By ADAM ZAGORIA
Five-star Class of 2027 big man Theo Edema of Cushing Academy (MA) and Team New England is headed to the Big Apple.
Edema, a native of Nigeria, chose St. John’s over Maryland, Stanford and BYU and will reclasify to the Class of 2026.
“I will be taking my talents to St. John’s University,” he told ZAGSBLOG ahead of his public announcement.”
I chose them because of the reputation of Coach [Rick] Pitino. He is one of my favorite coaches to watch throughout my high school and I always said I would love to play for a coach like him. I also felt like the development they did for Zuby [Ejiofor] is exactly what I am looking for.”
The 6-foot-11, 258-pound big man is currently ranked the No. 7 center in the Class of 2027 by 247Sports.com.
“We’re pleased to welcome Theo Edema, who just signed with us yesterday,” Pitino said in a press conference. “He will be reclassifying to join us and he reminds me a lot of [former Iona and New Mexico forward] Nelly Junior Joseph in terms of his potential. We look forward to seeing him grow the right way and we’re very excited about him.”
For those who don’t know just how high of a ceiling 6’11” C @Theophilousedem has….
— Team New England Basketball Club (@TNEBBallClub) May 17, 2026
Watch this video & imagine when @RealPitino & the @StJohnsBBall staff gets their hands on him👀
Marathon continues🏁🇳🇬#SJUBB pic.twitter.com/JPcIj00MTd
He recently visited St. John’s.
“It was very nice,” he told ZAGSBLOG of the visit. “I got to meet the coaching staff and get to know more about the program Coach P [Rick Pitiino] has Aura.”
St. John's will have 11 players from 10 countries next season:
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) May 12, 2026
– USA
– Portugal
– Sweden
– Greece
– England
– Montenegro
– Bahamas
– Serbia
– Senegal
– Nigeria https://t.co/NRyzlVCVlU
St. John’s recently added former G League forward Babacar Sane of Senegal and recently added 18-year-old 7-footer Lazar Stojkovićof Serbia. Ruben Prey, the 6-11 inside/outside threat, will also return for his junior season.
Cushing Academy coach James Cormier told ZAGSBLOG: “Theo has all the raw ability to become one of the elite college basketball players in the country. Despite only playing basketball for about four years, what stands out most is his feel for the game and ability to process and make reads at a high level. His basketball IQ is well beyond most players with similar experience.
“I can’t think of a better fit than Rick Pitino and staff to help develop his skill set to match his athletic ability, size, and IQ.”
He added: “Theo’s leadership, energy and spirit are infectious. In a time when college baskwtbal has become increasingly transactional, he brings a genuine sense of camaraderie, competitiveness, and joy that elevates everyone around him.”
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