W 76–70 | 25–4 (16–2) | 24 – Luis Jr. | 6 – Tied | 5 – Richmond | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,086) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 1, 2025 2:15 p.m., CBS | No. 7 | Seton Hall | W 71–61 | 26–4 (17–2) | 21 – Luis Jr. | 10 – Ejiofor | 7 – Richmond | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| March 8, 2025 12:00 p.m., FOX | No. 6 | at No. 20 Marquette | W 86–84 $^{OT}$ | 27–4 (18–2) | 28 – Luis Jr. | 12 – Tied | 11 – Richmond | Fiserv Forum (17,983) Milwaukee, WI |
| Big East tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2025 12:00 p.m., Peacock | (1) No. 6 | vs. (9) Butler Quarterfinal | W 78–57 | 28–4 | 20 – Luis Jr. | 8 – Richmond | 9 – Richmond | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| March 14, 2025 6:40 p.m., FOX | (1) No. 6 | vs. (5) No. 25 Marquette Semifinal | W 79–63 | 29–4 | 33 – Ejiofor | 10 – Richmond | 6 – Richmond | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| March 15, 2025 6:38 p.m., FOX | (1) No. 6 | vs. (2) Creighton Championship | W 82–66 | 30–4 | 29 – Luis Jr. | 12 – Richmond | 4 – Tied | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 20, 2025* 9:45 p.m., CBS | (2 W) No. 5 | vs. (15 W) Omaha Round of 64 | | | | | | Amica Mutual Pavilion Providence, RI |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Awards and honors

Preseason honors :
| Honors | Player | Position | Date awarded | Ref. |
| Preseason All-Big East First Team | Kadary Richmond | G | October 23, 2024 | |
| Preseason All-Big East Second Team | Deivon Smith | G | October 23, 2024 | |
Weekly honors :
| Honors | Player | Position | Date awarded |
| Big East Men’s Basketball Player of the Week | R.J. Luis | G/F | January 13, 2025 |
| Big East Men’s Basketball Player of the Week | R.J. Luis | G/F | February 10, 2025 |
| Naismith Trophy National Player of the Week | R.J. Luis | G/F | February 10, 2025 |
| Jersey Mike’s Naismith Men’s Player of the Year Midseason Team | R.J. Luis | G/F | February 14, 2025 |
| Big East Men's Basketball Player of the Week | Kadary Richmond | G | February 24, 2025 |
Postseason honors :
| Honors | Player | Position | Date awarded |
| All-Big East First Team | RJ Luis Jr. | G/F | March 9, 2025 |
| All-Big East First Team | Zuby Ejiofor | F | March 9, 2025 |
| All-Big East Second Team | Kadary Richmond | G | March 9, 2025 |
| Big East Most Improved Player | Zuby Ejiofor | F | March 10. 2025 |
| Big East Player of the Year | RJ Luis Jr. | G/F | March 12. 2025 |
| Big East Coach of the Year | Rick Pitino | HC | March 12. 2025 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | RV | 22 | 22 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 20 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | |
| Coaches | RV | 25 | 21 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | RV | RV | RV | 21 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | |