No team has been busier in the offseason than Coach Rick Pitino and St. John’s Basketball. Despite losing Big East Player of the Year wing RJ Luis, the Red Storm has landed several high-profile transfers from the portal. That includes forwards Bryce Hopkins (Providence) and Dillon Mitchell (Cincy), along with several guards such as Oziyah Sellers (Stanford), Ian Jackson (UNC), Joson Sanon (ASU), and Dylan Darling (Idaho State).
With All-Big East big man Zuby Ejifor back, it’s a strong rotation core for the 2025-26 season. However, open roster spots and depth issues still needed to be addressed. In the past 48 hours, the Red Storm landed a couple of pieces, both of whom should help the defense, the team’s biggest strength from this past year.
After losing backup big man Vincent Iwuchukwu to the transfer portal late, St. John’s has replaced him with Handje Tamba. He’s a 6’11 center who originally started his career at Tennessee, before going to Weber State and then NAIA program, Milligan. He developed into the Conference Defensive Player of the Year this past season and will serve as a solid backup to Ejiofor at the five-spot.
St. John’s also landed Kelvin Odih, a 6’5 wing prospect and consensus four-star player in the 2025 recruiting class. He initially committed to West Virginia before leaving after the coaching change. He’s a good athletic and physical defender who fits Coach Pitino’s defensive scheme. Over time, he could develop into a good scorer as well.
While the additions of Tamba and Odih aren’t going to make national headlines, they should solidify a roster that’s top-10 good for St. John’s next season. There still will be some questions to watch, such as Hopkins's health status and the point guard play, replacing Kadary Richmond and Deivon Smith.