Providence forward Bryce Hopkins is staying in the Big East, as he heads to the Big Apple to play for Rick Pitino and St. John’s. Hopkins agreed to ink his new deal with the Red Storm on Monday night.
According to Zach Braziller of The New York Post, one of the reasons Hopkins chose St. John’s was because he felt the player development under Pitino was a key to his decision.
He was asked about Zuby Ejiofor and what it would be like to play alongside him in Queens.
“I think we can be great together,” Hopkins said to The Post. “I feel like I play great with other great players and great bigs. Zuby’s motor and having someone like that on your team only makes you want to play harder. I’m happy to go to war with somebody like that. I know we can do special things.”
The Red Storm will be the senior’s third team in five years, dating back to the 2021-2022 season, where he came off the bench occasionally for Kentucky. He spent the last three seasons with the Friars, averaging 15.8 points, 8.5 steals, and 2.1 assists per game. This past season, the 6-foot-7 playmaker suffered a season-ending knee injury.
“My knee is 100 percent now,” Hopkins said. “I feel like sitting out the rest of the year really helped me out a lot, because it gave me time to fully heal myself to the point where I feel like myself again.”
Something worth noting is Hopkins suffered two knee injuries almost exactly a year apart in both 2024 and 2025. He played just 14 games in 2023-2024 and three this past season.
Hopkins hasn’t played a full season since the 2022-2023, where he played 30 games, but he went through a full workout during his visit on Saturday and looked like himself, a source told Braziller.
Hopkins chose Pitino over Ed Cooley and Georgetown, who brought him over from Kentucky to Providence back in 2021.
On Saturday, Johnnies faithful heard the news that they were losing Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis Jr. to the transfer portal and the NBA Draft. Over the last week, Pitino has retained Ejiofor, signed Joson Sanon from Arizona State through the portal, and now Hopkins.
According to Braziller, the plan is for St. John’s to add two more guards and a defensive-minded wing through the portal.
