Rick Pitino's St. John's loses backup center Vince Iwuchukwu to transfer portal
Vince Iwuchukwu won't be playing for Rick Pitino's St. John's next season. The backup center announced on Tuesday that he has entered the transfer portal after a one-season stint with the Red Storm.
Iwuchukwu, who moved to St John's from USC last year through the transfer portal, struggled to find playing time under Pitino last season. He averaged 7.2 minutes per contest in the 2024-25 NCAA campaign. Iwuchukwu started just one game in his lone season with the Red Storm.
Vince Iwuchukwu's numbers dipped as a result. The 7-foot-1 Nigerian averaged 2.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.5 blocks through 34 games for St. John's. He previously averaged 5.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.6 blocks through 31 games for USC in the 2023-24 season.
Iwuchukwu also had limited production in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 2.5 points and 1.0 rebounds during the Red Storm's March Madness run. He failed to score a single point in the second round against Arkansas, missing his lone field-goal attempt in St. John's 75-66 loss.
Rick Pitino adds new recruits to St. John's lineup via the transfer portal
It's not all doom and gloom, though, for Rick Pitino as the Red Storm acquired four key players through the transfer portal. They signed North Carolina transfer Ian Jackson on Monday, bolstering St. John's backcourt following the departures of Kadary Richmond and Deivon Smith.
Jackson, who is a New York native, averaged 11.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists through 36 games for the Tar Heels in his freshman season. Jackson's final game for North Carolina ended in disappointment, scoring just one point in the Tar Heels' 71-64 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels in the first round.
Rick Pitino also signed Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins, who played just three games last season for the Friars after returning from an ACL injury. He averaged 17.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals in the games against BYU, Rhode Island and DePaul before his 2024-25 season was shut down.
Pitino also added Arizona State transfer Joson Sanon to his lineup. He averaged 11.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists through 27 games in his freshman season with the Sun Devils.
Pitino also signed Stanford transfer Oziyah Sellers. The former USC player averaged 13.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists through 35 games in his junior season with the Cardinal.