St. John’s big man Zuby Ejifor is the favorite for Big East Player of the Year and one of the top players nationally, yet he was left off the Wooden Award Midseason Watch List on Tuesday.
And Rick Pitino was not pleased.
“How Zuby is not on the Wooden list is a complete and utter mistake,” Pitino posted on X/Twitter. “He should be a contender for player of the year. I’m totally bewildered!!!”
The 6-foot-9 Ejiofor is averaging 16.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 3.5 apg for the No. 17 Red Storm (19-5, 12-1 Big East), winners of 10 straight games after Pitino earned his 904th career Division 1 victory Monday night over his son Richard and Xavier. That moved him into third place behind Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim.
Villanova coach Kevin Willard told Jon Rothstein he thought Ejifor was “probably the best player in the country…”