Just a few weeks ago, St. John’s and Florida were fighting for their place in the NCAA Tournament. Now? They’re battling for one of the best guards in the portal. Rick Pitino has St. John’s back in the spotlight. The Red Storm won the Big East regular-season and conference titles, locked down a No. 2 seed in the West, and handled Omaha with ease in the first round. Arkansas ended their run in the second, but the message was clear—St. John’s is back.

Florida made an even louder noise, pulling off a massive comeback to win the NCAA title over Houston. But with their entire starting backcourt out of eligibility, there are some serious holes to patch heading into 2025–26. Enter Xaivian Lee. And while it might seem like Duke was in the mix for the All-Ivy League star, one insider says they’re not.

With Cooper Flagg projected as the No.1 draft pick and Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach as lottery, Jon Scheyer is left to look for pieces to fill the void. The Princeton guard was his first try, or so they said. The program was listed among Noth Carolina, St. John’s, Florida, BYU, and Stanford, eyeing Lee. But veteran reporter Adam Zagoria confirmed the Blue Devils are sitting this one out, instead. 

“Duke has not reached out to Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee, per sources,” he posted on Twitter. “They also have Cayden Boozer coming at PG.”

For 2025-26, Jon Scheyer has signed his 3rd No.1 recruiting class of the last 4 years. That includes 4 top-25 players, two of whom are the twin brothers Cayden and Cameron Boozer, sons of Duke legend Carlos Boozer. The former is the No. 4 point guard and 24th-ranked player overall in the 2025 class. So it would make sense if Scheyer was looking away for now. But for St. John’s and Florida, that’s an opportunity to hop in on.

“We need two guards,” Pitino said at the Final Four. “We got to bring in two guards, but we need a point guard.” Lee could be that guy. He averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 boards, and 5.5 assists last season, making for one of the complete guard. But Florida has an edge—and it’s personal.

They’re not just leaning on their national title. They’ve got sophomore forward Thomas Haugh in their corner. Haugh and Lee were teammates at Perkiomen School in Pennsylvania. And now Haugh is pushing hard for a reunion. “I think his defense has really evolved,” Haugh told the Gainesville Sun. “He’s an elite scorer… it’d be really good for us.” 

Haugh helped Perkiomen win its first-ever state title in 2023. He didn’t share that title run with Lee, but they trained and played together for years. Florida center Micah Handlogten called Lee “a phenomenal scorer” with “very good change of direction” and next-level craft. If Lee heads to Gainesville, he’d likely slot in next to Denzel Aberdeen in the starting backcourt. It’s not the same level of experience as last year’s Walter Clayton Jr.–Will Richard duo, but it’s got serious upside.

Right now, this feels like a two-horse race. Pitino’s St. John’s rebuild versus the reigning champs in Gainesville. This portal chase is heating up. And just as the race for Lee hits full speed, Pitino landed a portal win of his own—UNC’s Ian Jackson is headed to Queens.

Ian Jackson eyeing a return home as Pitino reloads St. John’s roster

This week, St. John’s is loading up on visits from serious talent. Lee’s visit kicks things off, but Stanford’s Oziyah Sellers, Cincinnati forward Dillon Mitchell, and UNC’s Ian Jackson are all stopping by too. That’s a stacked lineup of portal prospects, and Pitino looks ready to make moves.

Jackson’s visit feels different. This one’s personal. He grew up in the Bronx. IJ played his high school ball right there at Our Saviour Lutheran. He knew the neighborhood, the people, the energy. As a sophomore in high school, MaxPreps named him the best in the country. And he carried that buzz all the way to North Carolina, where he picked the Tar Heels over Kentucky, Arkansas, LSU, and Oregon.

At Chapel Hill, he made noise. Jackson earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman team. He averaged 11.9 points and 2.7 rebounds, and shot nearly 46% from the field, hit close to 40% from three, and knocked down free throws at 72%. He started 12 games in a row and dropped 15.3 a night during that stretch. 

Now, the Bronx kid might be coming home. Jeff Goodman thinks it’s leaning that way. “I would be surprised if Ian Jackson doesn’t ultimately end up with St. John’s,” he said on The Field of 68. And if Pitino pulls this off? It’s massive.