St. John's University Athletics
St. John’s Basketball Honored at 92nd Annual Haggerty All-Met Dinner
4/25/2025 11:43:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
RJ Luis Jr. accepted the 2024-25 Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Award presented to the top player in the metropolitan area
QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's men's and women's basketball programs received several honors at the 92 Annual Haggerty All-Met Dinner hosted by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers' Association (MBWA) on Thursday in Tarrytown, N.Y.
St. John's men's basketball standouts Zuby Ejiofor, RJ Luis Jr., Kadary Richmond along with women's basketball star Lashae Dwyer earned All-Met recognition. Red Storm Head Coach Rick Pitino was also honored with the MBWA Coach of the Year award, newly named "The Looie" in honor of fellow Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Lou Carnesecca. Pitino became the first St. John's head coach to win the MBWA Coach of the Year award since 1999.
Luis, the program's first consensus All-American in the 21st century, was presented with the final award of the night, the Lt. Frank J Haggerty Award which is given to the region's top player among the 21 Division I metropolitan area schools.
"This is a great honor, being from Miami and being embraced by the whole metropolitan area is something I wouldn't trade for the world," Luis said during his acceptance speech. "This season was special as we were able to win a BIG EAST Tournament and Regular Season title for the first time in 40 years."
Luis, Ejiofor and Richmond were recognized as All-Met First Team selections, marking just the sixth time in the awards history three players from the same school were tabbed to the top team.
Dwyer, the 2024-25 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, was named an All-Met Second Team selection. The St. John's women's basketball program has had a player earn MBWA honors for the last 20 years consecutively.
BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman was also honored on Thursday receiving the MBWA's Distinguished Service Award for her accomplished career in the sports industry and contributions to basketball at every level. Notably, Ackerman was recognized for dedicated service overseeing the rebirth of the BIG EAST Conference. Jay Wright, a fellow Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and two-time National Champion at Villanova, introduced Ackerman to a room full of honorees and special guests.
Additionally, the Met Basketball Writers' Association saluted John Paquette, the BIG EAST's Senior Commissioner for Sports Media Relations, for his 35 years of service to the conference. Paquette was previously honored by the MBWA with the Distinguished Service Award in 2013 and the Mike Cohen "Good Guy" Award in 1989.
For more information about the MBWA and to watch the live stream of last night's ceremony, visit their website.
St. John's men's basketball standouts Zuby Ejiofor, RJ Luis Jr., Kadary Richmond along with women's basketball star Lashae Dwyer earned All-Met recognition. Red Storm Head Coach Rick Pitino was also honored with the MBWA Coach of the Year award, newly named "The Looie" in honor of fellow Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Lou Carnesecca. Pitino became the first St. John's head coach to win the MBWA Coach of the Year award since 1999.
Luis, the program's first consensus All-American in the 21st century, was presented with the final award of the night, the Lt. Frank J Haggerty Award which is given to the region's top player among the 21 Division I metropolitan area schools.
"This is a great honor, being from Miami and being embraced by the whole metropolitan area is something I wouldn't trade for the world," Luis said during his acceptance speech. "This season was special as we were able to win a BIG EAST Tournament and Regular Season title for the first time in 40 years."
Luis, Ejiofor and Richmond were recognized as All-Met First Team selections, marking just the sixth time in the awards history three players from the same school were tabbed to the top team.
Dwyer, the 2024-25 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, was named an All-Met Second Team selection. The St. John's women's basketball program has had a player earn MBWA honors for the last 20 years consecutively.
BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman was also honored on Thursday receiving the MBWA's Distinguished Service Award for her accomplished career in the sports industry and contributions to basketball at every level. Notably, Ackerman was recognized for dedicated service overseeing the rebirth of the BIG EAST Conference. Jay Wright, a fellow Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and two-time National Champion at Villanova, introduced Ackerman to a room full of honorees and special guests.
Additionally, the Met Basketball Writers' Association saluted John Paquette, the BIG EAST's Senior Commissioner for Sports Media Relations, for his 35 years of service to the conference. Paquette was previously honored by the MBWA with the Distinguished Service Award in 2013 and the Mike Cohen "Good Guy" Award in 1989.
For more information about the MBWA and to watch the live stream of last night's ceremony, visit their website.
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard/Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
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