 Sadiku Ibine Ayo isn’t going home, but he’s certainly not going far.
The St. John’s captain announced that he will be finishing his college basketball career at Iona after spending three seasons with St. John’s. Ibine Ayo started his career with the Gaels playing for Rick Pitino for one season before following him to Queens.
He played in 25 games for Iona in 2022-23, starting four, and averaged 2.6 points per game.
Ibine Ayo was injured during his sophomore season, his first with the Johnnies, and got a medical redshirt after being limited to just five games. In the last two seasons, he played in 61 games but averaged only 7.9 minutes per contest.
Named as a captain after shortly into the 2024-25 campaign, Ibine Ayo became not only a fan favorite but one of the most liked and respected players in the St. John’s locker room.
During his college career he’s won six conference championships with Rick Pitino -- a MAAC regular season and tournament title at Iona and two Big East regular season and tournament championships with St. John’s.
Iona is coming off an uncharacteristic season as the program looks to return to the top of the conference entering the second year under head coach Dan Geriot. After an 18-13 (10-10) regular season, the Gales were bounced in the opening round of the MAAC Tournament.
The Gaels have not made the NCAA Tournament since Rick Pitino left for the Red Storm.
St. John’s played Iona in a non-conference game in December, but Sadiku Ibine Ayo did not score and played only three minutes in the blowout victory.
St. John’s freshman Imran Suljanovic also announced his commitment to New Mexico. The Austria native did not play this season after rupturing his patella tendon in the preseason and still has four years of eligibility remaining.
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