From Texas to Dallas and back again, Zuby Ejiofor became a standout big man through late development, AAU connections, and a breakout at St. John’s—now he’s set for automatic eligibility for the 2026 NBA Draft.
He didn’t start playing basketball until his early teenage years, and for a while it showed.
Chukwuebuka Ejiofor—named “Zuby” by his mother. Sandra—moved from Texas to Nigeria when he was young. then returned to Dallas when he was in sixth grade. His father, Collins, is a businessman who travels to and from Nigeria, while Sandra is a nurse. Ejiofor grew up with basketball in the family. too: he has four brothers. and two of them—Ugo and Chuks—played college basketball at a lower level.
But the path to becoming a draft-eligible player wasn’t smooth at first. He took some time to develop in high school. and when he did get serious. it came later than most prospects. In Dallas. he played with the Thunder Elite AAU team. where he met Andy and Sheena Philachack. who became like second parents to him. He went on to Garland High outside Dallas—where his older brother. Ugo. played—and joined the Houston Hoops AAU team on the Nike EYBL circuit.
Even there, attention didn’t come quickly. Ejiofor didn’t emerge on the radar until before his junior season at Garland. in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When it finally clicked. it did so fast: he went from being a three-star recruit to a top-60 player in his recruiting class. averaging 21 points and 13 rebounds. He won all-state honors as a senior and was considered a top-60 player in his class.
He chose Kansas over Oklahoma, Houston, Arkansas, Texas, and TCU—but his freshman year didn’t match the promise. He didn’t earn much playing time with the Jayhawks, and he transferred after the team signed Hunter Dickinson out of the transfer portal.
At St. John’s, under Rick Pitino, his career found traction. As a sophomore, he was a solid backup big man. Then. as a junior. he started nearly every game for the Red Storm—building a season that earned him first-team All-Big East honors. the Big East’s Most Improved Player award. and a spot on the Big East’s All-Tournament team.
That season brought wins and heartbreak. St. John’s won the Big East title but was upset in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by Arkansas.
Ejiofor’s senior year didn’t slow down. He came back and won Big East Player of the Year. Big East Defensive Player of the Year. and Big East tournament MVP. He also received an honorable mention All-American. Then came another award. one named for a legend: he won the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as the center of the year in college basketball.
St. John’s won another Big East title and advanced to the Sweet 16, where it lost to Duke.
The sequence of his rise is hard to miss: late start, delayed recognition, then a sudden turn into major conference honors and year-end awards—and now a clean path forward.
Ejiofor is as decorated a player to depart St. John’s as the school has seen in years, and he’s automatically eligible for the 2026 NBA Draft.
Zuby Ejiofor Chukwuebuka Ejiofor 2026 NBA Draft St. John’s Big East Player of the Year Big East Defensive Player of the Year Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award NCAA Tournament