LSU basketball is making waves in the college hoops landscape with a recent move. Ahead of Will Wade’s first year back in Baton Rouge, he has signed RJ Luis Jr. to join the team.
On paper, this looks like a great move. Formerly a St. John’s star who was named the 2025 Big East Player of the Year, he’d instantly be one of the most intriguing players in the conference and raise LSU’s ceiling.
The issue is he’s not currently eligible to compete at the NCAA level. Luis entered the NBA draft after his 2025 campaign and stayed in past the deadline to withdraw. He ultimately went undrafted and signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz before being traded to the Boston Celtics. He was waived by the Celtics, but promptly signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the team to play for their G-League squad.
While Luis didn’t end up playing in any G-League games due to injury, signing an NBA contract made him ineligible to return to the NCAA. It’s a similar situation to Charles Bediako with Alabama last season, who was deemed ineligible by the NCAA.
RJ Luis is currently not eligible to play. Will likely file a lawsuit. https://t.co/4AvBezMOCp
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) May 19, 2026
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According to Pete Nakos of On3, he believes that Luis will likely file a lawsuit. That ruling could be critical in his ability to play for the Tigers next season, even if the NCAA rules prohibit him.
In his final year at SJU, Luis averaged 18.2 points per game on 43.9% shooting from the field and 33.6% on threes. He also contributed 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game for the Red Storm. The team went 31-5 (18-2 Big East) and earned a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament before being upset by 10-seed Arkansas in the Round of 32.
Luis played three years at the college level in total. He started at UMass before playing his pair with St. John’s.
