Why Brady Dunlap is leaving St. John’s in transfer portal

Brady Dunlap thought he would spend his entire college basketball career playing for St. John’s. After making what he called “one of the toughest decisions of my life,” he chose a different path.

Dunlap decided on Monday that he would put his name into the NCAA transfer portal and seek a new destination for his junior year. It’s not what Red Storm coach Rick Pitino wanted him to do. And it’s not really what he wanted to do. But after consulting with his family, he felt it was what he should do.

“When I talked to coach Pitino, he wanted me back,” Dunlap told Newsday in a phone interview. “I wanted to be back. [Pitino] said I was going to play a lot — playing a lot is like 20 minutes a game — and I liked that . . . But it’s about more than just playing time. It’s about the style of play and how I fit.

“I’ve gotten better at creating my own shot like they do, but me and my family thought going to a place that better suits my game and my skills will help me flourish more.”

He called Monday “a very sad day.”

“I love coach Pitino, and I love the staff and everybody here, the culture here, everything about this place. I love it all . . . I just wanted a place where I knew for sure my style of play fit better.”

A season that started with high expectations for a larger role and a greater dependence on his outside shooting prowess ended up more of a nightmare for Dunlap. He was limited to only 10 games, needed surgery in November to repair a wrist tendon and a second surgery in February for an abdominal tear.

He was on the Red Strom bench for all the highlights of a sensational season for the team: Winning the first outright Big East championship in 40 years, winning the Big East Tournament title for the first time in 25 years, the Selection Sunday announcement St. John’s would be a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the program’s first tourney win in 25 years.

And it’s not like Dunlap was invisible. His celebrations of some of the players’ best plays became videos that went viral on social media.

“It was a very hard season,” Dunlap said. “Just watching everybody succeed and it’s like I was in jail. I was watching them having the best time of their lives and I just had to sit and watch. I tried to contribute as much as I could with my energy and I tried to be infectious. But I don’t want to be known as the ‘vibes guy’ or the guy that’s super-dancing on sidelines. I’d rather be known as a player and ‘a dude’ and that may have played a role in my decision, too.”

Dunlap, who was recruited out of Harvard-Westlake High in Los Angeles, averaged 5.7 points and 2.2 rebounds and shot 38% on three-point attempts. He is receiving a medical redshirt this season and will have three years of eligibility wherever he lands.

But he didn’t enter the portal with a particular program in mind.

“I thought I was going to be a Johnnie for life and now I’m not even sure where I’m looking to go,” Dunlap said. “I’m up for any level [of program]. I’m cool. I’ll go down a level if I have to, but I’d rather stay at the same level with a better style of play for me.”

Asked to look back on the two years he spent at St. John’s, Dunlap replied, “Anyone that’s looking at this program and wants to hear my [thoughts] should call me because I have nothing but great things to say. I’d grade it super high — it was a great place to spend my first two years.

“God put me in this place for a reason and the reason was to help me grow as a person and as a basketball player,” he added. “Coach Pitino and everyone at St. John’s helped me do that.”