St. John's University Athletics
2019-20 Men's Basketball Roster
Figueroa, LJ
Open Practice Press Conference 8.5.2025
Tuesday, August 05
St. John's Basketball Adidas Launch Media Availability7.16.25
Wednesday, July 16
Coach Pitino Press Conference Yankee Stadium 6.4.2025
Wednesday, June 04
Rick Pitino: 2024-25 Coach of the Year in Review
Friday, May 09
Jersey Number 30
LJ Figueroa
- Height:
- 6-6
- Weight:
- 200
- Class:
- Junior
- Position:
- Guard/Forward
- Hometown:
- Lawrence, Mass.
- High School:
- West Oaks Academy (Fla.)
- Prev School:
- Odessa College
Bio
2019-20
Led the team and ranked 12th in the BIG EAST with 14.5 points per game… led the league and ranked 36th nationally with 1.94 steals per game… scored in double figures a team-high 22 times with six showings of 20-plus points… netted 15 or more points 17 times… recorded two double-doubles on the season… sank 72 triples, tied for third on the program’s single-season record list in that category… ranked eighth in the BIG EAST with 2.3 made 3-point field goals per game… finished second on the team and 13th in the league in three-point percentage (36.5%)... the only member of the team to start all 32 games… tallied 18 points and four steals in his season debut against Mercer (Nov. 6)… matched a then-career high with 25 points against New Hampshire (Nov. 12)… recorded his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 boards against Vermont (Nov. 16)… netted 23 points against Brown (Dec. 10)… tallied a team-high 21 points and three steals in the Red Storm’s win over No. 16/17 Arizona in San Francisco (Dec. 21)… scored 23 points at Georgetown (Jan. 8)… matched a St. John’s single-game BIG EAST record with seven 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 28 points in the team’s win at DePaul (Jan. 25)… scored 19 points and came away with four steals in the Red Storm’s win over Providence (Feb. 12)… tallied 16 points and 12 rebounds in the victory over No. 10/11 Creighton (March 1)… scored a game-high 22 points in the Red Storm’s BIG EAST Tournament win over Georgetown (March 11).
2018-19
Third Team All-Met… ranked third on the team and 14th in the BIG EAST in scoring at 14.4 points per game…led all first-year BIG EAST players in scoring… topped the team and ranked 10th in the conference in rebounding (6.4 rpg)… placed second on the team and third in the conference in steals per game (1.8 spg)… played in all 34 games and made 32 starts… shot a team-best 51.3 percent from the floor, including a 38.3 percent effort from beyond the arc… converted on 58.0 percent of his tries from inside the three-point arc… had a team-best six double-doubles… tied for sixth in the BIG EAST in double-doubles… scored in double figures 27 times with six 20-point efforts… collected his first St. John’s double-double with 23 points and 11 boards at Rutgers in the Gavitt Tipoff Games (Nov. 16)… tallied season-highs with 25 points and 13 rebounds against UMES (Nov. 27)… matched a season-high 13 rebounds and scored 16 points in a win over Creighton (Jan. 16)… sparked a thrilling comeback win for St. John’s against defending national champion No. 13 Villanova at Madison Square Garden, scoring 16 of his 22 points in the second half and corralling 12 boards (Feb. 17)… registered a double-double in the NCAA Tournament against Arizona State with 19 points and 10 rebounds (March 20).
2017-18 (Odessa College)
NJCAA Division I First Team All-American … averaged 21.4 points per game and led the Wranglers to a 28-5 record … helped Odessa secure a spot in the NJCAA Division I Basketball Championship … shot 55.5 percent from the floor, including a blistering 48.2 percent from beyond the three-point arc … also shot 72.6 percent from the charity stripe … reached double figures in all but one game for the Wranglers … tallied 19 20-point outings and four 30-point performances … grabbed 5.5 boards and dished out 3.7 assists per game … scored a season-high 38 points on 15-of-26 shooting against New Mexico Military on Jan. 8.
Before College
Ranked as high as no. 71 in the high school class of 2017 according to 247Sports … played his senior year of high school at West Oaks Academy in Orlando … has extensive international experience, playing with the Dominican Republic U18 team during the 2016 FIBA Americas, where he averaged 14.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 22 minutes per game … played for Team Breakdown of the Under Armour Association on the AAU circuit, averaging 20.4 points per game.
