QUEENS, N.Y.) – The St. John’s men’s basketball program announced the signing of highly-touted transfer and 2023 All-BIG EAST First Team selection Bryce Hopkins on Monday.

Hopkins arrives in Queens after three years at Providence, where he averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds with the Friars after beginning his collegiate career at Kentucky in 2021-22.

“Bryce reminds me so much of Zuby [Ejiofor] from a personality standpoint,” said St. John’s Head Coach Rick Pitino. “He’s selfless, humble, hardworking and has outstanding talent. I worked him out and was extremely impressed with his abilities in so many areas. He will be a great replacement for the void left with RJ [Luis Jr.] moving on to the pros.”

The veteran forward started all 50 games during his tenure in Providence despite missing time over his final two seasons due to injury. In his first year, the 6-foot-7 wing guided Providence to an NCAA Tournament appearance after leading the Friars in scoring and rebounding.

Heading into his senior season, Hopkins was named to numerous watch lists for national awards prior to the 2024-25 season, including the Wooden Award National Player of the Year. He appeared in just three games in early December averaging 17.0 points and 7.7 rebounds.

During the 2023-24 campaign, Hopkins started 14 contests logging 15.5 points and a career-best 8.6 boards per outing before suffering a season-ending injury during the early portion of the BIG EAST slate. The Oak Park Ill., native recorded five double-doubles in 14 games during his junior season.

Hopkins made a major impact in his first year at Providence tallying 15.8 points on 45.2 percent shooting, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in 33 appearances during the 2022-23 season. The Friars’ offensive catalyst racked up 28 double-figure scoring performances and seven 20-plus point outings, including reaching a personal best of 29 points on two occasions. He was honored as an All-BIG EAST First Team selection, NABC All-District First Team honoree and USBWA All-Region First Team choice.

A highly-touted prospect out of high school, Hopkins spent his freshman at Kentucky. He appeared in 28 games off the bench while in Lexington. He averaged 6.6 minutes, 2.1 points and 1.6 rebounds during the 2021-22 campaign as the Wildcats finished the season with a 28-8 overall record and earned a No. 2 seed in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

A consensus four-star prospect and top-40 recruit in the class of 2021, Hopkins averaged 24.4 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists as a senior at Fenwick High School, guiding the team to a catholic league championship. He was named the MaxPreps Illinois Player of the Year and was named to the Jordan Brand Classic roster.

Hopkins joins Arizona State transfer and former five-star recruit Joson Sanon as the second signee to join the BIG EAST Champion Red Storm.