St. John's picks up commitment from highly sought after 6-5 guard Tounde Yessoufou
Tounde Yessoufou of Baylor. Credit: Getty Images/Ian Maule
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — St. John’s may have struck gold after the clock struck midnight on Thursday morning.
The Red Storm landed an early morning commitment from Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou after the 6-5 guard withdrew his name from the 2026 NBA Draft and opted to return to college. St. John’s already was considered a serious contender to win a third straight Big East championship, but the addition of Yessoufou adds the Storm to any conversation about Final Four contenders.
Yessoufou averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists as a freshman this past season for the Bears. He placed his name in the NCAA transfer portal after the season — giving him the option to transfer — and then declared as an early entry for the NBA Draft. College players had until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday night to withdraw their names and continue their college careers.
Some draft projections had the Benin native as a potential first-round pick. He drew interest from a number of high major programs and St. John’s is seen as edging out UCLA for his commitment.
Yessoufou is a dynamic and physical athlete who excels in transition and is a great finisher, making him an excellent fit for coach Rick Pitino’s style of play.
Iowa State sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic was another potential high-impact player that had put his name in the portal and also declared early for the draft. He withdrew his name from the draft earlier in the evening and was reportedly deciding between Kentucky, Louisville and the Red Storm with the Wildcats viewed as his most likely destination.
St. John’s could now potentially put a starting five on the court of EuroLeague point guard Quinn Ellis, returning junior Ian Jackson, Yessoufou, 6-10 Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman and 6-11 junior Ruben Prey. Babacar Sane, who had been playing professionally in Germany, will also be in the rotation and could crack a starting lineup.
Also in the recruiting class for the Storm are 6-7 Montenegrin forward Djordije Jovanovic, Columbia transfer guard Avery Brown, 7-0 Serbian center Lazar Stojkovic, 6-11 high school center Theo Edema and Mercer transfer guard Kyle Cuffe Jr.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
