The culture-setting big man leaves St. John’s after three years

St. John’s is saying goodbye to the final holdover from the Mike Anderson era.

Drissa Traore has officially entered the transfer portal on Friday afternoon, according to Verbal Commits. The redshirt sophomore will have two more years of eligibility.

The 6-foot-8 forward from Long Island Lutheran spent the last three seasons at St. John’s, redshirting his freshman year. In two seasons and 42 games, Traore averaged 1.3 points and 1.2 rebounds per game, shooting 45% from the field and 33% from three.\

Traore made his impact off the court. According to Zach Braziller in a December 2023 New York Post article, head coach Rick Pitino kept Traore because of the glowing reports of his character and work habits.

“You need one, two or three of those types of people on a basketball team, and Drissa is the consummate culture person,” Pitino told the New York Post in December. “It’s all about the team, whether he gets in or doesn’t get in, he’s going to be the best cheerleader on the bench.”

Traore joins Cruz Davis as the second St. John’s player to enter the transfer portal. The Red Storm will now have four open scholarship spots for the 2024-25 season.