St. John's Basketball Fans Should Be Excited About Potential of Babacar Sane

The potential of Babacar Sane looks to be impressive for St. John's Basketball.

Dec 20, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; NBA G League Ignite guard Babacar Sane (4) reacts during the first half against the Motor City Cruise at Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

The St. John’s Red Storm have started up the 2026-27 campaign with an exhibition win over Drexel, and the team will be looking to build momentum heading into the regular season. 

Coming off a very successful season last year, the Red Storm are looking to build on that. St. John’s was able to win their second straight Big East Title during the 2025-26 campaign and made it to the Sweet 16. 

The Red Storm gave the number one-seeded Duke Blue Devils all they could handle in that game, but ultimately came up short. However, the team proved that they were one of the best in the country, and it was a strong season. 

This offseason, Rick Pitino was able to add a lot of talent to help improve the team. Due to some eligibility concerns, there was uncertainty about who was going to be able to play for St. John’s this year. 

However, in their exhibition win, it was the Red Storm at near full strength, and this roster is clearly very talented. One of the players that stood out in the win was forward Babacar Sane. 

St. John’s Should Be Excited About Sane 

Oct 1, 2026; New York, NY, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino speaks at 2026 Big East Media Day at Marriott Marquis. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In what ended up being a lopsided win as expected, it was Sane who was arguably the most impressive player for St. John’s on the offensive end of the court. 

In the win, Sane totaled a game-high 17 points on a very efficient five-for-10 shooting from the field. The talented forward showcased his complete package offensively, going three-for-four from beyond the arc. 

Furthermore, he was able to lead the team in rebounds as well with eight. There was one area that he could work on with five turnovers. This was a bit of an issue for the team as a whole. The 19 turnovers against Drexel were too much, even with the quick pace that they were playing. 

As the team starts to prepare for the regular season, Sane is going to be a player to watch. He showed some elite potential against Drexel, and he could be a major difference-maker for the program. 

Sane showed that he is going to be an extremely challenging player for any team to guard with his length and athleticism. Furthermore, with a seemingly complete offensive game, he could end up being one of the best offensive players on a team that has a lot of talent in that department.