What's happened
Donnie Freeman’s Achilles injury has sidelined him for the 2026-27 season, forcing St. John’s to rework its frontline. Babacar Sane could assume a larger role as Pitino rebuilds around a reduced roster.
What's behind the headline?
Analysis
- Freeman’s injury accelerates a frontline reshuffle as Babacar Sane rises in prominence.
- Pitino must balance a young roster with higher expectations after a successful 2025-26 cycle.
- The injury could alter minutes in the frontcourt and influence recruiting strategy in the near term.
- The broader question: can Sane translate professional experience from Germany and the G-League Ignite into immediate impact for St. John’s?
How we got here
The Red Storm have been building around transfers from Syracuse and the 2026 NBA draft reshaped the frontcourt. Freeman’s injury comes after Zuby Ejiofor, Dillon Mitchell and Bryce Hopkins were selected in the NBA draft, leaving St. John’s with new gaps to fill as workouts begin.
Our analysis
- New York Post reports that Donnie Freeman is out for the season with an Achilles injury after a noncontact workout, with Pitino stating the surgery was successful and Freeman will be back better than ever. - AP News confirms the injury is a season-long absence and highlights Freeman’s prior Syracuse trajectory and expected role. - Additional Post updates emphasize Babacar Sane’s potential increased role in light of Freeman’s absence and the NBA draft losses.
Go deeper
- Will Babacar Sane seize the starting role next season?
- How does this change the team’s transfer and recruiting plans for 2026-27?
- What are the timelines for Freeman’s recovery and return to play?
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Rick Pitino - American basketball coach
Richard Andrew Pitino is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach for Iona College. He is also the head coach of Greece's senior national team.
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Bryce Hopkins - American basketball player (born 2002)
Bryce Robert Hopkins (born September 7, 2002) is an American basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, Providence Friars, and St. John's Red Storm. He was a consensus top-40 recruit and one of the top players in the 2021 class.
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Big East - Athletic conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in all sports except football, which is not sponsored.
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Dillon Mitchell - Wikimedia disambiguation page
Dillon Mitchell may refer to: Dillon Mitchell (gridiron football) (born 1997), American football player Dillon Mitchell (basketball) (born 2003), American basketball player Dillon Mitchell (sprinter) (born 2009), American athlete