Last year, in RJ Luis Jr.’s words, was “terrible.”
He arrived at St. John’s with big expectations after a solid freshman season at UMass. But injuries — first a fractured hand during the preseason followed by nagging shin splints — hindered him.
He rarely practiced and couldn’t take part in coach Rick Pitino’s renowned skill development sessions.
One year and two shin surgeries later, the gifted 6-foot-7 wing is hoping to live up to the hype.
“If I’m healthy, I feel like I’m going to be fine. I’m going to do what I do, I’m going to play hard and I’m going to compete,” Luis said Monday after St. John’s practiced at the Garden as a team for the first time this year. “My injuries are really what restricted me last year. I got that taken care of, so this year I should be good.”
Luis is one of four key returners, along with Simeon Wilcher, Zuby Ejiofor and Brady Dunlap. He showed glimpses of his immense potential last year.
When Luis scored in double figures, St. John’s was 10-4. But consistency eluded him.
It was difficult to play big minutes after rarely practicing. When Luis was on the court, he was frequently in pain.
“It was bad. That whole year was just a weird year for me,” said Luis, who averaged 10.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 23 games for the Johnnies a year ago. “I didn’t practice, Coach would throw me in the game, talking about, ‘go guard the best player.’ I didn’t have any rhythm. … I was playing through the pain the whole time.”
That’s no longer the case. The surgeries, termed muscle compartment release, have relieved the discomfort.
He’s been practicing fully since the Johnnies returned to campus for the fall semester. He also has made adjustments to his shooting mechanics, eliminating the hitch in it, at Pitino’s suggestion.
It looked improved during Monday’s scrimmage, Luis scoring 14 points and hitting a pair of 3-pointers.
“I‘ve been working on it. I just focus on keeping the ball up, keeping it in one motion,” he said. “It feels good, it looks good. I feel comfortable with it.”
He could be in for a big year. He’s healthy, is accustomed to Pitino in his second season playing for the Hall of Fame coach and will get to play with two pass-first point guards in transfers Kadary Richmond (Seton Hall) and Deivon Smith (Utah).
Luis won’t be asked to create as much. He has two teammates who are adept at doing so.
“I can benefit a lot,” Luis said. “It benefits me, opens up my game. It allows me to score the ball a lot easier. Those guys can also score themselves. It’s really about spacing and playing off of them.”
Pitino raved about Luis’ potential, saying he doesn’t have one clear strength because there are several of them.
He’s versatile, has improved his jump shot and is a quality passer, rebounder and defender. Most importantly, the junior is no longer limited physically.
Luis is eager to see what it will be like without worrying about his shins, which have been a nagging problem for years.
“It’s a big difference,” Pitino said. “He’s been hurt as a freshman, he’s been hurt as a sophomore, and now he’s healthy.”
The only player who didn’t practice Monday was Smith. He is dealing with a shoulder injury. Pitino expects him to return later in the week and play in next Thursday’s exhibition at Rutgers. … Pitino named three starters as of now: Seton Hall transfer Richmond, Ejiofor and Wilcher.
