Red Storm pick up experienced transfer to help replace NBA-bound star
St. John's has continued its aggressive run through the transfer portal with the signing of forward Reed Bailey, the Red Storm announced through national outlets Monday. Bailey, who spent last season at Indiana, arrives in Queens as Rick Pitino's squad prepares to defend its Big East regular-season and tournament titles after a 30-7 campaign.
Bailey played one season in Bloomington, where he averaged 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists across 32 games (10 starts). Before that he spent three seasons at Davidson (2022-25), compiling averages of 12.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists over 97 games. The 2026-27 season will be the extra year of eligibility granted to many members of the high school class of 2022 after a U.S. court ruling.
“All persons in the United States who began to play in collegiate sports in the 2022-2023 season...and completed four years of eligibility as defined by the NCAA’s prior rules by the conclusion of the 2025-2026 season, and are therefore barred from playing a fifth season due to the NCAA’s adoption and immediate implementation of the Five-Year Eligibility Rule,”
That class-wide preliminary injunction, described in documents obtained by On3, is the mechanism allowing Bailey to use an additional season. Bailey is one of several high-profile portal additions Pitino has brought to St. John's this offseason as the Hall of Famer reshapes the roster for another run at the NCAA Tournament.
What Bailey brings to St. John's
- Scoring versatility: Double-figure scoring in 11 of 32 games for Indiana, including a 24-point outburst in a 98-97 double-overtime win over UCLA on Jan. 31.
- Experience: Nearly 130 Division I games across Davidson and Indiana, with starting experience and minutes in high-pressure conference and non-conference matchups.
- Frontcourt depth: Adds size and shooting potential to a St. John's front line transitioning after the departure of Zuby Ejiofor to the NBA Draft.
Pitino has already pulled veteran portal names into the program: former Baylor forward Tounde Yessoufou and former Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman are among the arrivals. Freeman, however, will miss the upcoming season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon, making additions such as Bailey more important to roster balance.
Stats at a glance
| School | Games | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana (2025-26) | 32 | 8.3 | 3.4 | 1.1 |
| Davidson (2022-25) | 97 | 12.4 | 4.9 | 2.0 |
Locally, St. John's fans will be watching how the new additions fit into Pitino's rotation. The coaching veteran led the program to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999 last season, and the team carried an 18-2 mark in Big East play en route to league and tournament crowns. Lose a high-impact player like Ejiofor to the NBA, and the job becomes finding complementary pieces who can steady the frontcourt while others shoulder scoring loads.
Bailey's arrival is a signal that St. John's intends to remain aggressive in pursuit of immediate results rather than a multi-year rebuild. He gives Pitino options — a player who can operate inside, step out, and provide experienced depth — and arrives with the kind of pedigree that fits a programme now expected to compete at the top of the Big East.
For the city and the campus, the transfer continues to build excitement around a club still basking in the afterglow of last season's breakthrough. As the preseason unfolds, all eyes in Queens and here in Newfoundland will be on how the new faces mesh and whether St. John's can back up its banner season with another deep NCAA run.
