St. John’s picks up forward Bryce Hopkins, loses Brady Dunlap

St. John’s added a second big-time talent to the roster for the 2025-26 season when it got a commitment from Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins.

Hopkins is a 6-7 forward who was a 2023 all-Big East first-team selection after averaging 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds as sophomore at Providence, but knee injuries limited him to 17 games over the past two seasons. He joins Arizona State guard Joson Sanon, who committed last week, as new members of the Red Storm.

Coach Rick Pitino said on X: “We are so excited to have Bryce Hopkins part of our family. He epitomizes everything I love in a basketball player; Passionate, Hungry, and Driven. Can’t wait to work with him! Will become a great one for St John’s.”

As Hopkins arrives, it appears that Brady Dunlap will leave St. John’s after two seasons. He is putting his name into the NCAA transfer portal. The 6-7 wing and three-point threat was limited to 10 games this season and required two different surgeries. In December he had one to repair a ligament in his wrist. In February he required another for a small abdominal tear. In the 10 games he averaged 5.7 points and 2.2 rebounds and shot 38% on three-point attempts.

Hopkins chose St. John’s over Georgetown, which is coached by Ed Cooley, who brought him in from Kentucky after one year with the Wildcats. He went on a visit last week to the Hoyas and was on the St. John’s campus this weekend for a visit.

With rebounding a central focus for the Red Storm under Pitino, the hard-nosed Hopkins is a major addition and will make a formidable combination with Zuby Ejiofor, who was an all-conference first team selection this season.

Hopkins was following up his excellent first season with the Friars when he had his junior year cut short by an ACL injury that required season-ending surgery. Up to that point he was averaging 15.5 points and 8.6 rebounds in 14 games. This past season he battled knee discomfort and was limited to just three games in which he averaged 17.0 points and 7.7 rebounds.