Zubie Ejiofor Celebrates a Stellar Career at St. John’s

Thursday marked a fitting conclusion to Zubie Ejiofor’s noteworthy time at St. John’s, particularly highlighting his senior season.

Just weeks after leading the team to its first Sweet 16 appearance in nearly three decades and receiving the prestigious Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as the top center in the nation, he was honored yet again.

Ejiofor received the Hagerty Award, presented by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association, recognizing him as the top player in the region. This accolade adds to his collection of honors, including Big East Player of the Year and Big East Tournament MVP. He’s the second player from St. John’s to clinch the Hagerty Award in recent years, following RJ Lewis who won it last year.

“It’s definitely a blessing to receive this award,” Ejiofor, standing at 6 feet 9 inches, expressed. “I had a really great year, but honestly, I don’t want to take too much credit. It was really about the team, the coaching staff, and how much they believed in me all season long. This is for them.”

Since the season wrapped up, Ejiofor has been training in Las Vegas for the NBA Draft, working with NBA trainer Joe Abunassar at Impact Basketball. This year’s draft is considered particularly deep. In other years, he might have been a surefire first-round pick, but the uncertainty this year places him anywhere from the late first to early second round.

Ejiofor has numerous chances ahead to showcase his skills, starting with the NBA Draft Combine scheduled in Chicago from May 10 to May 17. Following that, he intends to join workouts with various teams.

“I’m really motivated and excited,” he said. “I feel like there’s a lot I still need to prove to myself and to others. When the moment comes to show my abilities, I’ll be ready.”

During his early career, Ejiofor was primarily a backup at Kansas and has significantly developed since then at St. John’s. He played a crucial role in achieving a 30-win season and has even been described as one of the best players in the program’s recent history. If things go right, he could become the first player drafted from St. John’s since Sir Dominic Pointer was selected in the second round in 2015.

“Everyone hopes for a shot,” Ejiofor stated. “There are so many aspiring players trying to make a team, so it’s a real blessing if my name gets called on draft night. It doesn’t matter to me where that may be.”

It has been nearly a month since his last game, a tough five-point defeat against Duke in the Sweet 16. Getting over it took some time, but this past weekend, coach Pitino organized a farewell gathering in Miami for the senior class, giving everyone a moment to reflect on the significant year they shared together.

“Honestly, it meant everything to me,” Ejiofor recalled. “I told coach Pitino that it was probably one of the best weekends of my life. I don’t know if I’ll ever have that kind of experience with those people again. Considering everything we went through this past season, it really felt like a farewell party.”