RJ Luis Jr. has committed to LSU, giving Will Wade another professional player for the second day in a row and adding a former St. John's standout to the Tigers' offseason haul. 247Sports first reported the commitment.
At 6-foot-7, Luis arrives with a profile that looked built for a different path just months ago. He played three college seasons from 2022 to 2025, spending one year at UMass before two seasons at St. John's, where he became one of the most productive wings in the Big East.
His final college season was the best of his career. Luis averaged 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, led St. John's to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and was named the 2025 Big East Player of the Year. He also earned consensus second-team All-American honors as a junior, a run that put him among the most decorated players in the country.
Then came the professional detour. Luis declared for the 2025 NBA Draft and went undrafted, later signing a two-way deal with the Utah Jazz in July 2025. He was traded to the Boston Celtics, signed an Exhibit 10 deal and was waived before the start of the NBA season because of a groin injury that required surgery.
That makes his move to LSU unusual even by today's transfer market standards. It is unclear whether Luis will receive another year of eligibility because of the two-way contract he signed last July, and NCAA President Charlie Baker has said athletes who previously signed NBA or two-way contracts would remain ineligible. Baker also said recent court rulings blocking NCAA eligibility enforcement without trial were "wildly destabilizing" and that he would work with Division I leaders to protect college basketball from what he called misguided attempts to destroy the sport.
LSU's offseason class now includes Abdi Bashir Jr., Divine Ugochukwu, Austin Nunez, Mouhamed Dioubate, Marcio Santos and Yam Madar, with Luis listed as the sixth pickup of the offseason. For Wade, the addition keeps the roster in motion. For Luis, it opens a new question that goes beyond talent: whether the path back to college basketball is still open at all.
