St. John's University Athletics
Kyle Cuffe Jr. Commits to St. John’s
5/18/2026 2:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Mercer transfer is the son of four-year Johnnie Kyle Cuffe
QUEENS, N.Y. – St. John's Men's Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino has announced the addition of Kyle Cuffe Jr. to his roster for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
Cuffe, the son of former St. John's standout Kyle Cuffe (2000-04), will join the Red Storm following stints at Kansas, Syracuse and Mercer. They are believed to be the third father-and-son duo to play for the men's basketball program, joining Gerry and Tom Calabrese and Neil and "Fuzzy" Levane.
"Kyle comes to us with great experience at Kansas, Syracuse, Mercer and now St. John's" said Head Coach Rick Pitino. "He will help solidify our great backcourt."
Cuffe spent the 2025-26 season at Mercer, appearing in 31 games and making 14 starts for a Bears squad that finished second in the SoCon regular season standings. He averaged 7.3 points and 1.4 rebounds per game, shooting 39.0% from the floor, 33.6% from 3-point range and 75.0% from the free throw line. Cuffe finished in double figures 12 times, highlighted by a season-high 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting against Wofford on Jan. 10. Cuffe connected on three of his five long-range attempts in that outing, one of five games this season in which Cuffe tallied a trio of triples. Later in January, Cuffe began a stretch of three straight games finishing in double figures, scoring 15 against UNC Greensboro, 17 against VMI and 14 at Chattanooga.
Prior to Mercer, Cuffe spent two years at Syracuse, where he appeared in 59 career games and averaged 4.2 points per contest. As a redshirt sophomore in 2024-25 alongside future Red Storm teammate Donnie Freeman, Cuffe posted 5.1 points and 1.1 rebounds per outing white converting at a 78.7% rate from the charity stripe. During his first season at Syracuse in 2023-24, Cuffe averaged 3.2 points per game for an Orange team that went 20-12.
Before Syracuse, Cuffe spent two seasons at Kansas. He redshirted during the Jayhawks' national championship season in 2021-22 and played in two games in 2022-23 before suffering a season-ending injury. In 2022-23, he was a teammate of 2026 BIG EAST Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor.
A native of Harlem, Cuffe starred at Blair Academy in New Jersey, where he was a four-star recruit and ranked 109th nationally according to 247Sports.
Place a deposit for season tickets by clicking here or support the Red Storm Legacy Investment Fund.
Cuffe, the son of former St. John's standout Kyle Cuffe (2000-04), will join the Red Storm following stints at Kansas, Syracuse and Mercer. They are believed to be the third father-and-son duo to play for the men's basketball program, joining Gerry and Tom Calabrese and Neil and "Fuzzy" Levane.
"Kyle comes to us with great experience at Kansas, Syracuse, Mercer and now St. John's" said Head Coach Rick Pitino. "He will help solidify our great backcourt."
Cuffe spent the 2025-26 season at Mercer, appearing in 31 games and making 14 starts for a Bears squad that finished second in the SoCon regular season standings. He averaged 7.3 points and 1.4 rebounds per game, shooting 39.0% from the floor, 33.6% from 3-point range and 75.0% from the free throw line. Cuffe finished in double figures 12 times, highlighted by a season-high 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting against Wofford on Jan. 10. Cuffe connected on three of his five long-range attempts in that outing, one of five games this season in which Cuffe tallied a trio of triples. Later in January, Cuffe began a stretch of three straight games finishing in double figures, scoring 15 against UNC Greensboro, 17 against VMI and 14 at Chattanooga.
Prior to Mercer, Cuffe spent two years at Syracuse, where he appeared in 59 career games and averaged 4.2 points per contest. As a redshirt sophomore in 2024-25 alongside future Red Storm teammate Donnie Freeman, Cuffe posted 5.1 points and 1.1 rebounds per outing white converting at a 78.7% rate from the charity stripe. During his first season at Syracuse in 2023-24, Cuffe averaged 3.2 points per game for an Orange team that went 20-12.
Before Syracuse, Cuffe spent two seasons at Kansas. He redshirted during the Jayhawks' national championship season in 2021-22 and played in two games in 2022-23 before suffering a season-ending injury. In 2022-23, he was a teammate of 2026 BIG EAST Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor.
A native of Harlem, Cuffe starred at Blair Academy in New Jersey, where he was a four-star recruit and ranked 109th nationally according to 247Sports.
Place a deposit for season tickets by clicking here or support the Red Storm Legacy Investment Fund.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's BasketballSt. John's Media Availability 5.18.2026
Monday, May 18
Postgame Press Conference St. John's vs Duke 3.27.2026
Friday, March 27
St. John's Men's Basketball Pregame Press Conference NCAA Sweet Sixteen vs Duke 3.26.2026
Thursday, March 26
St. John's Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament Round 2 postgame Press Conference 3.22.26
Sunday, March 22