Twenty-two months ago, RJ Luis made his college decision.
The UMass transfer had options. He took visits to Louisville and Texas A&M, along with St. John’s.
The Queens school stood out for one reason.
“I want to be coached by the best and I want somebody to hold me accountable,” Luis told The Post at the time. “[Rick Pitino] is going to help me develop my game and be more of a complete player.”
So far, it has worked out just as Luis hoped.
In his second season as a Johnnie, he has developed into one of the top wings in the country, and on Wednesday he made St. John’s history as its first Big East Player of the Year in 39 years.
Walter Berry was the last Johnnie to win the award in 1986.
Luis beat fellow unanimous All-Big East first team selections Ryan Kalkbrenner of Creighton, Kam Jones of Marquette and Eric Dixon of Villanova.
Pitino was also named the Big East Coach of the Year after leading the sixth-ranked Red Storm to their first outright regular season title since 1985.
It is, remarkably, the Hall of Famer’s first time winning the honor in 12 seasons as a Big East coach at Providence, Louisville and St. John’s.
The award continued a big week for the Johnnies. On Sunday, Luis and forward Zuby Ejiofor were named to the All-Big East first team. A day later, Ejiofor was selected as the conference’s Most Improved Player. The close friends are the latest Pitino development success stories, going from role players a year ago to stars this season.
“Coach Pitino does a great job of just pushing us to our limits and beyond,” Ejiofor said. “The player development sessions, the practices, the level of competitiveness is always there every single day. We have no choice but to get better.”
From the time Luis arrived in Queens, Pitino raved about his potential. Last season was difficult for the Miami native.
He suffered a fractured left hand during the preseason and severe shin splints limited him much of the season.
Luis was rarely able to practice or take part in Pitino’s renowned skill development sessions. He underwent surgeries to repair the issues.
“It was probably like a month into the surgery. I couldn’t walk by myself, couldn’t stand up,” Luis told The Post’s Steve Serby. “I felt like helpless in a way, ‘cause I needed somebody to help me all the time. The pain was unbearable. I couldn’t sleep, had to like up the dosage on the drug so I could just go to sleep.
“My worst fear? I didn’t think I was gonna be as athletic. Like I thought I was gonna lose my [first] step. And I’m probably more athletic than I was the year before.”
He returned a different player this winter — more explosive, more disciplined and a dynamic two-way force.
Luis finished the regular season fourth in the Big East in scoring (18.1), sixth in rebounding (7.1) and 10th in field goal percentage (44.6).
Of late, he has significantly improved his 3-point shooting, making them at a 36.7 percent clip since Jan. 11.
