St. John's men's basketball enters 2026-27 season with high expectations

St. John's men's basketball enters the 2026-27 season following consecutive Big East regular-season and tournament championships. Head coach Rick Pitino, who is entering his 39th season as a head coach, was ranked third in the annual CBS Sports Top 25 coaches list, trailing only Dan Hurley of UConn and Kelvin Sampson of Houston.

The Red Storm finished the previous campaign with a 30-7 overall record and reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. To build on this success, the team is focused on integrating significant roster turnover, improving frontcourt defense and rebounding to complement a strong perimeter, and maintaining player health.

The roster features notable players including Quinn Ellis, Ian Jackson, and transfer Tounde Yessoufou. The frontcourt rotation includes Ruben Prey, Keyshawn Hall, Reed Bailey, Babacar Sane, and freshman Theo Edema. St. John's will play its regular-season opener against Monmouth at Carnesecca Arena.