St. John's has finalized its men's basketball roster with the signing of 6-foot-10 Hungarian forward Zsombor Maronka. The move follows an offseason injury to Donnie Freeman, who will miss the upcoming season with a torn Achilles tendon.
Maronka, 23, spent last season with the Hamburg Towers in Germany's Basketball Bundesliga, where he averaged 7.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He also contributed 5.6 points and 3.2 rebounds over 13 EuroCup contests. He shot 36.8 percent from 3-point range on 4.3 attempts per game over 27 league appearances.
Rick Pitino, St. John's head coach, described Maronka as a "knockdown shooter and terrific passer" who brings valuable length to the team. Maronka brings international experience, having played for the Hungarian senior national team and averaging 10.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in four FIBA World Cup qualifiers.
Maronka is the fifth international player to join St. John's this offseason, following Quinn Ellis (England), Babacar Sane (Senegal), Djordije Jovanovic (Montenegro), and Lazar Stojkovic (Serbia). He previously played with projected starting center Ruben Prey in Spain three years ago.
The experienced forward is expected to provide depth at multiple forward positions and complement players like Sane and Ellis, as well as top transfer Tounde Yessoufou.