Triple-doubles are rare in the St. John’s basketball program, but Zuby Ejiofor ensured his name would remain in the school’s record book long after his playing career is over.
The Red Storm captain notched the fifth triple-double in team history since 1985-86 on Saturday night with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 32-point blowout win over Villanova.
He joined Mark Jackson, David Cain, Ron Artest, and Kadary Richmond in the exclusive club.
It was also the first ever triple-double for Ejiofor at any level in his career and he knew exactly what his stats were as time was winding out. Head coach Rick Pitino even reminded him of how close he was.
“That was a really special moment,” he said of getting the 10th assist.
Ejiofor was two assists away with under 4:30 remaining before Sadiku Ibine-Ayo stepped into a jumper off a pass from the center and Joson Sanon did the same thing two possessions later, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
What made the game and performance from Zuby Ejiofor more impactful was the dreadful showing St. John’s had three days earlier against No. 6 UConn, losing by 32 points in its highly anticipated rematch.
“He’s very well rested because he took a day off against Connecticut,” Pitino joked when commenting on Ejiofor’s triple-double.
The likely Big East Player of the Year is now averaging 15.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game.
“Just to put on a performance like this in front of the best fans in the country, it means everything to just have this type of performance with my family in the crowd as well,” he added.
Zuby Ejiofor will look to end his career on a high note entering the final week of the regular season beginning with his Senior Day on Tuesday night (7:00 p.m. ET, Peacock) at Madison Square Garden against Georgetown.