In a time of college coaches seeing changes, St.John’s is a program seemingly heading in the right direction. With the hiring of Rick Pitino, there is a sense of excitement for the Red Storm.
St.John’s Basketball is Revitalized
It has been a while since St.John’s saw relevancy since the Chris Mullin era in the 1980s. Nevertheless, the recruiting and transfer additions have allowed St. John’s to look like a solid program next season.
The Impactful Transfers
A few players headline the transfers for St.John’s, along with a couple of Iona players, a big from Kansas, and shooter Sean Conway from VMI.
Jordan Dingle
Dingle was a former dominant player at Penn. He is coming off an incredible Junior season. He won Ivy League Player of the Year and Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Year. Dingle was also second in the country in scoring. Averaging 23.4 points per game, Dingle is an elite shot-maker.
In terms of helping St.John’s, Dingle excels at scoring at the basket. Shooting 58% at the rim during his Junior season, Dingle can score getting to the basket, and he has deep range. Jordan is a three-level scorer who can also make good decisions, averaging 2.3 assists. He will help add elite shot-making for the Red Storm and propel their offense this season.
Daniss Jenkins
A transfer that followed Pitino to St.John’s from Iona, Jenkins is a good scoring guard coming into Queens. Jenkins averaged 15.6 points and 4.9 assists while shooting 36.1% from three. His assist rate was the highest in the MAAC and the Top 50 in the NCAA. Jenkins was an All-Mac Selection with 964 career points heading into his Graduate season.
In terms of helping St.John’s, Jenkins played under Pitino at Iona. He knows the demands Pitino places on his players. Additionally, Daniss brings a major scoring threat from the guard position. Jenkins scores at the basket and from the perimeter effectively. He will help add meaningful scoring to the Red Storm this season.
RJ Luis
Luis had a terrific campaign for the Umass Minuteman this past season. RJ was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team this past season. Additionally, Luis averaged 11.5 points while shooting 45.5% from the field and 34.5% from three. Luis scores a lot at the rim or from the mid-post. He shot 55% at the basket last season, and on defense, he had a 2.9% steal rate.
In terms of helping St.John’s, Luis aids in many areas for the Red Storm. First, he helps them defensively. Luis is 6’7” and has good length, allowing him to disrupt opposing perimeter players and generate turnovers. Secondly, he helps add in a slashing department as he is excellent at getting to the basket.
Glenn Taylor Jr.
The former Oregon State Beaver is another excellent slashing guard for the Red Storm. Taylor averaged 11.6 points in Corvallis this past season. He made 93 of his 113 field goal attempts from getting to the basket or the midrange. Taylor Jr. adds a lot of scoring in the paint for the Red Storm. He was also in the 77th percentile in catch-and-shoot jumpers, so he has a versatile skillset.
In terms of helping St.John’s, Taylor Jr. adds a lot of offensive value, as he scores well in the pick-and-roll. Glenn makes solid decisions in the half-court and will be another good slashing guard for the Red Storm.
The First Year
Brady Dunlap
Dunlap is a Four-Star prospect that St.John’s was able to land in recruiting. Dunlap is on the rise after graduating from Harvard-Westlake, CA, where he averaged 17 points per game. He is ranked 83rd in the ESPN 100 for the Class of 2023. He is an excellent shooter and has great size at 6’7”. Therefore, the Red Storm gets a tall shooter that can help expand the spacing on offense with Conway.
Simeon Wilcher
A later addition to the Red Storm, 4-star prospect Simeon Wilcher will also be a member of St.John’s this season. A top-30 prospect in the 2023 class from Roselle Catholic, NJ, Wilcher de-committed from UNC and is now a member of the Red Storm. At Roselle, he averaged 15.4 points a game and 5.6 assists and helped Roselle to a 17-0 state tournament run.
Regarding his skillset, Wilcher is a twitchy, explosive guard who excels in transition and isolation situations. He will be excellent this season in the Big East.
