The Red Storm’s co-captain believes this year’s prized arrivals can help the Johnnies pick up where they left off
Returning for his senior year, Zuby Ejiofor knows everything there is to competing and thriving on a team led by Rick Pitino.
The rock-solid big man paid his dues off the bench after transferring from Kansas in his sophomore year, then came out of his shell as a player and an on-court leader last season, earning the co-captaincy from his teammates and winning the Big East’s Most Improved Player award amidst the greatest St. John’s men’s basketball season this century. However, despite Ejiofor’s best efforts, the Red Storm bowed out of the tournament prematurely to Arkansas.
Hoping to avoid a repeat of last season’s finish, Pitino hauled in arguably the best transfer class in college basketball this offseason. After familiarizing himself with this crop of talent through one month of summer workouts, Ejiofor believes his newest teammates can flourish under the high expectations of playing for Pitino. Speaking to the media during St. John’s apparel partnership launch with adidas at their flagship store in SoHo on Wednesday afternoon, the captain gave his seal of approval to several newcomers.
“There’s always an adjustment period, but we’ve been playing long enough that guys know exactly what they bring to this team,” Ejiofor told the media on Wednesday. “We’ve been meshing pretty well so far, and I’m really excited to see how we’re going to be.”
Providence forward Bryce Hopkins is expected to form a frontcourt tandem with Ejiofor. Although Hopkins only played in 17 games over the last two seasons due to an ACL tear and a bone bruise, he earned First Team All-Big East recognition in his last healthy season in 2023. The Red Storm’s center believes Hopkins will make life easier for him in the post thanks to his physicality, downhill scoring, and ability to create for himself and others.
“We know what [Bryce] accomplished in his sophomore year before the injuries,” Ejiofor said when asked about playing alongside Hopkins, “He’s a big piece in what we’re trying to build, and he’s going to be a tremendous help with me down there.”
Pitino also addressed the glaring shooting issues that doomed last season by bringing in Oziyah Sellers from Stanford and Joson Sanon from Arizona State, who respectively shot 40.1% and 36.9% from three last season.
“[Oziyah] and [Joson] shoot at a really high clip, and they make me feel embarrassed in the numbers I put up in my player development sessions,” Ejiofor commented with a chuckle.
Ejiofor also expressed his excitement in Idaho State transfer Dylan Darling’s point guard capabilities, stating he doesn’t see Darling struggling while making the jump to the Big East level. He praised the toughness and intensity displayed by Cincinnati transfer Dillon Mitchell, and he also shouted out North Carolina transfer Ian Jackson’s shot creation and work rate on both ends.
While all of these attributes are intriguing on their own, how committed this Red Storm group is towards improving every day, playing with the ferocity expected from a Rick Pitino team, and putting in a full 40 minutes every contest will dictate how far they go in March.
“It’s on me, Sadiku [Ibine Ayo], some other coaches as well, to get the guys to understand what we’re trying to build here, and we set a pretty good precedent for years to come from last season. It takes all thirteen, fourteen, I don’t know how many guys we exactly have,” Ejiofor said with a smirk, “but it takes everyone to do whatever it takes to win.”