St. John’s men’s basketball adds fifth-year Indiana transfer Reed Bailey

Feb 24, 2026; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Reed Bailey (1) dribbles against Northwestern Wildcats guard Angelo Ciaravino (44) during the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Red Storm’s 2026-27 roster is once again complete… at least for now.

Indiana transfer Reed Bailey officially signed with St. John’s on Wednesday. The 6-foot-11 forward reportedly entered the transfer portal with a “do not contact” tag one hour before officially committing the day before.

Bailey is one of the hundreds of players taking advantage of a July federal court injunction that granted them a chance to return to college basketball with a fifth year of eligibility. This order was in response to the NCAA’s new “5-for-5” age-based eligibility rules that came into effect this season, which originally didn’t allow high school class of 2022 athletes to compete for a fifth season.

The Red Storm were hoping to fill the power forward void left after Donnie Freeman’s season-ending injury with Auburn transfer Keyshawn Hall, and were favorites to land the All-SEC forward. However, momentum has stalled on that front, and Hall remains unsigned.

“Reed brings great experience,” said Rick Pitino in a statement. “He is someone who has played at a high level and has seen it all. He really understands how to play the game. He has good positional size and fits perfectly in our motion offense.”

The Massachusetts native comes to Queens after a turbulent senior year with Indiana, when he was demoted to the bench after only nine games. Bailey averaged 8.3 points and 3.4 rebounds for the Hoosiers last season on 57.0% shooting.

Bailey hopes to show he can flourish at the high-major level with the Red Storm and potentially reclaim the impressive production he had at Davidson, where he averaged 12.4 points and 4.9 rebounds while better showcasing his ability to stretch defenses and put the ball on the floor in his previous three seasons. As a junior, he won the Atlantic-10 Most Improved Player award after leading the Wildcats in scoring, rebounding, and assists with 18.8 points, 6.1 boards, and 3.8 dimes per game.

Barring any other roster changes, the fifth-year transfer is going to battle for the starting power forward spot with former international professional Babacar Sane.