St. John's Ejiofor Named Big East Defensive Player of Year

St. John's senior forward Zuby Ejiofor was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, capping a dominant regular season that propelled the 18th-ranked Red Storm to their second consecutive outright conference championship.

The 6-foot-9 Ejiofor, who earned the award in voting by the league's head coaches, became the fifth St. John's player to receive the honor and the first since Posh Alexander in 2021. He was the only unanimous selection on both the All-Big East first team and the inaugural All-Defensive team, announced Sunday. Ejiofor led the Red Storm to a 25-6 overall record and 18-2 mark in conference play, averaging 16.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 blocks per game. In league games, those figures rose to 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and 1.8 blocks. He ranked among the top 10 in the Big East in all four categories, a feat achieved by no other high-major player this season. Ejiofor also stood out nationally as one of just two players with at least 60 blocks and 30 steals during the regular season.

The Red Storm clinched at least a share of the title Friday night with a 72-65 victory at Seton Hall, their 13th straight win. Ejiofor scored...