Coming off their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999, the 13th-ranked Red Storm enter their fourth season under 74-year-old Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino. The revamped roster includes 11 newcomers and players from 10 countries. For the second consecutive offseason, the Johnnies have the nation's top-rated transfer class according to 247Sports.
Sophomore guard Tounde Yessoufou broke the freshman scoring record at Baylor last season with 605 points
(17.8 per game). He also averaged 5.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals. ... Junior guard Ian Jackson returns after averaging 9.4 points in 18.3 minutes and shooting 90% from the free-throw line. Yessoufou and Jackson were selected to the preseason All-Big East first team. ... Graduate forward Keyshawn Hall averaged 19.3 points and 7.1 rebounds at Auburn last season. ... Touted point guard Quinn Ellis from England arrives to run Pitino's offense after starring for Olimpia Milano in Italy.
All three starters in the frontcourt last season — Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor, Dillon Mitchell and Bryce Hopkins — were chosen within the first 49 picks of the NBA draft. Also gone are guards Oziyah Sellers (SMU), Joson Sanon (West Virginia) and Dylan Darling (Grand Canyon). ... Replacements include Babacar Sane, a 6-foot-7 forward who played in Germany last season following three years in the G League, and 6-10 forward Reed Bailey, who averaged 8.3 points with Indiana last season. ... Junior forward Donnie Freeman was supposed to be a dynamic addition from Syracuse, but he will miss the entire season after tearing his right Achilles tendon during summer workouts.
St. John's opens Monday night against Monmouth at Carnesecca Arena on campus and renews an old Big East rivalry Nov. 15 vs. Syracuse at Madison Square Garden. The Red Storm face No. 11 Louisville or No. 19 Texas Tech on Thanksgiving in Las Vegas, and No. 5 Arizona visits MSG on Dec. 5. SJU plays at No. 20 Alabama on Dec. 12 in Birmingham, and the Big East showdowns with No. 4 UConn are Jan. 29 at The Garden and March 2 in Hartford to close the regular season.
Pitino begins his 39th season as a college head coach. With 915 career wins on the court, he ranks third in Division I history behind Mike Krzyzewski (1,202) and Jim Boeheim (1,116). ... St. John's is 42-4 against Big East competition the past two years, becoming the first team in league history to win back-to-back outright regular-season and tournament crowns. ... SJU is scheduled for 13 regular-season home games at Madison Square Garden — its most since the 1950-51 season. And the Johnnies will play all their conference home games at MSG for the first time.
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