Ejiofor’s scoring average jumped from 4.3 points to 14.1 points per game in his first season as a full-time starter
Last season, Zuby Ejiofor came off the bench as the first reserve big to Joel Soriano, who was named the Big East’s Most Improved Player in 2022-23 in his first full season as a starting center for St. John’s. Fast forward to this season, and Ejiofor is following in Soriano’s footsteps.
On Monday afternoon, the conference’s coaches named the co-captain as Big East Most Improved Player.
The heart of @StJohnsBBall. @Zubyejiofor is the 2025 BIG EAST Most Improved Player of the Year. pic.twitter.com/k0AtqjS7N1
— BIG EAST MBB (@BIGEASTMBB) March 10, 2025
Ejiofor not only looked the part of a high-major starting center but emerged as one of the best bigs in the conference, anchoring the post on the third-best defense in the country, according to KenPom.
The native of Garland, Texas, is second on the Red Storm in scoring this season with 14.1 points per game (16th in Big East) and leads St. John’s with 8.2 rebounds per game (third in Big East) and 1.5 blocks per game (sixth in Big East).
The 6-foot-9 big also leads the Big East and ranks second nationally with 134 offensive rebounds. He is also second in the Big East with nine double-doubles this season, most recently posting 17 points and 12 rebounds while scoring the buzzer-beating layup in an overtime win over No. 20 Marquette last Saturday.
Ranked as a top 50 high school recruit in the class of 2022, Ejiofor spent his first two seasons of college ball playing limited minutes. As a freshman at Kansas, he averaged 1.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 5.1 minutes played per game and 25 games off the bench.
Seeing his role shrink with the Jayhawks securing All-American transfer center Hunter Dickinson, Ejiofor jumped in the portal and landed at St. John’s ahead of the 2023-24 season. However, Ejiofor only saw his role increase marginally as a sophomore, averaging 4.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 11.2 minutes played while only making one start in 33 games.
Ejiofor is the fifth Red Storm player to win the award since its inception in 1997, joining Soriano, Julian Champagnie (2021), Sir’Dominic Pointer (2015), and Justin Hardy (2011).
The sixth-ranked St. John’s Red Storm (27-4, 18-2 Big East) will face the winner of Wednesday afternoon’s Providence vs. Butler game in the Big East Tournament quarterfinal on Thursday, March 13 (noon, Peacock).