Rhodeley, Providence – Kansas' loss was St. John's profit.
They lost Zuby Ejiofor when the Jayhawks brought in all-American hunter Dickinson through a transfer portal two years ago.
At the time, no one knew what kind of difference maker he would become.
“We didn't want Zby to leave,” Kansas coach Bill Self told the Amica Mutual Pavilion Wednesday. “It's going to be like a crowded house and at least there wasn't much of a way to see it at the moment, so I supported what he wanted to do. He was great when he was with us.
Ejiofor didn't play much in his only season with Kansas. This averages 5.2 minutes in 25 games.
Enrolled in college with a four-star top 50 recruit, he entered the portal and got caught up in Queens, welcoming Villanova, TCU and San Diego State.
Check out the latest Big East rankings and cents. John's statistics
In his first season with Rick Pitino, the 6-foot-9 Egiofor was Joel Soriano's backup and made progress as the year progressed.
This winter he exploded.
He was selected as one of three captains before the season, breaking out into second seed Johnny, winning the Big East's most improved player award along with the league's first team spot.
“I'm totally grateful for my time in Kansas,” said Egiofort, who averaged 14.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. “So now I've realized I'm in a better situation for myself and in the last few years I wouldn't have imagined going to a different program that I could develop under the standards that Coach Pitino and all of the things he put up for me.
Pitino calls Ejiofor one of the best defense keys in terms of team MVP, Red Storm's Rock and efficiency.
He sets Marquette's St. John's Big East Tournament record with 33 points in the semi-finals, aiming to lead them to the first NCAA tournament victory of the 25-year program against No. 15 Omaha on Thursday.
His former teammate is not surprised.
The relentless motor, which had been a staple at Egiofort since his arrival, was also part of his game at the time.
“He always worked hard every day in practice when he was at KU, and now it shows what he's doing,” said Kansas Guard's Dajuan Harris Jr. “He learned from a lot of the centers we had, the vets we had. Hopefully we can match them. We had to take care of the business. They have to take care of the business.
