St. John’s Red Storm coach Rick Pitino is being linked to Arizona State Sun Devils center Massamba Diop in the offseason, as the former looks to retool his team.
On Wednesday, college basketball reporter Adam Zagoria shared a report on his X/Twitter account, showing that Diop’s possible preferred destinations can either be coach Pitino’s Red Storm or coach Mark Few’s Gonzaga Bulldogs, both of which are in the Big East.
This comes after Diop announced that he will enter his name into the transfer portal after just one year of playing under the now-former coach Bobby Hurley and his Arizona-based program.
According to Zagoria, Pitino and his recruitment team have been in talks with Diop for some time now, as they will experience several big men leave their program come next year.
Diop is coming off an outstanding first year of collegiate hoops with the Sun Devils, where he averaged 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 2.1 blocks in 29.6 minutes in 33 games played. Unfortunately for Diop and company, Arizona State was unable to make it into this year’s national tournament, as they were eliminated in the second round of the 2026 Big 12 conference tourney.
Pitino and the Red Storm players went all the way to the Sweet 16 of the 2026 March Madness, finishing with an overall record of 30-7 (18-2 Big East).
Massamba Diop Entering The Transfer Portal Comes With A “Do Not Contact Tag”
In a post uploaded by @recruitsnews on Instagram that announced Massamba Diop entering the 2026 offseason transfer portal, it was reported that the Rufisque, Senegal, native will enter the portal with a “do not contact tag.”
This means that Diop’s camp will not entertain any inquiries that will attempt to contact them, as they will target their own destinations. Whether that includes the St. John’s Red Storm remains to be seen.
“BREAKING: Arizona center Massamba Diop has entered the transfer portal with a ‘do not contact tag,’ a source told @recruitsnews. The 7’1 freshman averaged 13.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 2.1 BPG this season. He shot 56.9% from the field,” @recruitsnews on Instagram captioned.
Read More: “Absurd”: Rick Pitino Fuming With Refs as Key Duke vs UConn Moment Gave One Team the Edge
Also Read: Top 5 Candidates to Replace Bobby Hurley at Arizona State Feat. Richard Pitino
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
