Rick Pitino calls out reporter, addresses RJ Luis benching vs. Arkansas: 'You know why he didn't play'

St. John’s played the final stretch of Saturday’s Round of 32 loss to Arkansas without RJ Luis. A coaching decision from Rick Pitino, Luis sat on the bench for the final five minutes. Certainly a puzzling decision from Pitino considering how important Luis has been for the Johnnie’s.

Of course, Pitino was asked about the situation during his postgame press conference. His original answer was a simple one, instead focusing on the length of time Luis was out on the court.

“He played 30 minutes,” Pitino said. “That’s a long time.”

A reporter then pressed Pitino a little, asking if Luis was tired. Pitino then decided to call the reporter out, saying the questions were leading. Ultimately, Pitino claims everyone should “already know” why Luis was benched during crunch time.

“No, he played 30 minutes and I went with other people,” Pitino said. “You already know the answers, Roger. You’re asking leading questions. You already know it. Don’t ask leading questions, you already know why he didn’t play.”

Luis did not have a great day when looking at the box score. The Big East Player of the Year has been great all season but did not deliver against Arkansas. He finished with nine points, three of which came from the free-throw line. An abysmal three-of-17 shooting night (0-3 from three) is certainly a reason why St. John’s is still not alive in the NCAA Tournament.

Just on Thursday, Luis had a great performance against Omaha. He finished with 22 points and shot 57% from the field. Just one other game this season has seen Luis having a scoring night in single-digits and unsurprisingly, it was a loss. St. John’s dropped a game out in Omaha to Creighton when Luis only put up eight points.

Pitino was quick to mention the 30 minutes Luis wound up playing. Compared to previous games, that is a lower number than usual. Luis’ average is around 32 minutes per night as he played more than 30 minutes on 22 occasions. There are a couple of 40+ outings, playing the entire game vs. Marquette in early February and then 42 minutes in a double overtime game against Baylor.

Either way, not a topic Pitino wanted to discuss at much length. Luis does have another year of eligibility and if a return to St. John’s is in order, he will play just as big of a role for Pitino.