St. John’s basketball rumors: Red Storm is ‘team to beat’ for Kentucky transfer

After breaking out as one of the top programs in the Big East under Rick Pitino in 2024-25, St. John’s basketball rebounded from a tough start to 2025-26 to repeat as Big East champions and make a run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

The Johnnies rebuilt the roster last season mostly through the transfer portal, and they did a great job filling out the roster with versatility and athleticism. Bryce Hopkins, Oziyah Sellers and Ian Jackson, to name a few, were all big contributors on the run to the second weekend.

Now, Pitino has a lot of work to do to build another contending roster in the Big East next season. At the moment, St. John’s is closing in on a commitment from Kentucky forward Mouhamed Dioubate, per Joe Tipton of On3 Sports.

“Kentucky transfer Mouhamed Dioubate is scheduled to visit St. John’s on Tuesday,” Tipton wrote. “Dioubate, a native of Queens, is a tough, physical, defensive-minded player that Rick Pitino loves. The Johnnies appear to be the team to beat.”

Dioubate started his college career at Alabama for two seasons before going to Kentucky last season. He started 10 games for Mark Pope last season and played in 31 games overall, averaging 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

Dioubate plays both ends of the floor and is an athletic presence that would add to the identity Pitino has been building at St. John’s: long and athletic, making it very difficult to score on the Red Storm.

The biggest cog in the operation that St. John’s will have to replace this offseason is Zuby Ejiofor. Ejiofor has been the heart and soul of the Johnnies program for the last two seasons, and it will be very difficult to replace him.

Dioubate isn’t the kind of scorer that can replace Ejiofor in the front court, but he is the kind of quality role player that will fit right in. While the Johnnies look for a star in the portal, Dioubate would be a quality addition to Pitino’s roster.

After breaking out as one of the top programs in the Big East under Rick Pitino in 2024-25, St. John’s basketball rebounded from a tough start to 2025-26 to repeat as Big East champions and make a run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. The Johnnies rebuilt the roster last season mostly through the transfer portal, and they did a great job filling out the roster with versatility and athleticism.