On Saturday, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame awarded St. John’s senior Zuby Ejiofor with the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award. Ejiofor beat four other finalists on his path to being named the nation’s top center.
The 6’9″ big man, who averaged a dominant 16.3 PPG, wins the award in his third and final year at St. John’s. Previously, he played for the Kansas Jayhawks as a freshman.
St. John’s Zuby Ejiofor Takes Home Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award
Ejiofor is the third center out of the Big East to receive the award. He succeeds Ryan Kalkbrenner from Creighton, who took home the honor last year. Angel Delgado was the first Big East center to win, back in 2018, after an impressive year at Seton Hall.
Ejiofor’s Trophy Case
This award season has frequently mentioned Ejiofor’s name. Even before the season started, he was named the league’s preseason Player of the Year. Recently, he was named a unanimous All-Big East First-Team selection and the unanimous Big East Player of the Year, as well as the Big East Tournament MVP. Last year, Ejiofor was named the conference’s Most Improved Player while also taking home All-Big East First Team honors.
Somewhat surprisingly, he was only an All-American honorable mention, which raised eyebrows well before Center of the Year nod Saturday.
Ejiofor’s Time at St. John’s
This win closes out not only Ejiofor’s unbelievable senior season but also his collegiate career. After his freshman season at Kansas, where he only averaged 1.2 PPG, he transferred to St. John’s. There, he joined forces with new hire and Hall of Famer Rick Pitino. Season after season, Ejiofor only improved. His sophomore year saw him average four points and a block a game. However, his junior and senior campaigns solidified him in Queens history.
During this time, he helped lead the Johnnies to their fourth and fifth Big East Tournament championships. As a senior, he captained the Red Storm as they made it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.
Ejiofor’s Future
Although he remains undeclared for the draft, Ejiofor is a highly touted prospect. Most boards have him floating as a 30th-40th overall pick. If this is the case, he would be the highest draft pick out of St. John’s since Maurice Harkless went 15th overall in 2012.
Regardless, this Center of the Year nod strengthens both Ejiofor’s collegiate resume and NBA draft case.
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