Rick Pitino had a 7-word explanation for benching RJ Luis in St. John's loss to Arkansas
Rick Pitino had a 7-word explanation for benching RJ Luis in St. John's loss to Arkansas
The only thing more surprising than No. 2 seed St. John's falling to No. 10 seed Arkansas in the NCAA men's tournament Round of 32 on Saturday is who wasn't on the court for the Red Storm during the final, crucial minutes.
12 Photos: Rick Pitino and John Calipari going through all the emotions during Arkansas-St. John's
As the Johnnies' season came to an abrupt end in the 75-66 loss, reigning Big East Player of the Year R.J. Luis Jr. was seemingly glued to the Red Storm's bench. After averaging 18.5 points and 7.2 rebounds this season, the junior went ice cold from the floor early against Arkansas and wasn't given a chance to find his game down the stretch.
When asked why he sat his best player all year, St. John's head coach Rick Pitino gave a very succinct — and tense — answer:
It's true Luis had one of his worst games of the season. He shot 3-for-17 from the field with nine points and seven rebounds. It was only the second time all season Luis scored fewer than 10 points and the first time since late December.
Still, the one area where he was helping the Johnnies on Saturday was from the free throw line (3-for-4). With the Red Storm trailing late and attempting to draw fouls, he seemingly could've helped. Instead, Pitino kept him on the bench. Obviously, the coach knows his players better than anyone else, but it's a decision the program will likely second-guess all offseason.
For his part, Luis owned up to his performance in the locker room after the loss.
Pitino clearly didn't want to speak ill of a star player who everyone watching knew was struggling out there. That's probably for the best, even if it won't stop basketball fans from wondering what Luis could've gone if given another chance.
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