Rick Pitino brought St. John’s to the Sweet 16 in 2026, the furthest they’ve gone since he got to town. Can they make an even deeper run in 2027?
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: St. John’s basketball.
There is no denying how much Rick Pitino has transformed the St. John’s basketball program. In four short years, the Hall of Fame head coach has taken a team used to being in the middle or even the bottom of the Big East to a yearly contender. And they are more than just a team to watch out for in the Big East. The Red Storm are a national powerhouse.
This season will look a lot different, as the team loses frontcourt stars Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins, as well as other key players on a 30-win team. The only rotation players returning are Ian Jackson, Ruben Prey, and Lefteris Liotopoulos. Jackson and Prey should be starters, which at least gives coach Pitino somewhat of a framework. However, the rest of the key players for the 2026-27 Johnnies are newcomers.
We shouldn’t act as if these newcomers aren’t huge additions. Keyshawn Hall is an experienced forward who should be one of the best frontcourt players in the conference. Tounde Yessoufou could have been a one-and-done after a heck of a freshman season at Baylor, but chose to stay in college and get coached by another legend. Reed Bailey is a crucial bench player from Indiana, helping the frontcourt depth.
And then there are the international players Pitino loves to get. He’s likened Quinn Ellis to being on the same page as Kadary Richmond and Daniss Jenkins. Babacar Sane should play valuable minutes as well.
After that is a mixture of other newcomers who help round out the depth in Queens. The team could take a little bit to gel, but as the season moves along, you should expect to see them in the mix once again.
Head coach: Rick Pitino (39th season overall, 5th at St. John’s)
2025-26 record: 30-7 (18-2)
2026 postseason finish: Lost to Duke (80-75) in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- Zuby Ejiofor (16.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.5 APG, 2.1 BPG, 1.2 SPG, 53.6 FG%)
- Bryce Hopkins (13.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.1 SPG, 36.3 3P%)
- Oziyah Sellers (10.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 35.1 3P%)
- Dillon Mitchell (8.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 55.9 FG%)
- Joson Sanon (7.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.7 APG)
- Dylan Darling (6.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.4 SPG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Syracuse (Nov. 15)
- vs. Oregon (Nov. 24) – Players Era 16
- vs. Louisville OR Texas Tech (Nov. 26) – Players Era 16
- vs. TBD (Nov. 27 OR 28) – Players Era 16
- vs. Arizona (Dec. 5)
- at Alabama (Dec. 12)
Projected Rotation
PG: Quinn Ellis (6-5, 200, Sr.)
International recruit from England
SG: Ian Jackson (6-5, 200, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 9.4 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.3 APG
SF: Tounde Yessoufou (6-5, 220, So.)
2025-26 stats: 17.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.6 APG, 2.0 SPG (Baylor)
PF: Keyshawn Hall (6-7, 230, Gr.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 19.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.6 APG, 37.9 3P% (Auburn)
C: Ruben Prey (6-11, 240, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 4.3 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.8 APG, 50.5 FG%
6: Babacar Sane (6-7, 235, Sr.)
International recruit from Senegal
7: Reed Bailey (6-10, 235, Gr.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 8.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.1 APG, 57.0 FG% (Indiana)
8: Lefteris Liotopoulos (6-4, 195, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 2.9 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.4 APG, 34.2 FG%
9: Kyle Cuffe Jr. (6-1, 190, Gr.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 7.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.4 APG (Mercer)
10: Zsombor Maronka (6-10, 210, Sr.)
International recruit from Hungary
11: Avery Brown (6-2, 190, Gr.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 4.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.3 APG, 3 GP (Columbia)
*Suffered season ending injury
12: Theo Edema (6-11, 255, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 116 ranked recruit
St. John’s basketball team MVP: Tounde Yessoufou
When you look at Yessoufou’s game tape at Baylor, the only thing he’s missing is a consistent outside shot. He’s a bigger guard who gets to the bucket with ease, has an established mid-range game, and is a tremendous two-way player. Even without a great three-point shot, Yessoufou is one of the top scorers on St. John’s. But if he’s able to add that this season, watch out. He’s got the potential to take the Johnnies to the next level and be one of the top overall bucket getters in the Big East.
St. John’s basketball make-or-break player: Ian Jackson
Pitino might be high on Ellis, but it doesn’t mean we should forget about Ian Jackson. The former UNC Tar Heel found a home at St. John’s and returns looking to build on a very solid sophomore season. He’s moved up the depth chart past some guards who are no longer with the team and should be able to find more shots and playmaking moments.
Still, this is far from Jackson’s team. Ellis will also have the ball a lot and both Yessoufou and Hall will be called on to be leading scorers. For Jackson, it’ll be about thriving in his role but also getting the confidence to find more shots and more usage within this offense.
Key statistic: Rebounding margin
The Red Storm cleared teams off the glass last season, finishing second in the Big East with 34.6 rebounds per game. They also didn’t allow opponents to crash the boards, as Big East opponents only got 7.7 offensive rebounds per game against the Johnnies, the best rate in the conference.
They can thank both Ejifor and Hopkins for that, as both players were huge rebounders and physical players. But this season, it’s Ruben Prey at center. He’s a bit more of a stretch-five and finesse player, although he also isn’t afraid to get in the mix. It looks like he’s added some weight this season, which could help him be more consistent in the rebounding department.
Either way, replacing Hopkins and Ejiofor is a big ask, so it shouldn’t all fall on Prey. Everyone will need to chip in to make sure the Red Storm stay as one of the best rebounding teams in Big East hoops.
St. John’s basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 2nd in the Big East
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance