By ADAM ZAGORIA
One day after St. John’s landed Tennessee transfer Chris Ledlum, Quinn Slazinski announced he will transfer from St. John’s for West Virginia.
Slazinski’s departure in the wake of the Ledlum addition was first reported by ZAGSBLOG.
Ironically, the 6-foot-9 Slazinski and his new teammates will host coach Rick Pitino and the Red Storm on Dec. 1 in the Big East/Big 12 Battle at WVU Coliseum.
“I wanted a big role for my last year,” Slazinski told On3.com. “When Pitino came to me and said he was going to add to the team, I understand he was doing what was best for the team success. Conversely, I have my own dreams I want to achieve. I was asked to stay after the decision to add another player came, but it didn’t line up with my goals. I thank Pitino for all he has done, but I want to be a a major part of a team success at this stage of my career.”
Slazinski averaged 11.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in seven games for Pitino at Iona last season. He battled knee and ankle injuries and eventually had season-ending surgery in January. He spent his first two seasons at Louisville before transferring to Iona ahead of the 2021-22 season.
He announced his transfer to St. John’s from Iona in April, and then graduated Iona in June.
At West Virginia, he will join interim coach Josh Eilert’s roster that lost Joe Toussaint (Texas Tech) and is expected to lose guard Jose Perez as well.
“I have known the staff for many years now.,” Slazinski told On3. “Going to Huntington Prep, we were at many games at WVU, and it has everything I’m looking for. The fan base, mixers with the city of Morgantown had everything I wanted to offer. I’m so excited to get started, and most importantly win games.”
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