Why St. John’s Basketball Is Perfect Fit for Tounde Yessoufou

Toude Yessoufou could not have landed in a better situation than the one with the St. John's Red Storm.

Feb 4, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears guard Tounde Yessoufou (24) drives to the basket against the Colorado Buffaloes during the first half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. John’s Red Storm were one of the biggest winners this offseason, compiling the No. 1-ranked transfer portal class in men’s college basketball.

Headlining that group is Tounde Yessoufou. He was expected to be a one-and-done player with the Baylor Bears after the 2025-26 season, which he did follow through on by declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft.

However, the feedback that he received wasn’t as positive as he had hoped it would be. Weighing the opportunity to turn pro against returning to college and earning a nice sum of money via NIL payments, Yessoufou withdrew his name from the draft and committed to St. John’s.

It is a decision that he will certainly not regret. He has all of the physical tools to be a lottery pick whenever he declares for and sticks in the NBA draft, being listed at 6-foot-4 ¼ inches barefoot and weighing in at 219.8 pounds with a 6-foot-10 wingspan and 8-foot-7 standing reach.

Tounde Yessoufou can elevate to next level under Rick Pitino

Feb 21, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears guard Tounde Yessoufou (24) passes the ball ahead of Arizona State Sun Devils guard Maurice Odum (5) during the second half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With a relentless motor and willingness to work hard, Yessoufou picked the perfect place to mold his raw skill and talent under the tutelage of head coach Rick Pitino. The ability to become an impact defender is there; now he is learning from one of the best to do it.

Yessoufou has things you cannot teach to become a lockdown defender on the wing. Coaches cannot teach size and wingspan, but they can help a player with his fundamentals, which is where Yessoufou can elevate his game to another level on that end of the court.

Pitino is a defensive guru, capable of teaching fundamentals in that area of the game to anyone. His new star needs to show improvement in his foot speed, which will help him stay in front of his man on the defensive end.

That is something Pitino and his staff can certainly do, and they have to be excited to work with someone as talented as Yessoufou, who is willing to put in that work to improve his game. His ultimate goal is to get selected as early as possible in the first round of the NBA draft, and becoming a two-way impact player will certainly help.

Improving defensively will raise his ceiling to another level because there is already so much to like about his offensive ability. While his jump shot could use some work to become more consistent, he relentlessly gets downhill to attack the basket, averaging 17.8 points per game for Baylor last season as a freshman.

His 74.6% from the foul line does provide some optimism that he can improve upon the 29.3% that he shot from the 3-point range. It is another area Pitino will assuredly help him develop.