There are two basketball fan bases in celebration mode in New York City now.
The Knicks and, after late Wednesday night, St. John’s has joined them.
Rick Pitino and the Johnnies scored a major recruiting coup, stealthily landing explosive Baylor wing Tounde Yessoufou, a source confirmed. It’s an addition that should make them a Final Four contender next season.
The 6-foot-5 Yessoufou was a standout as a freshman in the Big 12 and was expected to stay in the NBA Draft as a likely late first-round pick.
But he opted to return to school right before the midnight deadline and spend his sophomore year in Queens.
Yessoufou will create a blockbuster backcourt alongside returning guard Ian Jackson and EuroLeague point guard Quinn Ellis. As a freshman, he averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.6 assists.
A gifted athlete, Yessoufou should fit St. John’s uptempo style well. He is an explosive finisher who excels in transition and is well-rounded, which Pitino values in his guards.
At the NBA Draft Combine, Yessoufou had the eighth-highest no-step vertical and was fifth in the shuttle run. He was also 18th in the maximum vertical leap.
“Tounde Yessoufou is a Big East Player of the Year candidate. And he’s tailor-made for Rick Pitino,” CBS sports college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein said. “A big, strong physical wing with toughness, Yessoufou should fit in seamlessly alongside Euro import Quinn Ellis and Ian Jackson on the perimeter. St. John’s still has some unproven commodities, but the addition of Yessoufou gives this program the jolt that it needed from a talent perspective.
“With Pitino pulling the strings, this looks like a Top 10-15 team on paper.”
For weeks, St. John’s has been looking to complete its roster with another impact player. The Johnnies had been linked to Iowa State sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic, but all along, they had prioritized Yessoufou, and Wednesday night, they landed the difference-maker they had sought.
Earlier in the night, Pitino posted a photo of himself and his coaching staff at Rao’s and wrote: “Celebrating our Big East championship with my guys that worked their tails off.”
With this latest addition, another league crown seems realistic.
