St. John's is struggling on the court in Chris Mullin's first season, but the Red Storm are stockpiling talent for the 2016-17 campaign.
Germany native Richard Freudenberg committed to St. John's on Thursday morning, sources told ESPN.
Freudenberg, a 6-foot-8 wing forward, chose the Red Storm over Vanderbilt, Boston College and Miami. He's played in two games for Bayern Munich in Germany's top division and had options to sign a contract and play professionally in Europe.
Freudenberg averaged 14.3 points and 8.0 rebounds for Bayern Munich's under-18 team in the 2014-15 EuroLeague and represented Germany in the U18 FIBA Europe Championship in 2015. He averaged 5.0 points and 2.8 rebounds at the Europe Championship.
Sources have indicated that Freudenberg would be considered a top-40-caliber player if he were in the United States because of his ability to knock down shots from the perimeter.
St. John's actually has six international players on its roster, with Federico Mussini (Italy), Yankuba Sima (Spain), Amar Alibegovic (Italy), Felix Balamou (Guinea), Rob Mvouika (France) and Kassoum Yakwe (Mali).
The Red Storm have lost 13 straight games and sit at 0-10 in the Big East, but there is still a sense of optimism moving forward. Freudenberg joins a recruiting class that includes ESPN 100 guard Shamorie Ponds (No. 36) and top junior college talent Bashir Ahmed. St. John's will also gain the services of point guard Marcus LoVett Jr., who is sitting out this season.
Five-star recruits Thon Maker and Rawle Alkins are also on the Red Storm's radar for their 2016 class. Both Maker and Alkins took visits to campus in recent weeks.