Coach Rick Pitino’s team reached a level of success at St. John’s last season that the program had not achieved in 40 years.
The Red Storm recorded a 31-5 record, won an outright Big East regular season title for the first time since 1985, swept through the Big East Tournament to capture that trophy for the first time in 25 years, and entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed. The rebirth mobilized New York City and brought college basketball fans back to Madison Square Garden.
Beyond Pitino’s orchestration, the rejuvenation was triggered by a new voice of leadership on the floor. The player went virtually unnoticed beyond the program’s inner circle at the start of the season, but as the pieces started to fit together, the example set by 6-foot-9 forward Zuby Ejiofor transformed his stature into a beacon that is still shining a light at St. John’s.
Put aside the 14.7 scoring average and the 8.1 rebounds per game. As important as those numbers were, Ejiofor has earned respect through his hard work, his words, and his ability to provide direction for his team. “I can’t tell you how many times it was – definitely over 10 times in huddles – where I was done talking and he just took over the huddle,” Pitino said. “He said, ‘Hey, we’ve been here before. We’re down seven, it’s four minutes to go in the game. We’re going to win this game. Stay close, stay together, get our stops and we’re winning this game.’ ’’
Ejiofor now embarks on his senior campaign as the only returning starter from last season. Even so, St. John’s begins this chapter with an elite ranking and a talented supporting cast capable of keeping the Red Storm playing until Final Four weekend, and unlike last year, all eyes are now trained on Ejiofor, who was voted Big East Preseason Player of the Year after earning recognition last season as the conference’s Most Improved Player.
If he lives up to that billing, St. John’s could claim the conference’s top player for the second consecutive season after forward RJ Luis Jr. won the top honor last year. Ejiofor knows his potential to win individual awards hinges on the team’s success. “We’ve got a new group of guys who are ready for the moment,” he said. “I know they’re going to embrace all the ups and downs that will come with it because we have a big target on our backs. We’ve got to be ready.”
Ejiofor has always impressed observers with his energy. From his high school days in Garland, Texas, to his freshman season under Bill Self at Kansas, and then as a transfer who landed with Pitino at St. John’s, his motor has always been his best asset. And Pitino’s proven philosophy emphasizing skills and individual development has turned out to be a perfect fit for his game.
“It was surreal,” Ejiofor said of his junior season. “I didn’t know exactly how my season was going to go personally, so for it to play out exactly how it did, I wouldn’t change a thing. I always pride myself on effort first before anything. So, I was blessed to finally get the opportunity that I was looking for.”
After dominating a lower level of talent in high school, Ejiofor was the most unheralded player in Self’s incoming recruiting class that arrived for the 2022-23 season after the Jayhawks won the national championship. As a freshman, he was stuck behind KJ Adams and Ernest Udeh on KU’s front line. He played in 25 games but averaged only five minutes and scored 31 total points. When Hunter Dickinson, considered the prize of 2023 transfer portal, transferred to Kansas from Michigan, Udeh left Lawrence for TCU and Ejiofor turned to the new regime at St. John’s.
“When Zuby came in, I put him through a hard player-development session.” Pitino said. “First thing I noticed is he never complained about the drills. He went through it. Then he shot the ball really well.”
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Self and assistant coach Norm Roberts, who recruited Ejiofor to Kansas, didn’t want the sophomore to leave, but they fully understand the current climate created by NIL money and the transfer portal. They also understood the desires of Ejiofor, his family and advisor as they initiated their quest to find a less crowded opportunity for his future.
“They were very transparent,” Roberts said. “They were great. If you are going to bring in [Dickinson], how is he going to grow and how is he going to play more? It is a sign of the times. Nobody wants to wait. We still tried to keep him, but totally understood.”
Roberts, a former head coach at St. John’s who decided to retire at Kansas this summer, viewed Ejiofor as a “high motor” player similar to forward Thomas Robinson, a finalist for the 2012 Naismith Award won by Kentucky’s Anthony Davis. Robinson left Kansas early and became the No. 5 pick in that year’s NBA Draft.
Ejiofor elevated his play at the end of last season. In a Big East Tournament semifinal victory over Marquette, St. John’s used its trademark suffocating defense and the scoring of Ejiofor to pull away in the second half. He established a school conference-tourney scoring record with 33 points, 23 of which came in the second half. Ejiofor added 9 rebounds and 3 assists, just six days after stunning Marquette with an overtime buzzer shot.
At one juncture, Ejiofor scored or assisted on 17 consecutive Red Storm points, prompting Pitino to say after that semifinal win that he didn’t know “what was better, his play or his leadership.”
That has come through in his maturation. “Zuby evolved into a leader,” Pitino said. “He was not that way in the beginning, but because he has such a great personality and he’s such a team player, it evolved naturally.”
The Red Storm marched into the NCAA Tournament leading the nation in defensive efficiency but Pitino knew one bad shooting performance might keep his team from advancing. That happened in the second round against Arkansas when St. John’s shot 28 percent from the field (2 of 22 from three) and lost 75-66. The defeat became controversial when Pitino benched Luis Jr. (3 of 17 from the field, 9 points) for the final 4:56 and the coach faced media scrutiny for that decision.
“More than anything, I was so confused,” Ejiofor said. “We obviously had the talent to go a lot further than we did.”
It took time for Ejiofor to get over that loss. But he used the setback to strengthen his resilience. “It’s always a matter of staying level headed,” he said. “My freshman year didn’t go exactly the way I pictured it or how my family pictured it. You have to be ready for an opportunity and embrace it. I found myself in a better situation at St. John’s. I learned a lot about myself. I wasn’t really a talkative person, but for the betterment of the team, I had to come out of my shell and embrace a leadership role. That’s something I’m looking to do again.”
In an effort to rebuild the Red Storm and take the next step, Pitino pulled together perhaps the best transfer class in the country. The goal was to add better shooters and more ball handlers while building around Ejifor; the new roster is bolstered by Bryce Hopkins (Providence), Dillon Mitchell (Cincinnati) and Ian Jackson (North Carolina). The newcomers turned to Ejiofor during summer workouts as they worked to absorb Pitino’s playbook. “He leads us in our stretches and he breaks us down whenever we’re breaking the huddle,” Hopkins said. “He’s been big for me, just telling me what Coach P expects.”
Ejiofor, who led Division I in offensive rebounding in 2024-25 with 4.4 per game, was named Big East Player of the Week for the first week of this season. He averaged 18.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 blocks in the first three contests, an opening stretch that included a game-high 27 points and 10 rebounds in the 103-96 loss Alabama at Madison Square Garden.
Despite his gaudy individual numbers, Ejifor criticized himself after the disappointing defeat. “At the end of the day, I have to improve.”
As a player who is fueled by his emotions, Ejiofor has embraced the culture of New York basketball and loves the electricity St. John’s has brought to Madison Square Garden. He has become the perfect fit for Pitino, a Hall of Fame coach with the experience of seven Final Four appearances.
“Every coach wants to have a player like him. . . selfless, just cares about the team,” Pitino said. “You get blessed in coaching him. I’m coaching 50 years, and there are very few Zuby’s that come along that just think about the team. Whether he scores 33 or three, it’s all about the team.”
Ejiofor has created one of college basketball’s great success stories. Now he has a
chance to author his special final chapter. “To say that I’m surprised that would happen, in some ways I am, but I’m not because of his work ethic,” Roberts said. “That kid loves playing ball, he loves being a good teammate and he loves trying to get better. He’s a warrior and he is tough. He knew his skill level would improve and there was no doubt he was going to work at it. I just love that kid.”
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