Personal
Lionel J. Figueroa … born in Lawrence, Mass. … son of Gleny Mercado … has a brother, Joenel, and a sister, Jessica.
LJ Figueroa Profile
Sports hero: Kobe Bryant
Favorite team: Boston Celtics
Favorite candy: Snickers
Favorite TV show: Prison Break
Favorite musical artist: Adventura
Led the team and ranked 12th in the BIG EAST with 14.5 points per game… led the league and ranked 36th nationally with 1.94 steals per game… scored in double figures a team-high 22 times with six showings of 20-plus points… netted 15 or more points 17 times… recorded two double-doubles on the season… sank 72 triples, tied for third on the program’s single-season record list in that category… ranked eighth in the BIG EAST with 2.3 made 3-point field goals per game… finished second on the team and 13th in the league in three-point percentage (36.5%)... the only member of the team to start all 32 games… tallied 18 points and four steals in his season debut against Mercer (Nov. 6)… matched a then-career high with 25 points against New Hampshire (Nov. 12)… recorded his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 boards against Vermont (Nov. 16)… netted 23 points against Brown (Dec. 10)… tallied a team-high 21 points and three steals in the Red Storm’s win over No. 16/17 Arizona in San Francisco (Dec. 21)… scored 23 points at Georgetown (Jan. 8)… matched a St. John’s single-game BIG EAST record with seven 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 28 points in the team’s win at DePaul (Jan. 25)… scored 19 points and came away with four steals in the Red Storm’s win over Providence (Feb. 12)… tallied 16 points and 12 rebounds in the victory over No. 10/11 Creighton (March 1)… scored a game-high 22 points in the Red Storm’s BIG EAST Tournament win over Georgetown (March 11).
2018-19
Third Team All-Met… ranked third on the team and 14th in the BIG EAST in scoring at 14.4 points per game…led all first-year BIG EAST players in scoring… topped the team and ranked 10th in the conference in rebounding (6.4 rpg)… placed second on the team and third in the conference in steals per game (1.8 spg)… played in all 34 games and made 32 starts… shot a team-best 51.3 percent from the floor, including a 38.3 percent effort from beyond the arc… converted on 58.0 percent of his tries from inside the three-point arc… had a team-best six double-doubles… tied for sixth in the BIG EAST in double-doubles… scored in double figures 27 times with six 20-point efforts… collected his first St. John’s double-double with 23 points and 11 boards at Rutgers in the Gavitt Tipoff Games (Nov. 16)… tallied season-highs with 25 points and 13 rebounds against UMES (Nov. 27)… matched a season-high 13 rebounds and scored 16 points in a win over Creighton (Jan. 16)… sparked a thrilling comeback win for St. John’s against defending national champion No. 13 Villanova at Madison Square Garden, scoring 16 of his 22 points in the second half and corralling 12 boards (Feb. 17)… registered a double-double in the NCAA Tournament against Arizona State with 19 points and 10 rebounds (March 20).
2017-18 (Odessa College)
NJCAA Division I First Team All-American … averaged 21.4 points per game and led the Wranglers to a 28-5 record … helped Odessa secure a spot in the NJCAA Division I Basketball Championship … shot 55.5 percent from the floor, including a blistering 48.2 percent from beyond the three-point arc … also shot 72.6 percent from the charity stripe … reached double figures in all but one game for the Wranglers … tallied 19 20-point outings and four 30-point performances … grabbed 5.5 boards and dished out 3.7 assists per game … scored a season-high 38 points on 15-of-26 shooting against New Mexico Military on Jan. 8.
Before College
Ranked as high as no. 71 in the high school class of 2017 according to 247Sports … played his senior year of high school at West Oaks Academy in Orlando … has extensive international experience, playing with the Dominican Republic U18 team during the 2016 FIBA Americas, where he averaged 14.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 22 minutes per game … played for Team Breakdown of the Under Armour Association on the AAU circuit, averaging 20.4 points per game.
Personal
Lionel J. Figueroa … born in Lawrence, Mass. … son of Gleny Mercado … has a brother, Joenel, and a sister, Jessica.
LJ Figueroa Profile
Sports hero: Kobe Bryant
Favorite team: Boston Celtics
Favorite candy: Snickers
Favorite TV show: Prison Break
Favorite musical artist: Adventura