St. John's University Athletics
Babacar Sane Commits to St. John’s
5/18/2026 1:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Dynamic Senegalese forward brings high-level experience to Queens
QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's men's basketball program has announced the signing of Babacar Sane to its roster for the 2026-27 season on Monday.
Sane, a 6-foot-8 forward from Senegal, has logged playing time in high-level leagues on three different continents.
"Babacar is a forward that can play multiple positions," said Head Coach Rick Pitino. "I've heard wonderful things about him from my former player Gorgui Dieng. Assistant Coach Ricky Johns went to see him and we were extremely impressed with his athleticism."
Most recently, Sane has suited up for MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg in the Basketball Bundesliga, Germany's top league, where he is a teammate of former Johnnie Stef Smith. In 30 games, Sane has averaged 9.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per contest. He is a 48.5% shooter from the floor and has connected on 33.9% of his tries from long distance. Sane has reached double figures in 16 of those 28 contests, including three outings of 20-plus points. His best performance of the season came on April 1 in a win over Niners Chemnitz, scoring 24 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a 4-of-6 showing from beyond the arc, and grabbing nine boards.
From 2022-25, Sane competed in the NBA G League, spending his first two seasons with NBA G League Ignite before splitting the 2024-25 campaign with the Salt Lake City Stars and the Iowa Wolves. In 75 career G League games, 23 of which were starts, Sane averaged 8.9 points on 43.8% shooting to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 0.4 blocks per outing. Sane's most productive G League stint was his last with the Iowa Wolves, averaging 11.8 points on 48.6% shooting, including a 31.1% clip from beyond the arc, in 16 games.
In addition to his time in Germany and the G League has undertaken two separate tenures in the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Before coming to the United States in 2022, Sane played with Dakar Universite Club, averaging 4.0 points per game. Sane returned to the BAL last spring, averaging 12.5 points and 5.1 per game for Union Sportive Monastirienne on his way to earning All-BAL Second Team honors.
Sane has been a mainstay on the Senegalese National Team, appearing in 16 contests with the senior national squad since 2022. In his most recent stint with the senior national team at the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers in February, Sane averaged 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds over a three-game stretch.
Sane joins Avery Brown (Columbia), Donnie Freeman (Syracuse), British point guard, Quinn Ellis European wing Djordije Jovanovic and incoming Serbian freshman Lazar Stojkovic as the latest additions to the 2026-27 Red Storm men's basketball roster. The Johnnies are coming off their first Sweet 16 appearance in 27 years and won the outright BIG EAST Regular Season Championship and tournament title for the second straight season. Place a deposit for season tickets by clicking here or support theRed Storm Legacy Investment Fund.
Sane, a 6-foot-8 forward from Senegal, has logged playing time in high-level leagues on three different continents.
"Babacar is a forward that can play multiple positions," said Head Coach Rick Pitino. "I've heard wonderful things about him from my former player Gorgui Dieng. Assistant Coach Ricky Johns went to see him and we were extremely impressed with his athleticism."
Most recently, Sane has suited up for MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg in the Basketball Bundesliga, Germany's top league, where he is a teammate of former Johnnie Stef Smith. In 30 games, Sane has averaged 9.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per contest. He is a 48.5% shooter from the floor and has connected on 33.9% of his tries from long distance. Sane has reached double figures in 16 of those 28 contests, including three outings of 20-plus points. His best performance of the season came on April 1 in a win over Niners Chemnitz, scoring 24 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a 4-of-6 showing from beyond the arc, and grabbing nine boards.
From 2022-25, Sane competed in the NBA G League, spending his first two seasons with NBA G League Ignite before splitting the 2024-25 campaign with the Salt Lake City Stars and the Iowa Wolves. In 75 career G League games, 23 of which were starts, Sane averaged 8.9 points on 43.8% shooting to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 0.4 blocks per outing. Sane's most productive G League stint was his last with the Iowa Wolves, averaging 11.8 points on 48.6% shooting, including a 31.1% clip from beyond the arc, in 16 games.
In addition to his time in Germany and the G League has undertaken two separate tenures in the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Before coming to the United States in 2022, Sane played with Dakar Universite Club, averaging 4.0 points per game. Sane returned to the BAL last spring, averaging 12.5 points and 5.1 per game for Union Sportive Monastirienne on his way to earning All-BAL Second Team honors.
Sane has been a mainstay on the Senegalese National Team, appearing in 16 contests with the senior national squad since 2022. In his most recent stint with the senior national team at the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers in February, Sane averaged 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds over a three-game stretch.
Sane joins Avery Brown (Columbia), Donnie Freeman (Syracuse), British point guard, Quinn Ellis European wing Djordije Jovanovic and incoming Serbian freshman Lazar Stojkovic as the latest additions to the 2026-27 Red Storm men's basketball roster. The Johnnies are coming off their first Sweet 16 appearance in 27 years and won the outright BIG EAST Regular Season Championship and tournament title for the second straight season. Place a deposit for season tickets by clicking here or support theRed Storm Legacy Investment Fund.
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