PROVIDENCE, R.I. — St. John's has more talented players than Zuby Ejiofor.
We have more skilled players. There are players with higher upside potential.
But through 11 games, there may not be a better player.
Just ask Rick Pitino.
In a recent press conference, he talked about Johnny's problems guarding teams playing without true big men.
The Hall of Fame coach was asked if he considered going without Ejiofor to fit that style in that situation.
He was surprised by the suggestion.
“Zuby is our best player. We need Zuby on the court all the time,” Pitino said.
It's hard to argue with him.
The 6-foot-9 junior forward ranks second on the team in points (14.2) and minutes played (29.7). He leads the Johnnys in rebounds (7.6), blocked shots (2.5) and shooting percentage (59.3).
But his most valuable asset cannot be measured by statistics.
It's his effort. his motor.
He just plays harder than everyone else.
That's what Pitino adored last year when Ejiofor was Joel Soriano's backup, and it's still the case now that he's a tri-captain and starter.
This was the case during summer and fall training, and it continues into the early part of the season.
“I watched team film of him, his offensive rebounds, what he does. He chases the ball, gets away from that guy, runs into it, clears it, gets to the open area while chasing the ball.” said Pitino. “It took about 18 different moves to get the rebound.” [in a recent over Kansas State] It was one of the most impressive edits I've seen. Working hard is a skill. Not all players can work like Zuby. they don't have it.
“There's no one on our team that works like Zuby, and I truly believe that if our other players work like he does, they can be one of the top players in the Big East. Because he is persistent in everything and takes very few breaks.
Obviously, Ejiofor has improved a lot since coming to St. John's (9-2, 1-0) after one season at Kansas.
He had the talent to work with, as he was rated as a top-50 four-star prospect out of Garland High School in Texas.
And he got better as last year progressed, becoming arguably St. John's best big man starting in January. Still, the jump was so incredible that it's hard to imagine Pitino ever taking him off the floor for more than a few minutes.
Johnnies was also involved in Lance Ware's move to Kentucky when Ejiofor committed to St. John's in May 2023.
But after Coach Pitino put Ejiofor through his workouts, he knew the forward was the right fit, despite his modest numbers in very limited time at Kansas.
“He played for Bill Self, one of the best coaches in our game, so we knew he was fundamentally sound. He knows how to work hard. I thought I was going to die,” Pitino said. “That's one of the keys to evaluation, who they played for. If you get Bill Self, you have to play hard, you have to be good defensively and you have to listen. That was a big factor in why I hired him.
“Bill played a big role in that. I'm sure he would like to have his back.”
