Pitino taps transfer portal as St. John’s lands Joson Sanon and Bryce Hopkins

By Canadian Press on April 1, 2025.

NEW YORK (AP) — St. John’s coach Rick Pitino has already been busy replenishing his roster in the transfer portal.

Coming off its most successful season in decades, the school announced two significant signings Monday — former Arizona State guard Joson Sanon and ex-Providence forward Bryce Hopkins.

They should help replace RJ Luis Jr., a second-team All-American and the 2025 Big East Player of the Year. Luis is declaring for the NBA draft while retaining his eligibility and entering the portal, his agent told ESPN last weekend.

St. John’s also loses seniors Kadary Richmond, Aaron Scott and Deivon Smith, meaning four of its top five scorers from 2024-25 won’t be back next season. They teamed with power forward Zuby Ejiofor to lead the Red Storm to a pair of Big East championships this year and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament before they lost to 10th-seeded Arkansas 75-66 in the second round.

The 19-year-old Sanon, a five-star prospect coming out of high school, averaged 11.9 points in 28.3 minutes per game during his freshman season with the Sun Devils and has three years of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-5 guard shot 36.9% from 3-point range, which should help a Johnnies team that struggled from the perimeter this season. He averaged 18.8 points over his last five games.

“Joson is a great shooter, really good athlete and has absolutely outstanding potential,” Pitino, the 72-year-old Hall of Fame coach, said in a news release.

Hopkins was a first-team All-Big East selection in 2023 at Providence but missed most of the past two seasons because of injuries. He averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in 50 games over three years with the Friars after beginning his college career at Kentucky in 2021-22.

The 6-foot-7 Hopkins started 14 games in 2023-24 before a torn ACL ended his season. He returned in early December 2024 but played in just three games, averaging 17.0 points and 7.7 rebounds, before a bone bruise sidelined him for the rest of the season.

“Bryce reminds me so much of Zuby from a personality standpoint,” Pitino said. “He’s selfless, humble, hardworking and has outstanding talent. I worked him out and was extremely impressed with his abilities in so many areas. He will be a great replacement for the void left with RJ moving on to the pros.”

Pitino guided St. John’s to a 31-5 record this season, equaling a school best for wins, and a No. 5 ranking in the AP Top 25 that marked its highest since 1991. The program won its first outright Big East regular-season title in 40 years, its first conference tournament crown in a quarter-century, and earned its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2000.

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Mike Fitzpatrick, The Associated Press

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