Syracuse basketball will reportedly play St. John's at Madison Square Garden in New York City during the non-conference portion of the 2026-27 campaign, and the Red Storm further bolstered its roster on Thursday with the addition of a five-star prospect via the transfer portal.
Per ESPN's Shams Charania and other reports, 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.
This is yet another huge recruiting win for St. John's, whose head coach, Rick Pitino, is a former Syracuse basketball assistant from the 1970s and won national titles as a head coach at both Kentucky in 1996 and Louisville in 2013.
Baylor's Tounde Yessoufou -- a potential first-round pick -- has withdrawn from the 2026 NBA draft and committed to St. John's Red Storm men's basketball program to play for Rick Pitino, his agency THE TEAM tells ESPN.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
A date hasn't been announced for the Orange's non-conference contest against the Red Storm, but CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported not too long ago that SU and St. John's were finalizing a deal to square off at the world's most famous arena.
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.
There are fascinating storylines to this reportedly Orange versus Red Storm affair. 'Cuse first-year head coach Gerry McNamara returns to MSG, where as a point guard he led Syracuse basketball to Big East Conference Tournament titles in 2005 and 2006.
Under Pitino's leadership, St. John's has won at least 30 games in each of the past two terms, and the Red Storm advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
For St. John's, it's 2026-27 roster features former Syracuse basketball power forward Donnie Freeman and former Orange guard Kyle Cuffe Jr. Ian Jackson, a sophomore guard for the Red Storm, is a former 'Cuse recruiting target and five-star prospect in the 2024 class from the Bronx, N.Y.
Earlier this month, 2027 four-star center Theo Edema committed to St. John's while re-classifying to the 2026 cycle. He's a former SU target who officially visited the 'Cuse program last September, and he's also a Cushing Academy teammate of Syracuse basketball incoming freshman Ryan Moesch, a 2026 four-star point guard and Central New York native.
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