The St. John’s basketball program has finally added a freshman to its roster, and it had to go outside of the United States to find him.
Imran Suljanovic, a native of Austria, announced his commitment to the Red Storm on Tuesday afternoon. He visited the Johnnies in mid-March and Rick Pitino traveled to Italy to watch him play shortly after the St. John’s season concluded.
Listed at 6-foot-8, Suljanovic is known as a scorer and is averaging 20.3 points per game this season with his club, Reggio Emilia, in Italy.
“Was watching Imran on film and had to see him in person,” Rick Pitino posted on social media.
“Traveled outside Bologna where he impressed me more with his overall game than what I watched on film. Shoots, passes, handles, and is extremely agile. Great potential!!! Very excited to have him join the Johnnies.”
Was watching Imran on film and had to see him in person. Traveled outside Bologna where he impressed me more with his overall game than what I watched on film. Shoots, passes, handles, and is extremely agile. Great potential!!! Very excited to have him join the Johnnies.
— Rick Pitino (@RealPitino) April 22, 2025
Suljanovic is the third international based prospect to join St. John’s within the last year after the Red Storm landed Portuguese forward Ruben Prey and Greek guard Lefteris Liotopoulos last offseason.
He posted 22.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game in the 2024 FIBA U18 EuroBasket Division B Tournament and was the second leading scorer in the event as hit team won the silver medal.
There was interest from ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12 schools as well.
“Look at the NBA Draft, that tells you about international people,” Pitino explained of his recruiting philosophy around foreign born players at Citi Field earlier in the month when the team was honored by the New York Mets.
“The 18-year old internationally is much more mature than a high school senior [in America].”
Playing time could be tough to come by next season for Imran Suljanovic with St. John’s loaded haul in the transfer portal but his development over the course of the year will be important to monitor next to guys like Prey and Liotopoulos.