Zuby Ejiofor, Shaheen Holloway and Nigel James Jr. take top Big East awards
NEW YORK (AP) — Zuby Ejiofor won the Big East Player of the Year award Wednesday after powering St. John’s to its second consecutive regular-season championship.
Shaheen Holloway of Seton Hall was selected the league’s Coach of the Year, and Marquette guard Nigel James Jr. took Freshman of the Year honors.
Ejiofor and Holloway were unanimous choices in balloting by conference head coaches, who were not allowed to pick members of their own teams. The prizes were set to be presented during a ceremony at Madison Square Garden about 2 1/2 hours before the Big East Tournament tips off.
The same trio was feted with similar league accolades Tuesday by The Associated Press.
Ejiofor, also named the Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year, has been racking up awards all week. The senior forward was voted the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and was the only unanimous selection on the All-Big East first team.
In addition, he was chosen U.S. Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Week on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-9, 245-pound Ejiofor, the preseason Big East Player of the Year as well, averaged 16.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 blocks per game for the 13th-ranked Red Storm (25-6, 18-2) this season. He is the only player from a power conference to lead his team and rank among the top 10 in his league in all four of those statistical categories.
He gives St. John’s its second straight Big East Player of the Year, following RJ Luis Jr. last season. The top-seeded Johnnies begin defense of their 2025 Big East Tournament title in the quarterfinals Thursday against eighth-seeded Butler or No. 9 seed Providence.
Last season, Ejiofor was first-team All-Big East and winner of the conference’s Most Improved Player award.
“He’s had a great, great run,” St. John’s coach Rick Pitino said. “Great two years. Just so beloved by the fans.”
With a new-look roster, Holloway guided surprising Seton Hall (20-11, 10-10) to a fourth-place finish in the Big East standings. In the preseason coaches’ poll, the Pirates were picked last in the 11-team league. That’s where they finished the 2024-25 season after going 7-25 overall and 2-18 in conference play.
The 13-win improvement marks the second-best turnaround in the nation. Seton Hall has won 20 games twice in Holloway’s three seasons as coach.
A former Pirates point guard from 1996-2000, Holloway joined UConn coach Dan Hurley, Villanova coach Kevin Willard and the late Louis Orr as ex-Big East players who have won the league’s Coach of the Year award.
James ranked second in the Big East in scoring at 19.3 points per game, the highest mark by a freshman in conference play since Hall of Fame forward Carmelo Anthony averaged 21.4 points while leading Syracuse to the 2002-03 national championship.
The 6-foot dynamo is one of two freshmen in the country to average at least 19 points, five assists and three rebounds in league games. He’ll be playing close to his Long Island home for No. 7 seed Marquette (12-19, 7-13) at Madison Square Garden.
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