Rick Pitino still has enough talent to contend in the Big East, but the loss of Donnie Freeman dramatically changed the national outlook for St. John’s. Few teams endured a more painful July than St. John’s.
The Red Storm fell seven places in Jeff Borzello’s updated Way-Too-Early Top 25 for ESPN, dropping from No. 8 to No. 15 following the devastating injury suffered by Donnie Freeman. It was the largest fall among the 25 teams included in the original rankings article.
Freeman, a projected starter who transferred from Syracuse, tore his Achilles during an offseason workout and is expected to miss the entire 2026-27 season.
That injury removed one of the most talented frontcourt players from a roster Rick Pitino had constructed to compete nationally. ESPN still has St. John’s comfortably inside the top 25, but the tumble shows how much Freeman was expected to mean to the Red Storm.
Donnie Freeman was supposed to transform the St. John’s frontcourt
Freeman’s combination of size, skill and upside made him one of the most important additions of the offseason. The 6-foot-9 forward was expected to provide scoring, rebounding and floor-spacing ability. He also would have given Pitino a versatile offensive option capable of playing alongside several different frontcourt combinations.
Without him, Borzello projects St. John’s to start Quinn Ellis, Ian Jackson, Tounde Yessoufou, Babacar Sane and Ruben Prey.
There is still considerable talent in that group. Ellis arrives after playing for Olimpia Milano and should give Pitino an experienced playmaker. Yessoufou averaged 17.8 points per game at Baylor and could become the team’s primary scorer.
Jackson is another former highly regarded prospect with the talent to make a major jump. Borzello specifically pointed to the possibility of a much-needed breakout season from the former North Carolina guard.
The uncertainty is concentrated in the frontcourt. Sane averaged 9.9 points while playing professionally in Germany, but he will now face even more pressure to produce. Prey, meanwhile, averaged only 4.1 points last season.
Arizona matchup will reveal whether St. John’s can adjust
ESPN selected the Dec. 5 game against Arizona at Madison Square Garden as the most important nonconference test for St. John’s.
The matchup will pit the Red Storm against the No. 7 team in Borzello’s rankings and one of the country’s most imposing frontcourts. Arizona is expected to start RJ Godfrey and Motiejus Krivas, which should provide an unforgiving test for the reshaped St. John’s interior.
The individual battle between Yessoufou and Arizona defender Ivan Kharchenkov could be one of the best matchups of the nonconference season.
Pitino has enough backcourt talent and scoring potential to keep St. John’s in the Big East race. The Red Storm did not disappear from the rankings after Freeman’s injury, and ESPN still described them as a conference contender.
But falling from No. 8 to No. 15 reflects the reality of the situation. Freeman was not a replaceable depth piece. He was supposed to be one of the players who could elevate St. John’s from a strong team into a Final Four threat.
Now Pitino must find another way to reach that ceiling.
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