The sports section of St. John’s University’s independent student newspaper. @SJUTorch

Joined July 2009
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"I will never have a team like this again. I may have some good teams but never ones with their attitude." St. John's might've fallen short against No. 1 Duke in the Sweet 16, but their legendary 2026 season will never be forgotten. More here ⬇️ #SJUBB torchonline.com/sports/2026/…
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Torch Sports retweeted
The Knicks should teach every team from high school to college how important work ethic and chemistry are! Besides having the best player in the NBA this year, they had an attitude of never relenting, and never giving up. Amazing run. Champions we can all look up to!
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Playing in the NBA Finals is an achievement that eludes any professional basketball player. This is the reality for Brooklyn native and San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie, who is returning to New York after playing three years at St. John’s torchonline.com/sports/2026/…
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Torch Sports retweeted
May 31
The pride of St. John’s, Julian Champagnie is going to the NBA Finals to play against his home town Knicks!!! 20 points 6 rebounds in 38 minutes!!!! Let’s gooooooo Jules!!!! #sjubb
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Torch Sports retweeted
Julian Champagne, from unranked and undrafted, to the NBA Finals. What a story. #sjubb
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And in Big East news former UConn guard Stephon Castle will be playing for a championship alongside Champagnie
Former St. John’s standout and San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie is heading to the NBA FINALS to take on the New York Knicks. Either way you look at it a New York team has representation in this year’s finals.
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Former St. John’s standout and San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie is heading to the NBA FINALS to take on the New York Knicks. Either way you look at it a New York team has representation in this year’s finals.
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Adding Zuby Ejiofor to a frontcourt that already has Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson can do wonders for the Knicks
May 29
Zuby Ejiofor will work out for the New York Knicks tomorrow, per source. Ejiofor who is climbing draft boards, worked out for Raptors, Celtics and Grizzlies recently as well. The Big East Player of the Year has a handful more workouts prior to the NBA Draft on 6/23 #sjubb #nyk
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Can’t for Yessoufou to join this team, as one of the final pieces to an always evolving roster
First and foremost, I want to thank God for always giving me the strength, courage, and faith to persevere through every challenge and moment of adversity. I also want to thank my family for standing by my side through thick and thin, especially throughout this process and this important decision. I usually don’t speak publicly about things like this, but I feel it’s important to address a few things. Ever since I was a kid, my dream has always been to play in the NBA, and that dream has never changed. At the same time, I’ve always believed in myself and have always been self-aware enough to understand what I need to do to put myself in the best position to succeed. I’ve seen and heard the rumors and speculation surrounding my decision. The truth is, none of that affects me. My entire life, I’ve been criticized, doubted, and questioned, and I’ve learned to stay focused on what matters. I want to make one thing very clear: my decision to attend St. John’s has nothing to do with money. My decision was based on basketball, development, and winning. I love what Coach Rick Pitino has built at St. John’s. His experience, leadership, and résumé speak for themselves, but what stood out most to me was the belief he has in his players, his relentless work ethic, and his ability to help good players become great players while also helping them grow as men. At every level I’ve played, my goal has always been to compete for championships. I made this decision based on where I believe I can best develop as a player, grow as a leader, and put myself in the strongest position to achieve my ultimate goals. This was a basketball decision. This was a development decision. This was a winning decision. That’s the truth. #redstorm
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Torch Sports retweeted
First and foremost, I want to thank God for always giving me the strength, courage, and faith to persevere through every challenge and moment of adversity. I also want to thank my family for standing by my side through thick and thin, especially throughout this process and this important decision. I usually don’t speak publicly about things like this, but I feel it’s important to address a few things. Ever since I was a kid, my dream has always been to play in the NBA, and that dream has never changed. At the same time, I’ve always believed in myself and have always been self-aware enough to understand what I need to do to put myself in the best position to succeed. I’ve seen and heard the rumors and speculation surrounding my decision. The truth is, none of that affects me. My entire life, I’ve been criticized, doubted, and questioned, and I’ve learned to stay focused on what matters. I want to make one thing very clear: my decision to attend St. John’s has nothing to do with money. My decision was based on basketball, development, and winning. I love what Coach Rick Pitino has built at St. John’s. His experience, leadership, and résumé speak for themselves, but what stood out most to me was the belief he has in his players, his relentless work ethic, and his ability to help good players become great players while also helping them grow as men. At every level I’ve played, my goal has always been to compete for championships. I made this decision based on where I believe I can best develop as a player, grow as a leader, and put myself in the strongest position to achieve my ultimate goals. This was a basketball decision. This was a development decision. This was a winning decision. That’s the truth. #redstorm
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The future of St. John’s is looking brighter than ever before with more games being played at MSG against high caliber opponents
St. John's is in active discussions to play 16-18 games — including all 10 Big East regular season games — at MSG during the 2026-27 season, per Red Storm AD Ed Kull. St. John's is aiming to play 3-5 non-conference games at MSG along with multiple Exhibition Games in October.
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Update: Tounde Yessoufou committed to St. John’s for close to $6 million, according to @AdamZagoria
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Torch Sports retweeted
Super excited for the addition of Tounde. We will add one more scholarship player in the next 24 hours and are roster will be complete. Couldn’t be more fired up for this upcoming season!
OFFICIAL ✍️ Welcome to the Red Storm, Tounde! 🔴⛈️ 🗞️: bit.ly/3RrDdRg
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St. John’s landed a completely different talent — one that may be an even better fit for the Rick Pitino blueprint. The Red Storm added potential first-round prospect and former Baylor forward Tounde Yessoufou. torchonline.com/sports/2026/…
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It’s time for St. John’s to get serious and go big-game hunting. All offseason, the Johnnies have been linked to several big names, including No. 1 transfer Flory Bidunga, who chose the University of Louisville one week into the portal season. torchonline.com/sports/2026/…
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