St. John's Zuby Ejiofor wins Big East Defensive Player of the Year | amNewYork

"In his third campaign under head coach Rick Pitino, Ejiofor protected the rim with strength, speed, and aggression. He led the country's 14th-ranked defensive unit with 1.97 blocks per game and a career-high 61 blocks. The senior big man put his rim protection abilities on display in consecutive non-conference games against Ole Miss and Iona, posting an astonishing 8 blocks."

"The superb defense helped him become the first player in NCAA Division I basketball to record eight or more blocks in consecutive games since 2021. Ejiofor maintained a dominant presence on the backboards, as his 7.1 rebounds per game led the Red Storm. This is in addition to leading the Johnnies in points (16.0) and assists (3.5) per game."

"Ejiofor joins an exclusive group of Johnnies, including Mark Jackson, Posh Alexander, and Justin Simon, to be named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year. The conference's coaches selected the St. John's big man to be Big East Defensive Player of the Year after he was unanimously selected to the All-Conference First Team and Defensive Team over the weekend."

Zuby Ejiofor, St. John's senior big man, was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year by conference coaches. Playing in his third season under head coach Rick Pitino, Ejiofor led the country's 14th-ranked defensive unit with 1.97 blocks per game and a career-high 61 total blocks. He was unanimously selected to the All-Conference First Team and Defensive Team. Ejiofor demonstrated exceptional rim protection in consecutive non-conference games against Ole Miss and Iona, recording eight blocks in each game—making him the first NCAA Division I player since 2021 to achieve this feat. Beyond defense, he led St. John's in rebounds (7.1 per game), points (16.0 per game), and assists (3.5 per game). Ejiofor joins an exclusive group of Johnnies including Mark Jackson, Posh Alexander, and Justin Simon as Defensive Player of the Year recipients.

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