St. John’s Red Storm meeting with Kentucky transfer amid Virginia competition

As the St. John’s Red Storm continue to assess options in the transfer portal, Mouhamed Dioubate, a transfer from Kentucky, has surfaced as a priority target in head coach Rick Pitino’s roster construction for the 2026-27 season.

Dioubate reportedly held Zoom meetings with both St. John’s and Virginia Cavaliers on Wednesday, with an on-campus visit to the Red Storm scheduled on Tuesday. The 6-foot-7 Queens native is among the more sought-after forwards in the portal, ranked No. 72 overall and the No. 8 small forward currently available, per On3 rankings. He has also drawn interest from programs including Creighton, Baylor, Maryland, Mississippi State, and Providence.

Dioubate is coming off a productive junior season with the Wildcats, where he averaged 8.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 steal, and 1.0 block in 21.6 minutes per game, while shooting 54.2 percent from the field over 31 games, including 10 starts.

Before Kentucky, Dioubate spent two seasons at Alabama, primarily contributing off the bench with energy plays and rebounding. Across his career, he has appeared in three NCAA Tournaments, twice with the Crimson Tide and once with the Wildcats.

St. John’s views Dioubate as a potential replacement for departing forward Dillon Mitchell. Meanwhile, Virginia, under first-year head coach Ryan Odom, is also a leading competitor after finishing 30-6 (15-3 ACC) and reaching the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 last season.

The Red Storm is aggressively targeting multiple transfers, including Kansas State wing Abdi Bashir Jr., who averaged 13.2 points while shooting 44.4 percent from three, as they look to fill six open scholarships.

The post St. John’s Red Storm meeting with Kentucky transfer amid Virginia competition appeared first on ClutchPoints.