RJ Luis Jr., a junior at St. John’s University, has just made history by becoming the first Latino player to win The Big East Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year award. This award shows how well he did during the 2024-25 season.

Born on November 27, 2002, in Miami, Florida, Luis went to Christopher Columbus High School. That’s where he started to show his talents by averaging 25 points and 11 rebounds per game his senior season. These impressive stats had him being First Team All-State for the second time in his high school career.

Luis’ first season of his college career was at the University of Massachusetts. During his freshman season, he played in 27 games, averaging 12 points and 5 rebounds per game. His performance got him a spot on the All-Freshman Team, which was something he was proud to do.

He was looking for better competition, so he decided to leave UMass and go to St. John’s University for the 2023-24 season. In his first year, he played in 23 games, averaging 11 points and 5 rebounds a game. He hurt his hand, so that hurt his sophomore year.

The 2024-25 season was a turning point in Luis’ career. He led the team by averaging 18 points and 7 rebounds per game, playing a very important role by starting every game. His amazing season helped St. John’s make the Big East Championship for the first time in 40 years.

Luis’ amazing season also helped him be selected as one of the finalists for the Naismith National Player of the Year award, showcasing his ability to perform in big games. Even though he didn’t win, he did really well and had a good role as a team player.