St. John’s Back On The Map: Red Storm Takes Down UConn

[IMPORTANT: Make this 4 times longer with much more detail]

Basketball St. John’s Back On The Map: Red Storm Takes Down UConn by Robert Rizzo February 8, 2025 On Friday night @ UConn, Dominican-Ecuadorian RJ Luis Jr. delivered in the clutch for St. John’s in hostile environment – Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball NEW YORK, NY — St. John’s is officially back on the map. This week, the No. 12 ranked Red Storm, led by legendary head coach Rick Pitino, had one of the most challenging tasks since January of 1999 — the program’s last time matching up against two Top-25 ranked opponents in the same week, as St. John’s faced No. 11 Marquette at Madison Square Garden , and No. 19 UConn, the back-to-back NCAA champion, on the road at Gampel Pavilion. And what came out of it? Two monumental wins. Graduate guard Kadary Richmond and the Red Storm are making noise across the nation – Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball A 70-64 victory vs. the Golden Eagles at the World’s Most Famous Arena this past Tuesday, as well as a 68-62 win over the Huskies Friday night in one of the most hostile environments across the nation — during an evening in which Gampel Pavilion hosted $2 beer night… In all reality, St. John’s is more than back. This coming Monday, expect the Red Storm, leading the Big East Conference in first place by 1.5 games — currently 21-3 overall and 12-1 in conference play — to appear in the Top-10 of the Associated Press Poll, marking the first time since 2000. “We’ve done a great job defensively of coming together each and every game,” Pitino stated following the win over UConn on Friday, St. John’s 10th straight win. “We know that’s our common denominator and I’m proud of this.” “This was a hell of a win for us.” After missing time due to a shoulder injury, senior guard Deivon Smith has gotten more comfortable in game-action. He totaled four points, two boards, three assists and two steals in the win @ UConn – Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball Star-J Luis Jr. spoils the festivities in Storrs Spoiling the festivities for the 10,299 in attendance on Friday night, with the majority cheering on UConn, was Dominican-Ecuadorian RJ Luis Jr., of the Red Storm, delivering in the clutch. The six-seven junior, of Miami, Florida, recently named to the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Watch List , recorded 21 points in the win, banking 10 of his 21 shots attempted, along with one free throw. Clutch Gene: As St. John’s was up 64-62, with 11 seconds left in regulation and less than three seconds on the shot clock, Luis Jr. received an inbound pass from Kadary Richmond, and nailed it with ease for the game-sealing bucket. “Our last play was a counter,” explained Pitino of Luis Jr.’s shot in crunch-time. “I have to give a lot of credit to my assistant coach, Bob Walsh, I let him call the out-of-bounds plays. He drew up a beautiful five-down counter. He had the right guy shooting the ball.” Pitino later added: “(RJ Luis Jr.) has never met a shot he didn’t like and there was no doubt in my mind he was going to make the shot. I was one hundred percent sure he was going to make the shot.” A Dominican-Ecuadorian leading his team to victory over the back-to-back champs in their house? Storybook to some, but to Luis Jr., just another play drawn up from Pitino, assistant coach Bob Walsh, and all of St. John’s coaching staff. Without Dominican-Ecuadorian RJ Luis Jr., St. John’s does not come out of Connecticut with a win on Friday night – Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball “It was just straight adrenaline,” Luis Jr. said of what he was feeling during his clutch bucket. “I knew I made the shot, but the game wasn’t over until the buzzer sounded. It feels great and I’m glad Coach Walsh drew that up for me. We came out swinging, we came out fighting hard like we always do. “This is a very gritty team and all the guys want to win. We’re very hungry.” Follow us on Social Media for updates and exclusive content Instagram: @latinosportsoficial Facebook: Latino Sports Twitter: @latinosports Related Topics Big East Big East Conference College Hoops Deivon Smith Dominican Republic Ecuador featured Gampel Pavilion Kadary Richmond Madison Square Garden Marquette Marquette Golden Eagles Men’s College Basketball MSG NCAA Basketball Red Storm Rick Pitino RJ Luis Jr. St. Johns St. Johns Red Storm St. Johns University UConn UConn Huskies University of Connecticut 1 Comment 1 Comment William Coppola February 8, 2025 at 2:56 am This is an outstanding piece. St. Johns is having a season that will be remembered for years to come. Luis Jr. had a game for the ages. Knocking off UConn in that place was epic. Great coach and amazing kids on the court. Lou Carnesecca is watching down on this team and smiling. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Email * Website Advertisement Facebook Latest Article Baseball / 2 weeks ago ESPN platforms to broadcast inaugural ‘Puerto Rico Challenge,’ A New College Baseball Series For Elite DI Teams UConn, Michigan, Missouri, Penn State, Rice, Stetson, Villanova, and UVA will Play in Ponce… By Latino Sports Baseball / 18 mins ago Laughter is Nutritional Food for the Soul – La Risa es Alimento Necesario del Alma “Mom! Can a six-year-old girl like me get pregnant?” “Oh no, honey!… That’s impossible…. By Juan Vené Basketball / 6 hours ago St. John’s Back On The Map: Red Storm Takes Down UConn NEW YORK, NY — St. John’s is officially back on the map. This week,… By Robert Rizzo Boxing / 11 hours ago Turki, Canelo, and Jake Paul: Usual Boxing Business Explained NEW YORK, NY — You have to understand Canelo Alvarez, Jake Paul, the Kings… By Rich Mancuso Baseball / 1 day ago Translator Ippei Mizuhara Sentenced – Sentencian al Traductor Ippei Mizuhara “A hardened bachelor is someone who loves to love someone, but without any honor… By Juan Vené More in Basketball New York’s Team: No. 12 St. John’s Finding Ways To Win NEW YORK, NY — Find a way. The St. John’s Red Storm, currently ranked… Midseason Praise: RJ Luis Jr. named to Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List NEW YORK, NY — With the announcement coming earlier this afternoon from the U.S…. ICE COLD KADARY: Richmond hits game-winning bucket to lead No. 15 St. John’s past Providence NEW YORK, NY — Kadary Richmond was a game-winning player and leader during his… A New Yorker Through and Through: Joel Soriano Making Big Strides in NBA G League UNIONDALE, NY — You can take Joel Soriano out of his home state of… New York’s Team: No. 12 St. John’s Finding Ways To Win