St. John's men's basketball preview: Zuby Ejiofor set to take major step forward for Rick Pitino's squad
Zuby Ejiofor (24) of St. John's dunks against the Providence Friars at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Expectations were bound to follow St. John’s into this season. It comes with the territory when Rick Pitino is hired to rebuild a program.
Providence, Kentucky and Louisville were struggling when Pitino was brought in, and he restored them all — and quickly. In each case, those teams took major steps forward in his second season. This is his second season at the helm of the Red Storm.
There have been improvements to St. John’s that took place for all to see. The class of four transfers includes two of the best guards from the transfer portal — Kadary Richmond from Seton Hall and Deivon Smith from Utah — and it is considered one of the five best in the country.
However, some of the biggest advances for the season ahead might be those that came from within and took place behind closed doors. Pitino has developed the four returning rotation regulars and center Zuby Ejiofor might be poised to take a quantum leap in 2024-25.
Ejiofor arrived via transfer from Kansas before last season. He made few impressions early on while backing up Joel Soriano, but as the season progressed, he started to have an impact, first as a tougher defender than Soriano and later as a capable offensive option. Earlier this month, his teammates elected him a co-captain with Richmond, and they say he now has a game that matches his leadership.
“If teams aren’t preparing for him now, they are in for a rude awakening,” Richmond said. “He’s coming at them and he’s coming hard. He’s not just one of the top centers in our conference, he’s one of the best in the country.”
“Zuby dominates every single day,” said sophomore Brady Dunlap, who along with RJ Luis Jr., Simeon Wilcher and Ejiofor make up the returning core. “We even started to see that toward the second half of last season. He started to make that turn . . . He’s going to surprise a lot of people. He could be dominant this season.”
The 6-9 junior’s progress was glimpsed last week when St. John’s won the charity exhibition game at 25th-ranked Rutgers and he finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Ejiofor, Richmond and Wilcher have been identified by Pitino as mainstays in a starting lineup that could change from game to game.
The Red Storm, who were 20-13 last year but missed out on an NCAA Tournament selection despite a strong finish, will open their season Nov. 4 against Fordham at Carnesecca Arena.
“I finished last season on a really high note,” Ejiofor said. “I didn’t start off how I wanted to, but I finished really, really good. And my whole focus has been building on that. I had a good run against Rutgers, and now it’s about having the confidence to do those things, the things I know I am capable of.”
Pitino said Ejiofor took 800 shots a week last season in an effort to make himself more than a mostly defensive contributor. The progress continued in the offseason as Ejiofor worked with Pitino in his renowned player development sessions. Pitino often has remarked that he now has a three-point shot to deploy.
“Of course there is the shooting,” Ejiofor said of the player development sessions. “But we also did a lot of work on my [basketball] IQ, making the right reads. Coach P. says the motion offense we run is going to be good for me because I could be a mismatch on the perimeter.”
Pitino said he spoke with Kansas coach Bill Self shortly after Ejiofor transferred.
He recounted: “Bill Self said to me, ‘Look, you’re getting an unbelievable young man, but he’s extremely limited. He can’t score past 12 feet. He’s mechanical, not a really good passer. And he’s always in foul trouble.’ He said I’d like him, but he was a backup.
“He’s improved so much in one year. Everything that Bill said [was] 100% correct, but . . . he now shoots the three. He’s now a good passer. He’s now a good defensive player. He’s always been a decent rebounder. So the change is dramatic.”
Wilcher, a 6-4 sophomore guard, arguably was the highest-profile recruit St. John’s had brought in since Steve Lavin landed Rysheed Jordan. However, playing behind star Daniss Jenkins last season, he averaged only 2.8 minutes. Pitino said that since the summer workouts began, “he’s been our best player.”
“Sim has always had the skill set and the athletic ability,” Dunlap said. “But he got down on himself when he made freshman mistakes. He is our most improved player, not just because he’s worked on his skills but because his mental game is completely transformed.”
Luis, a 6-7 junior swingman, was one of the team’s most dynamic players, averaging 10.9 points in 21.0 minutes despite playing through chronic shin splints. He now is fully healthy. Dunlap, a 6-7 sophomore forward, has put on 20 pounds of muscle in the weight room. Pitino expects him to be one of the team’s top outside shooters.
“Guys can get significantly better in a year,” Pitino said. “Ours have really worked hard at it.”
Red Storm win. Luis and Aaron Scott each scored 11 points as the Red Storm topped Towson, 64-46, in an exhibition Saturday at Carnesecca Arena.
ABOUT THE RED STORM
Team: St. John’s
Coach: Rick Pitino (2nd season at St. John’s, 20-13; career 854-306).
Last season: 20-13, lost Big East semifinal to UConn, 95-90.
Preseason Big East forecast: 5th in coaches’ poll.
Top returning players: RJ Luis Jr., Jr., 6-7, G-F: 10.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg; Zuby Ejiofor, Jr., 6-9, F-C: 4.3 ppg, .489 fg%; Simeon Wilcher, Soph., 6-4, G, 2.8 ppg.
Top newcomers: Kadary Richmond, grad, 6-6 G, (at Seton Hall) 15.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg., 5.1 apg; Deivon Smith, grad. 6-0, G, (at Utah) 13.3 ppg, 7.1 apg, 6.3 rpg; Aaron Scott, Sr., 6-7 F-G (at North Texas) 11.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, .370 3-pt%.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.