{"id":197802,"date":"2026-05-28T15:49:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T19:49:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=197802"},"modified":"2026-05-28T15:49:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T19:49:21","slug":"tounde-yessoufou-st-johns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/28\/tounde-yessoufou-st-johns\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does Tounde Yessoufou&#8217;s Arrival in NYC Mean For St. John&#8217;s and The Nation&#8217;s Top Shooter and Remaining No. 1 Transfer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/category\/basketball\/nba\/nba-draft\/\" target=\"_self\">2026 NBA Draft<\/a> withdrawal deadline passed at midnight with several players deciding to return to school. Two of the most anticipated weren&#8217;t announced until after the deadline, with <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/tounde-yessoufou-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tounde Yessoufou<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/11\/18\/2026-nba-draft-prospect-overview-baylors-tounde-yessoufou\/\" target=\"_self\">deciding to return to college<\/a>. At the same time,\u00a0Arkansas&#8217; <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/meleek-thomas-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Meleek Thomas<\/a> will remain in the NBA draft, per <span><a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DraftExpress\/status\/2059994169318248541\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NEWS: Arkansas&#8217; Meleek Thomas kept his name in the 2026 NBA Draft at the NCAA withdrawal deadline, a source told DraftExpress.<\/p>\n<p>The 6&#8217;4, 19-year-old guard made the SEC All-Rookie team, averaging 15.6 PPG on 42% from 3 in 31 MPG. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pS4vOCCjzQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/pS4vOCCjzQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DraftExpress\/status\/2059994169318248541?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>What Does Tounde Yessoufou&#8217;s Arrival In NYC Mean For St. John&#8217;s<\/h2>\n<p>Yessoufou, who was considered a borderline first-round pick, committed to the St. John&#8217;s Red Storm after <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/15\/2026-nba-draft-combine-prospects\/\" target=\"_self\">withdrawing from the draft<\/a> per <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/shamscharania\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shams Charania of ESPN<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Baylor&#8217;s Tounde Yessoufou &#8212; a potential first-round pick &#8212; has withdrawn from the 2026 NBA draft and committed to St. John&#8217;s Red Storm men&#8217;s basketball program to play for Rick Pitino, his agency THE TEAM tells ESPN.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ShamsCharania\/status\/2059853469557613036?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Yessoufou demonstrated why he was one of the most highly touted high school prospects in 2025 as a freshman at Baylor. Yessou, the consensus No. 11 recruit in 2025, averaged 17.8 points on 46.5% shooting from the field and 1.6 threes at a 29.3% clip. The 6-5 guard added 5.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals. He produced one double-double and scored in double-figures on 32 occassions, topping the 20-point mark 12 times, including tallying a career high 37 against BYU on February 10.<\/p>\n<p>Baylor went 17-17 this past season, though the Bears were only 6-12 in the Big 12 and missed the NCAA Tournament. It marked the first time the Bears had sat out the Tournament since 2018 and only the seventh time they had failed to win 20 games under <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/coaches\/scott-drew-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Scott Drew<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Yessoufou is the Bears&#8217; third transfer loss this year.\u00a0 However, Yessoufou is the only Bear to have found a landing spot; the other players in the transfer portal,<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/n\/nnajija01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> James Nnaji<\/a> and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/daniel-skillings-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Daniel Skillings Jr<\/a>., have yet to do so.<\/p>\n<h3>How Does Tounde Yessoufou Fit With Red Storm<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"St. John&#039;s lands 2026 NBA Draft prospect Tounde Yessoufou\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zWT9N1qtnaA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Yessoufou is the centerpiece for <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/coaches\/rick-pitino-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rick Pitino<\/a>&#8216;s 2026 recruiting class. Yessoufou gives the Red Storm a true scoring wing they were missing. He is the Red Storm&#8217;s fourth transfer and gives the Red Storm one of the most athletic backcourts, alongside<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/ian-jackson-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u00a0Ian Jackson<\/a> and freshman <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/international\/players\/quinn-ellis-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Quinn Ellis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Yessoufou is a perfect fit for Pittino&#8217;s up-tempo, high-pressure defensive style due to his strength, lateral quickness, and ability to be disruptive on defense. He is also a versatile defender, capable of guarding 1-4.<\/p>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jeffborzello\/status\/2059854096404750700?s=46&amp;t=qtg2DTCRRdoRGoM0V9QPUQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ESPN&#8217;s Jeff Borzello<\/a> is one of several analysts who are very high on Yessoufou&#8217;s addition. The Red Storm followed its record-setting 2024-25 season with another 30-victory campaign this past season and the program&#8217;s 10th trip to the Sweet 16. Pitino has brought in nine newcomers and has 14 players on the roster.