78°Good afternoon

St. John’s wasted no time.

Less than 24 hours after a federal judge approved the House v. NCAA settlement that give the Red Storm two more scholarships, they made a move to add more depth to their 2025-26 roster.

The Red Storm got a commitment on Saturday afternoon from Casper Pohto, a 6-4 guard from Sweden, according to his agent, Clay Milnes, of WTM Sports Group.

St. John’s coach Rick Pitino already has the nation’s top-ranked class of transfers, according to 247sports.com. Pohto, who attended Sunrise Christian Academy (Kansas), is one of three incoming freshmen along with Imran Suljanovic, a 6-8 Austrian who specializes in outside shooting, and Kelvin Odih of SoCal Academy, an athletic and physical 6-5 wing.

“They expressed an interest in adding another guard who is capable of playing point guard .  .  . and thought he could fit into a potential backup role, and Casper thought St. John’s was about as good a situation as any player could get,” Milnes told Newsday in a telephone interview. “People know that Coach Pitino has an [affinity] for international players and really gets the European game. This all just kind of made sense for him to slide into a backup role.”

The current blueprint for the Red Storm has North Carolina transfer Ian Jackson on the top of the depth chart at point guard. Idaho State transfer Dylan Darling is envisioned as the first point guard off the bench.

Pohto was on the St. John’s campus for a visit earlier this week.  “It was a great experience for him,” Milnes said.   “They’d gotten kind of invested in Casper, showed a lot of interest and wanted to get him on campus. He loved the workout that Coach Pitino put him through and had a great time.”

Pohto, who recently turned 19, played for the Swedish national team in the 2024 FIBA U18 Eurobasket and averaged 13.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He shot 75% on free throws and 32.4% on three-pointers.

Pohto also played at St. Benedict’s Prep (N.J.) in 2023-24 and averaged 10.4 points as a junior, according to the school website.

“Casper saw it the way any player would: It’s a no-brainer to want to play under a coach like [Pitino],” Milnes said. “So that’s kind of how it went, pretty straightforward. They liked the kid, thought he fit the program and the feeling was mutual, so we took care of it pretty quick.” 

SUBSCRIBE

Unlimited Digital AccessOnly 25¢for 6 months

ACT NOWSALE ENDS SOON | CANCEL ANYTIME