Jason Burgos
St. John’s has been linked to a pair of high-impact veterans in new college basketball transfer portal rumors.
Over the first two months of the 2025-26 season, there were doubts if St. John’s could play up to the new standard they set the year before. Following a Jan. 3 loss to Providence, they owned a 14-5 record, and reaching the NCAA Tournament was far from a lock.
However, after that setback, the Red Storm caught fire and won 22 of their next 24 games, including a pair of big victories over eventual tournament finalists UConn. But, with great success comes major departures, and St. John’s will have to fill the voids left by the exits of stars Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins, Dillon Mitchell, and Oziyah Sellers.
However, it looks like Rick Pitino and his staff are again being very aggressive in the transfer portal to replace those players. Earlier this week, it was reported that the Johnnies are among the teams targeting Kansas big man Flory Bidunga. But he is just one of a few players they are looking to replace their departing big men.
St. John’s in on Arizona State’s Massamba Diop
According to college basketball insider Adam Zagoria, St. John’s has had its crosshairs set on Arizona State forward Massamba Diop for quite some time. The freshman had a strong start to his college career as he posted 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks a night in just under 30 minutes for the Sun Devils. He would be a very nice replacement for 2026 Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor.
But Diop is not the only high-impact player St. John’s has been linked to over the last 24 hours. “Kansas State transfer Abdi Bashir will visit St. John’s on April 13th,” 247 Sports’ Dushawn London reports.
In 18 appearances, Bashir was rock-solid for the Wildcats. Posting 13.2 points, 2.2 assists, and shooting 44% from three. However, in 2024-25 for Monmouth, the Omaha native averaged just over 20 points a night. Bashir would add a player with the potential to be a major scoring threat to the Red Storm’s backcourt next season.
