St. John’s men’s basketball replace injured Donnie Freeman with Hungarian forward Zsombor Maronka
· Yahoo Sports
Less than three weeks after losing prized transfer Donnie Freeman for this upcoming season with a torn Achilles injury, the Red Storm found their replacement for the former McDonald’s All-American to round out the roster.
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Zsombor Maronka, a 6-foot-10 power forward from Hungary, committed to St. John’s on Monday afternoon. The news was first reported by Roger Rubin of Newsday.
Despite already signing 15 players, St. John’s was able to add Maronka following Freeman’s Achilles injury because new NCAA guidelines state that a player who suffers a season-ending injury prior to the roster submission deadline won’t count toward the roster limit. Once the college basketball season begins, Freeman is expected to be excluded from the Red Storm’s 15-man active roster while he recovers.
Known for his off-the-dribble shooting ability, quick decision-making with the ball, and fluid mobility, Maronka comes to Queens following six years competing professionally in Europe. The 23-year-old most recently played for Hamburg Towers in Germany’s top division, where he averaged 7.1 points and 4.0 rebounds on 41.2% shooting from the field and 35.8% from three last season.
The Hungarian international also shined for his home country during FIBA World Cup qualifiers earlier this year, scoring 10.5 points per game and pulling down 3.5 rebounds per contest while hitting 45.2% from the field and 39.1% from three.
Maronka will become teammates with current Red Storm big man Ruben Prey once again, as the two European forwards played three games together at Spanish club CB Prat during the 2021-22 season.
Following his commitment, Maronka stands as the ninth international signing of the offseason for St. John’s, along with Quinn Ellis (England), Djordije Jovanović (Montenegro), Donnie Freeman (Bahamas), Lazar Stojković (Serbia), Babacar Sane (Senegal), Theo Edema (Nigeria), Tounde Yessoufou (Benin), and Gildas Gimenez (Spain/Burkina Faso).
This incoming group joins a team that already features returning internationals Ruben Prey (Portugal), Casper Pohto (Sweden), Lefteris Liotopoulos (Greece), and Fotis Konstantinidis (Greece).