11/2/2026 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Sophomore guard averaged 17.8 points per game last season at Baylor
QUEENS, N.Y. – Just a few hours before the Red Storm tips off its season against Monmouth on Monday night, sophomore guard Tounde Yessoufou was one of 50 players named to the preseason watch list for the Naismith Trophy, it was announced this afternoon by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
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The Naismith Trophy, presented by Jersey Mike's, honors the top men's college basketball player in the nation and is awarded in April.
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The fourth-ranked transfer in the nation according to 247Sports, Yessoufou enjoyed an explosive freshman season at Baylor in 2025-26. The Honorable Mention All-Big 12 selection averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals, starting all 34 games and reaching double figures 32 times with a dozen 20-point performances. Yessoufou, who ranked 10th nationally among freshmen in scoring average, set the Baylor freshman scoring record with 605 points.
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Yessoufou's team-high 67 steals were the second-highest total by a freshman in Baylor history, trailing only the 68 thefts recorded by VJ Edgecombe in 2024-25 before he went third in the 2025 NBA Draft.
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Yessoufou impressed in his three exhibition games with St. John's, tallying nine points against Drexel before scoring 15 against Rutgers and 23 against No. 7 Texas.
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Yessoufou and the Red Storm will officially tip off the 2026-27 campaign tonight at 6:30 p.m. against Monmouth. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Ed Cohen and Tarik Turner. Fans can also listen to John Minko and Brandon Tierney narrate the action on 1050 AM ESPN New York.
Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List
Amari Allen, Alabama
Flory Bidunga, Louisville
John Blackwell, Duke
Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, Duke
Elliot Cadeau, Michigan
Rueben Chinyelu, Florida
Alex Condon, Florida
Jason Crowe Jr., Missouri
Thijs De Ridder, Virginia
Silas Demary Jr., UConn
Mason Falslev, Utah State
Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State
PJ Haggerty, Texas A&M
Juke Harris, Tennessee
Thomas Haugh, Florida
Shelton Henderson, Miami
Aden Holloway, Alabama
Caleb Holt, Arizona
Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State
Braden Huff, Gonzaga
Tomislav Ivišić, Illinois
Nigel James Jr., Marquette
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Kansas
Ivan Kharchenkov, Arizona
Motiejus Krivas, Arizona
Acaden Lewis, Miami
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Trey McKenney, Michigan
David Mirković, Illinois
John Mobley Jr., Ohio State
Milan Momcilovic, Kentucky
Braylon Mullins, UConn
Paulius Murauskas, Arizona State
Patrick Ngongba II, Duke
Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
David Punch, Texas
Malik Reneau, Miami
Rodney Rice, USC
Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska
Jackson Shelstad, Louisville
Jordan Smith Jr., Arkansas
Andrej Stojaković, Illinois
Tyran Stokes, Kansas
Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Joseph Tugler, Houston
Matas Vokietaitis, Texas
Nolan Winter, Wisconsin
Robert Wright III, BYU
Tounde Yessoufou, St. John's
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The Naismith Trophy, presented by Jersey Mike's, honors the top men's college basketball player in the nation and is awarded in April.
Â
The fourth-ranked transfer in the nation according to 247Sports, Yessoufou enjoyed an explosive freshman season at Baylor in 2025-26. The Honorable Mention All-Big 12 selection averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals, starting all 34 games and reaching double figures 32 times with a dozen 20-point performances. Yessoufou, who ranked 10th nationally among freshmen in scoring average, set the Baylor freshman scoring record with 605 points.
Â
Yessoufou's team-high 67 steals were the second-highest total by a freshman in Baylor history, trailing only the 68 thefts recorded by VJ Edgecombe in 2024-25 before he went third in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Â
Yessoufou impressed in his three exhibition games with St. John's, tallying nine points against Drexel before scoring 15 against Rutgers and 23 against No. 7 Texas.
Â
Yessoufou and the Red Storm will officially tip off the 2026-27 campaign tonight at 6:30 p.m. against Monmouth. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Ed Cohen and Tarik Turner. Fans can also listen to John Minko and Brandon Tierney narrate the action on 1050 AM ESPN New York.
Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List
Amari Allen, Alabama
Flory Bidunga, Louisville
John Blackwell, Duke
Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, Duke
Elliot Cadeau, Michigan
Rueben Chinyelu, Florida
Alex Condon, Florida
Jason Crowe Jr., Missouri
Thijs De Ridder, Virginia
Silas Demary Jr., UConn
Mason Falslev, Utah State
Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State
PJ Haggerty, Texas A&M
Juke Harris, Tennessee
Thomas Haugh, Florida
Shelton Henderson, Miami
Aden Holloway, Alabama
Caleb Holt, Arizona
Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State
Braden Huff, Gonzaga
Tomislav Ivišić, Illinois
Nigel James Jr., Marquette
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Kansas
Ivan Kharchenkov, Arizona
Motiejus Krivas, Arizona
Acaden Lewis, Miami
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Trey McKenney, Michigan
David Mirković, Illinois
John Mobley Jr., Ohio State
Milan Momcilovic, Kentucky
Braylon Mullins, UConn
Paulius Murauskas, Arizona State
Patrick Ngongba II, Duke
Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
David Punch, Texas
Malik Reneau, Miami
Rodney Rice, USC
Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska
Jackson Shelstad, Louisville
Jordan Smith Jr., Arkansas
Andrej Stojaković, Illinois
Tyran Stokes, Kansas
Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Joseph Tugler, Houston
Matas Vokietaitis, Texas
Nolan Winter, Wisconsin
Robert Wright III, BYU
Tounde Yessoufou, St. John's
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Players Mentioned
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