The St. John’s basketball season ended a week ago but its superstar, Zuby Ejiofor, is still racking in major individual honors after he was named as the winner of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award on Saturday afternoon.
Ejiofor becomes the first Red Storm player to ever be given the award since its inception in 2015 and is the second straight Big East player, and third overall, to take home the honor joining Creigton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner and Seton Hall’s Angel Delgado.
He won the award this year over Kansas’ Flory Bidunga, Gonzaga’s Graham Ike, North Carolina’s Henri Veesaar, and Florida’s Alex Condon.
Zuby Ejiofor led the Johnnies in four of five major statical categories with 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.1 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 53.6-percent from the floor and 30.5-percent from 3-point range.
“I’m truly honored and grateful to be recognized with the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award. To be associated with the legacy of Kareem a symbol of excellence, leadership, and meaningful impact beyond the game is incredibly humbling,” Ejiofor said in a statement.
He was named as a unanimous All-Big East First Team selection, the Big East Player of the Year, the Big East Defensive Player of the Year, the Big East Scholar Athlete of the Year, and the Most Outstanding Player of the Big East Tournament.
“This recognition motivates me to continue striving not only for success on the court, but to keep making a positive difference in the lives of others.”
Ejiofor led St. John’s to another historic season, becoming the first team in conference history to win outright regular season and tournament titles in back-to-back seasons. He went for 18 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in St. John’s win over Kansas in the Round of 32, punching the program’s ticket to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.
He also earned a spot on the NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team.
Zuby Ejiofor will now focus his attention on NBA Draft preparation as he hopes to continue his historic St. John’s season while becoming the first player picked since 2015 and its first selection in the first round since 2012.