 The St. John’s basketball team has officially flipped its recruiting philosophy this offseason after already landing four international prospects, the Johnnies added another former pro basketball player in Babacar Sane on Tuesday.
Sane, a native of Senegal, is quite familiar with basketball in the United States as he played with the NBA G League Ignite for two seasons before being undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-7 forward played for two seasons in the G League with the Salt Lake City Stars and Iowa Wolves before making the jump to international basketball where he signed with US Monastir in the Basketball Africa League before jumping to Germany in the Basketball Bundesliga – the top basketball league in the country – with Risen Ludwigsburg in September.
While in Africa, Sane shined making the All-BAL Second Team as he averaged 12.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game on 47.9-percent shooting.  While with the G League Ignite, he was named to the ‘Next Up Game’ in back-to-back seasons.
Babacar Sane will be 23 years old when the season begins in November, but he has been described as a superior athlete although he is still looking to improve his offensive game, specifically his shooting. In the Big East, he will likely have a massive advantage with his athleticism that could allow him to make an immediate impact.
Sane was a member of the NBA Academy Africa, which has produced former Duke star center Khaman Maluach and current Florida center Rueben Chinyelu.
This offseason St. John’s has received commitments from British point guard Quinn Ellis, Montenegro native Djordije Jovanovic, and Serbian center Lazar Stojkovic. From the transfer portal, the Johnnies got Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman and Columbia guard Avery Brown.
The biggest remaining need for the Red Storm is at center after Arizona State transfer Massamba Diop picked Gonzaga over St. John’s.
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