St. John’s Parts Ways With Men’s Basketball GM After Placing Him on Administrative Leave

St. John’s parted ways with general manager Matt Abdelmassih, athletic director Ed Kull confirmed to the New York Post on Tuesday. Abdelmassih, a key figure in St. John’s roster management, transfer portal and fundraising efforts, had been away from the team since mid-December on administrative leave. Sources confirm to Sports Illustrated that financial deals made by Abdelmassih had come under scrutiny in recent weeks, leading to the ouster of one of the most influential figures in Rick Pitino’s program.

Abdelmassih, long a highly effective recruiter with stops as an assistant at Nebraska, Iowa State and at St. John’s under Chris Mullin, returned to Queens as Pitino’s general manager after a short stint working in the agency world. Armed with one of the deepest war chests in the country, Abdelmassih worked aggressively behind the scenes to help build highly rated transfer classes each of the past two years, including the 2024–25 group that helped St. John’s to the Big East championship.

Matt Abdelmassih was a key part of Rick Pitino’s staff. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The move, though prompted by off-court concerns, comes amid a disappointing 2025–26 season for the Red Storm. St. John’s was in the preseason top five of the AP poll with one of the most expensive rosters in college basketball but fell out of the Top 25 by Christmas after a 7–4 start. Things got even worse when St. John’s lost at home to a middling Providence squad to open 2026, a game Pitino said exposed “frailties” in the team, though the Red Storm have since bounced back with consecutive Big East victories.

Pitino on new GM: "It's out of my hands. All I was told was four days ago, look for a new general manager." #sjubb
— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) January 14, 2026

At the heart of St. John’s struggles has been inconsistent point guard play after missing on key targets at that position in the transfer portal. Initially, Pitino said he planned to use highly touted North Carolina transfer Ian Jackson at the point, then later in the summer decried the need for a point guard at all before later lamenting those recruiting misses after a Dec. 20 loss to Kentucky.

Newsday reported that a search to replace Abdelmassih has already begun. It comes at a critical time in roster management across the country. At some programs, staffs have already begun initial negotiations with potential returning players about contracts for next season, while roster builders like Abdelmassih are often neck-deep in conversations with representatives for potential transfers by early February. Top assistant Steve Masiello, a longtime Pitino staffer dating back to his time at Louisville, is also heavily involved in Red Storm recruiting efforts.

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