Just before the calendar turned to July and the St. John’s basketball team reported to campus for summer workouts, Rick Pitino finalized his roster by adding Spanish guard Gildas Gimenez.
Gimenez played at CIA Bella Vista Prep (AZ) last season, the champions of Chipotle Nationals, as he will enter Queens as a freshman with all of his eligibility remaining.
"We are very excited about the addition of Gildas,” Rick Pitino said in a statement.
"He embodies all the qualities that we prioritize in our basketball program. Gildas adds depth to the wing position and will continue to develop with his tireless work ethic."
Not only did the 6-foot-6 wing get to experience the thrills of winning a championship during his final season of high school basketball but he also has experience playing at the international level.
Gimenez has been a member of Real Madrid’s organization since 2018, playing on its youth levels. He also played with the Spanish National Team at the U18 FIBA EuroBasket in 2025 where he averaged 8.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.
Gildas Gimenez is accompanied by 4-star center Theo Edema as the only freshmen on the Red Storm roster this season, but he joins a long list of new players to the roster who have international basketball experience such as Quinn Ellis, Babacar Sane, Lazar Stojkovic, and Djordije Jovanovic.
It’s difficult to see Gimenez getting much playing time on this year’s team but the experience he gets being in the St. John’s program for a full season should allow him to get comfortable and make an impact later in his career with the Johnnies.
St. John’s will be looking to win an unprecedented third straight Big East regular season and tournament championships this upcoming season as the team will hold its first full offseason practice in the weeks ahead.
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