SAN DIEGO – The massive man of the second right here in Southern California goes by the identify of “Zuby,” which is pronounced as “Zoobie” and is the nickname his mother gave him as a result of it was simpler to say than his actual identify – Chukwuebuka Ejiofor.
Prepare to listen to it rather a lot on Sunday.
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Zuby Ejiofor, a 6-foot-9 ahead, began his faculty profession at Kansas in 2022, the place he performed for Corridor of Fame coach Invoice Self. Then he transferred to St. John’s in 2023 to play for Corridor of Fame coach Rick Pitino.
Three years later, Ejiofor, Pitino and No. 5 seed St. John’s face off in opposition to Self and No. 4 seed Kansas in a second-round males’s NCAA Match recreation at Viejas Enviornment.
“We didn’t need him to go away,” Self mentioned Saturday. “We’re actually completely satisfied for his success. We simply don’t … We simply hope it doesn’t come in opposition to us.”
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Sadly for Self, Ejiofor occurs to be on a monster run proper now. He’s the reigning Huge East Convention participant of the 12 months, reigning Huge East defensive participant of the 12 months and the chief of his workforce in scoring (16.3 ppg), rebounding (7.3 rpg), assists (121) and blocks (77).
Now comes the height of his faculty profession in opposition to his previous workforce. Simply don’t name it a revenge recreation. It’s not.
St. John’s ahead Zuby Ejiofor drives to the basket in opposition to Northern Iowa defenders Will Hornseth (13) and Ben Schwieger (7) within the first spherical of the 2026 NCAA males’s basketball match at Viejas Enviornment in San Diego.
Why did Zuby Ejiofor switch from Kansas to St. John’s?
Ejiofor (pronounced “edge-o-for”) sat in a chair Saturday surrounded by about 15 reporters and photographers at Viejas Enviornment. They needed to know the story once more: What occurred at Kansas and why did he select St. John’s?
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“I had a enjoyable time at Kansas,” Ejiofor mentioned. “I wouldn’t lie: I didn’t actually wish to go away. However I knew that to ensure that my future to maintain progressing the best way I needed to go, that I needed to in all probability look elsewhere for an even bigger alternative.”
Ejiofor performed in 25 video games for Kansas as a freshman, when he averaged solely 5.1 minutes per recreation. The Jayhawks completed with a 28-8 report that season and misplaced within the second spherical of the match in opposition to Arkansas. Ejiofor performed seven minutes in that recreation and tallied two rebounds, one block and no factors.
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Then Kansas introduced in an enormous switch from Michigan in Could 2023: 7-foot-1 Hunter Dickinson, who made the transfer in pursuit of more cash for his identify, picture and likeness (NIL).
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In the future later, Ejiofor introduced he was transferring out. He merely needed extra taking part in time and didn’t see him getting a lot of it with Dickinson there.
So Ejiofor signed with St. John’s, the place Pitino had simply been employed and was remaking his roster with 10 switch gamers out of a roster of 14, together with Ejiofor.
“I do not suppose I’ve loved teaching a participant as a lot since 1987 once I coached Billy Donovan (at Windfall),” Pitino mentioned of Ejiofor. “And I will miss him terribly. And I am simply going to understand him whereas I’ve him.”
No exhausting emotions between Kansas and Zuby Ejiofor
Self recruited Ejiofor out of Garland, Texas, the place he was a late bloomer of kinds. He didn’t begin taking part in basketball till eighth grade. He has Nigerian-born mother and father and one other set of basketball “mother and father” of kinds, together with his “dad,” Andy Philachack, a 5-foot-4 coach who influenced his choice to go away Kansas.
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“All people embraced me my first 12 months (at KU), so there’s no unhealthy blood there,” Ejiofor mentioned
Self confirmed the identical.
“I really like Zuby,” Self mentioned.
And he’s not stunned by how effectively he’s accomplished.
“Rick was clearly an ideal match for him,” Self mentioned. “I’ve loved watching him develop, be a whole participant, as a result of whenever you discuss full, you are speaking a few ability set, posting, drawing fouls, utilizing each arms, passing, stretching it, blocking and altering. While you lead a workforce that good in 4 main classes, you are a good participant.”
Zuby Ejiofor thought-about different faculties in addition to St. John’s
He took his first go to Villanova and thought of Kentucky and Texas.
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Why St. John’s?
“New York is a good metropolis,” Ejiofor informed USA TODAY Sports activities. “I had by no means been to New York earlier than I visited St. John’s. After which every part that Coach Pitino stood for.”
Pitino credited assistant coach Ricky Johns for locating him. He got here in for a go to and labored out in entrance of Pitino.
“I labored him out for about an hour, put him by way of a very robust work out, and I believed he was a terrific athlete, however he by no means – I gave him an additional exhausting exercise to see if he might maintain up in opposition to it, and he by no means drained,” Pitino mentioned. “He simply labored his butt off, and I mentioned to his ‘dad,’ `I would actually like to have him.’”
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Ejiofor since helped Pitino restore a dormant program within the coronary heart of New York Metropolis. His picture lately even loomed giant in Instances Sq. in New York Metropolis.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a dream come true,” Ejiofor mentioned. “I by no means dreamt of my image ever being in Instances Sq.. However man, it’s simply loopy, , from the place I got here from and every part I needed to undergo.” Now comes his subsequent large second within the highlight, this time in opposition to his previous workforce at 5:15 p.m. ET on CBS. The winner advances to the Candy 16 in Washington, D.C.
Observe reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. E mail: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
This text initially appeared on USA TODAY: St. John’s star Zuby Ejiofor left Kansas, now desires to beat them
