Jason Burgos
St. John’s just landed an impact player in the transfer portal after they decided to withdraw from the NBA Draft despite having first-round pick projections.
After reaching the Sweet 16 in March, there has been a lot of turnover on St. John’s roster. Players like Joson Sanon, Sadiku Ibine Ayo, Imran Suljanovic, and Dylan Darling have departed in the transfer portal. Plus, their top two stars from 2025-26, Bryce Hopkins and Zuby Ejiofor, have used up all of their eligibility.
It has put a lot of spring pressure on coach Rick Pitino to reload so that the basketball program can continue its run of strong play in the Big East. Since March, he has made some good additions, including Syracuse standout Donnie Freeman and Serbian 7-footer Lazar Stojkovic.
While there have been rumblings that they could land Iowa State sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic after he withdrew from the NBA Draft on Thursday, there is a lot of competition on the transfer portal market for the big man’s services.
Tounde Yessoufou passes on NBA Draft to join St. John’s
As they wait to see what happens with Momcilovic, St. John’s got some big news late on Wednesday night about another talented NBA Draft prospect who has also passed on being included in next month’s event.
“Baylor’s Tounde Yessoufou — a potential first-round pick — has withdrawn from the 2026 NBA draft and committed to St. John’s Red Storm men’s basketball program to play for Rick Pitino,” ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reports.
Yessoufou had a strong freshman season for the Bears in 2025-26. Posting 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.0 steals in 32.6 minutes a night. Yessoufou is a great get for the Johnnies late in the portal process and is sure to play a role in the program’s pursuit of a third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the late 1990s.
