Last year’s team was clearly not what Rick Pitino put together, but this year? the total opposite. With one of the greatest transfer portal classes in the nation, St. Johns has quietly assembled a team that has a chance to finish in the top 25 of the AP preseason poll.
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After missing the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year, the Red Storm have made every effort to revert to the former St. Johns basketball culture. A significant part of the change is beginning to be played by Rick Pitino. This is how the St. Johns 2024 transfer portal class is now set up.
In his final year of high school, Vincent Iwuchukwu—a former five-star recruit—committed to play basketball at USC after participating in programs at Montverde Academy. But he chose to put his name in the transfer portal after spending two seasons with the team. In the end, he decided to go to the St. Johns Red Storm next.
Iwuchukwu is a 7-foot-1, 220-pound big man who plays with a very high motor on the court and has an excellent paint presence. He didn’t perform to Rick Pitino’s satisfaction with the Trojans over the previous two seasons, both statistically and in terms of realizing his potential. Iwuchukwu played 15.7 minutes per game last season and averaged 5.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.6 blocks, and 50.4% from the field. Although he doesn’t do much from behind the scenes, he has the potential to be one of the Big East’s most influential insiders.
The Red Storm needed to strengthen their defense, size, and length in order to compete in their conference, which is home to several elite scorers and rim protectors. Surrounded by talent, Iwuchuckwu will be a key member of a squad.