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Massive news for Rick Pitino and St. John\u2019s. The Red Storm had a glaring need for a wing scorer, and they landed a true bucket-getter in Tounde Yessoufou.<\/p>\n<p>Quinn Ellis<br \/>\nIan Jackson<br \/>\nTounde Yessoufou<br \/>\nDonnie Freeman<br \/>\nRuben Prey<\/p>\n<p>Really, really intriguing lineup in Queens next season. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XBLreLFpVM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/XBLreLFpVM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jeffborzello\/status\/2059854096404750700?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Kentucky Predicted As Landing Spot for Milan Momcilovic<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The LATEST on Milan Momcilovic | &#039;Kentucky is putting a FULL COURT PRESS on&#039; | FIELD OF 68\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-kKGCdYkHhs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Despite having 14 players on the roster, CBS Sports<a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JonRothstein\/status\/2059807714889335238\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Jon Rothstein said St. John&#8217;s<\/a> was still in the mix for Iowa State transfer <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/milan-momcilovic-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Milan Momcilovic<\/a>.\u00a0 Momcilovic, who led the NCAA in 3-pointers made (136) and 3-point percentage (48.7%), <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/28\/ncaa-draft-withdrawal\/\" target=\"_self\">also withdrew from the NBA draft<\/a> yesterday.\u00a0 Kentucky, Louisville, and Arizona are the other teams reportedly in the mix.<\/p>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MattNorlander\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CBS Sports Matt\u00a0 Norlander<\/a>, talking on the <span>Eye On College Basketball podcast, believes that Momcilovic will ultimately choose Kentucky.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cMy prediction right now is that Milan Momcilovic will go to Kentucky,\u201d Norlander said. \u201cMy understanding is that the decision is going to come in the next one, two, three days, four days max.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cMy forecast is that it\u2019s Kentucky, but you know, we\u2019ll see if Louisville can get in there,\u201d Norlander continued. \u201cArizona I don\u2019t think has the money to contend, like I think Kentucky and Louisville just have more money to play with.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We are live! <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KxufA2Ulzx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/KxufA2Ulzx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MattNorlander\/status\/2059989082361504021?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Kentucky is coming off a disappointing 22-14 record, including a seventh-place finish in the SEC at 10-8. The Wildcats are 46-26 in head coach <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/coaches\/mark-pope-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mark Pope<\/a>&#8216;s first two seasons.\u00a0 The Wildcats, who have not been to the Final Four since 2015, are 19-24 against quality opponents.\u00a0 They have 11 players on the roster for the upcoming season.<\/p>\n<p>Louisville has turned things around under third-year coach<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/coaches\/pat-kelsey-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Pat Kelsey<\/a>.\u00a0 The Cardinals are 51-19 over the last two seasons, though they have been eliminated in the first week of the NCAA Tournament in both seasons. The Cardinals are 13-16 against quality opponents. They have 12 players for the upcoming season.<\/p>\n<p>Arizona has been one of the best teams in the nation since <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/coaches\/tommy-lloyd-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tommy Lloyd<\/a> took over the program in 2021, posting a 148-36 record. The Wildcats have won three conference regular-season and three conference tournament crowns along with a Final Four appearance. They have 13 players on next year&#8217;s roster, though <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/koa-peat-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Koa Peat<\/a> decided to remain in the NBA Draft.<\/p>\n<p><span>Photo credit: William Purnell, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2026 NBA Draft withdrawal deadline passed at midnight with several players deciding to return to school. Two of the most anticipated weren&#8217;t announced until after the deadline, with Tounde Yessoufou deciding to return to college. At the same time,\u00a0Arkansas&#8217; Meleek Thomas will remain in the NBA draft, per Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. NEWS: Arkansas&#8217; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3146,"featured_media":197916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,773,2,62,556,3],"tags":[846,884,3772,776,882,50464],"class_list":["post-197802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-college-basketball","category-featured","category-nba","category-nba-draft","category-news","tag-arizona-wildcats","tag-baylor-bears","tag-college-basketball-recruiting","tag-kentucky-wildcats","tag-louisville-cardinals","tag-meleek-thomas"],"modified_by":"Daniel Benjamin, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197802"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":197921,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197802\/revisions\/197921"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}