They call it the World’s Most Famous Arena, but for forty minutes, it is the most intimidating place in the world. In a sold-out crowd of 19,000, “Let’s Go Johnnies” chants are heard throughout the arena as St. John’s commands a huge start versus their rivals, the UConn Huskies. An alley oop slam from Zuby Ejiofor topped off this start as Madison Square Garden erupted. As a St. John’s fan that night, it was incredible to watch Ejiofor play an amazing game leading St. John’s to another Big East Championship and further securing his legacy at the university. But it wasn’t always like this for Ejiofor; before he arrived in Queens—and even after—he had some setbacks that have made him the player he is today.
Zuby Ejiofor, a young superstar from Dallas, Texas has made a name for himself as a top NBA prospect after spending the last three season playing under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden for St. John’s. Ejiofor has been credited by many, including his Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, for bringing the program back to life.
Pitino said in a press conference “This place was dead. Zuby played behind Joel for one year, and he, like Mashburn, helped turn around Kentucky. Zuby helped the turnaround here at St. John’s, culture-wise, as well as on the court play.”
For the last two seasons Ejiofor has been the cornerstone of St. John’s, leading the Johnnies to back-to-back appearances in March. Although Ejiofor is now a star, his road to stardom was bumpy.
Ejiofor came out of high school as a top 50 recruit and committed to play under Bill Self at Kansas. Ejiofor was limited on playtime, only averaging 1.2 ppg in his freshman year. He hoped to get a larger role in his sophomore season until Coach Self recruited top big man Hunter Dickinson from the transfer portal, squandering Ejiofor’s hopes at more opportunities.
Coach Self was adamant on Zuby returning for his sophomore season, but Ejiofor’s mentor, Andy Philchack, persuaded Ejiofor to visit St. John’s. Ejiofor was initially hesitant, but it was the best decision he could’ve made. Philchack has played a huge role in Ejiofor’s development; he was Ejiofor’s AAU coach and is helping him develop to this day. Philchack has earned the name “dad,” as he’s mentored him since Ejiofor first picked up a basketball in 8th grade.
At first, Ejiofor faced similar challenges at St. John’s as he did at Kansas. Despite wanting to be on the court full time, Ejiofor only averaged 11 mpg and 4.3 ppg with just one game started. Ejiofor was back in a bench role, but this obstacle wasn’t so bad. He was playing behind senior Joel Soriano and being developed by Rick Pitino, both of whom helped him become the player he evolved into the next year.
Ejiofor had high praise for his teammate Joel Soriano, whom he saw as a mentor who took him under his wing.
He also credited his time in a bench role as what helped him become the player he is today. “That’s been my obstacle so far and now here I am, so I think that molded me into the person I am today,” he said.
In his junior season, the door was wide open for him to take over—and he did. Ejiofor had a huge jump averaging 14.1 ppg and 8.2 boards a game along with playing 31.8 minutes per game, finally getting the starting job. Ejiofor earned Big East Most Improved Player of the Year and all Big East First Team honors in his junior season. He, along with star teammate R.J. Luis Jr., led St. John’s to their first Big East title since 2000, and got the two seed in March madness to end an incredible junior season.
This season put St. John’s on the map, and Ejiofor wasn’t done yet. In his senior season, Ejiofor averaged 16 ppg and 7 boards per game, leading St. John’s to back-to-back Big East title victories. Ejiofor earned even bigger honors as he became the second player in Big East history to sweep the awards, winning Big East Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. To cap off his senior season, he led the Johnnies to their first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 1999, capping off a legendary career for Ejiofor. St. John’s is now back on the map as a top program all thanks to one of the best to ever put on the St. John’s uniform: Zuby Ejiofor.
Ejiofor now looks ahead to the next stop of his basketball career: the NBA Draft. Ejiofor is projected to be a late-first to early-second round pick, with some mock drafts even having him staying in New York to play for the Knicks. Ejiofor’s defensive skill set, offensive rebounding abilities and efficiency in the paint lead to him being a player to look out for to come out of the draft as a gem. Regardless of what happens next, Ejiofor will always be remembered as the guy who brought St. John’s back from the dead.
