WASHINGTON — St. John’s star Zuby Ejiofor did not have much to say after Friday night’s season-ending Sweet 16 loss to Duke.
The 80-75 defeat was still eminently raw as Ejiofor sat at the podium at Capital One Arena, and the outgoing senior was ultimately moved to tears when he was asked how he hopes to be remembered.
“Just a competitive player on the court, but my character is something that I pride myself on the most,” Ejiofor said. “To all the St. John’s nation, I appreciate you guys over the past three years.”
During those three years in Queens, the 6-9 forward/center emerged as a heart-and-soul player who, along with head coach Rick Pitino, became a face of the Red Storm’s resurgence.
Ejiofor helped lead the Johnnies to back-to-back Big East regular-season and conference-tournament championships in 2025 and 2026. He was the only player who started for both teams.
When Ejiofor transferred from Kansas in 2023, St. John’s had made only three NCAA Tournament appearances in the previous 21 years.
This was the second year in a row that St. John’s (30-7) made the Big Dance. By advancing to the Sweet 16, the Red Storm made their deepest tournament run since 1999.
But the run ended in heartbreak, as fifth-seeded St. John’s squandered a 10-point second-half lead in the loss to the top-seeded Blue Devils.
“We had opportunities down the stretch to be able to come out with the win, but little mistakes here and there with our coverages. And they were able to exploit us with some mismatches,” Ejiofor said.
“Fell just short of the Elite Eight and our chance to go to the Final Four. One heck of a year, but yeah, pretty disappointed.”
Ejiofor finished with 17 points on 6-of-17 shooting, eight rebounds and six assists in his final game at St. John’s.
That capped a senior season in which Ejiofor led the Red Storm in points (16.3), rebounds (7.3), assists (3.5) and blocks (2.1) per game.
He was the Big East’s Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as well as the Big East Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
On Friday, Ejofor was named a finalist for the national Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.
Now, Ejiofor turns his attention to the NBA Draft. Last month, ESPN ranked Ejiofor as the No. 36 player on its prospect big board.
And now, St. John’s must figure out how to replace Ejiofor, along with Bryce Hopkins, Dillon Mitchell and Oziyah Sellers, who are also out of eligibility.
“This team was one of the most unique teams I’ve had in 52 years. Never one argument amongst the players,” Pitino said.
“They were just the greatest kids in the world. They wanted to win so badly. They were willing to do anything to try and win. I’ll never have a team like this again with that type of attitude. … My heart breaks for them right now.”
