Returning for his senior year, Zuby Ejiofor knows everything there is to competing and thriving on a team led by Rick Pitino.<\/p>\n
The rock-solid big man paid his dues off the bench after transferring from Kansas in his sophomore year, then came out of his shell as a player and an on-court leader last season, earning the co-captaincy from his teammates and winning the Big East\u2019s Most Improved Player award amidst the greatest St. John\u2019s men\u2019s basketball season this century. However, despite Ejiofor\u2019s best efforts, the Red Storm bowed out of the tournament prematurely to Arkansas.<\/p>\n
Hoping to avoid a repeat of last season\u2019s finish, Pitino hauled in one of, if not the best, transfer class in college basketball. After familiarizing himself with this newest crop of talent through one month of summer workouts, Ejiofor had rave reviews for his newest teammates when speaking to the media during St. John\u2019s apparel partnership launch with adidas at their flagship store in SoHo on Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s always an adjustment period, but we\u2019ve been playing long enough that guys know exactly what they bring to this team,\u201d Ejiofor told the media on Wednesday. \u201cWe\u2019ve been meshing pretty well so far, and I\u2019m really excited to see how we\u2019re going to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Providence forward Bryce Hopkins<\/a> is expected to form a frontcourt tandem with Ejiofor. Although Hopkins only played in 17 games over the last two seasons due to an ACL tear and a bone bruise, he earned First Team All-Big East recognition in his last healthy season in 2023. The Red Storm\u2019s center believes Hopkins will make life easier for him in the post thanks to his physicality, downhill scoring, and offensive creation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know what [Bryce] accomplished in his sophomore year before the injuries,\u201d Ejiofor said when asked about playing alongside Hopkins, \u201cHe\u2019s a big piece in what we\u2019re trying to build, and he\u2019s going to be a tremendous help with me down there.\u201d<\/p>\n Pitino also addressed the glaring shooting issues that doomed last season by bringing in Oziyah Sellers<\/a> from Stanford and Joson Sanon<\/a> from Arizona State, who respectively shot 40.1% and 36.9% from three last season.<\/p>\n \u201c[Oziyah] and [Joson] shoot at a really high clip, and they make me feel embarrassed in the numbers I put up in my player development sessions,\u201d Ejiofor commented with a chuckle.<\/p>\n Ejiofor also expressed his excitement in Idaho State transfer Dylan Darling<\/a>\u2019s point guard capabilities, stating he doesn\u2019t see Darling struggling while making the jump to the Big East level. He praised the toughness and intensity displayed by Cincinnati transfer Dillon Mitchell<\/a> and freshman wing Kelvin Odih<\/a>, and he also shouted out Ian Jackson<\/a>\u2019s work rate on both ends and his shot creation.<\/p>\n While all of these attributes are intriguing on their own, how committed this Red Storm group is towards improving every day, playing with the ferocity expected from a Rick Pitino team, and putting in a full 40 minutes every contest will dictate how far they go in March.<\/p>\n