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.
