St. John's will reportedly face Syracuse at Madison Square Garden during the non-conference portion of the 2026-27 season. The Red Storm also strengthened its roster by adding Baylor freshman wing Tounde Yessoufou through the transfer portal. Yessoufou, listed at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, withdrew from the 2026 NBA Draft before the May 27 deadline to keep collegiate eligibility. He averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 2.0 steals as a freshman while shooting 46.5% from the field, 29.3% from three, and 74.6% from the free-throw line. He earned honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference recognition and is rated five stars, No. 5 nationally, and No. 1 at small forward by 247Sports.
"St. John's has scored a commitment from Baylor freshman wing Tounde Yessoufou. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Yessoufou was testing the 2026 NBA Draft waters but withdrew his name ahead of the deadline at 11:59 pm EST on May 27 to retain his collegiate eligibility."
"Yessoufou, who hails from West Africa, was terrific for the Bears as a freshman. He averaged 32.6 minutes, 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.0 steals per encounter while connecting on 46.5 percent from the field, 29.3 percent from beyond the arc and 74.6 percent from the free-throw line. He received an honorable mention nod to the 2025-26 All-Big 12 Conference teams."
"In national transfer rankings from 247Sports, Yessoufou checks in as five stars, No. 5 around the country and No. 1 at small forward. Syracuse basketball against St. John's in the Big Apple should be fabulous."
"Baylor's Tounde Yessoufou -- a potential first-round pick -- has withdrawn from the 2026 NBA draft and committed to St. John's Red Storm men's basketball program to play for Rick Pitino, his agency THE TEAM tells ESPN.- Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 28, 2026"
Read at Inside the Loud House
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]