NCAA Basketball: Analyzing 4 teams in play for Kansas transfer Zuby Ejiofor
Zuby Ejiofor is one of the latest former top 50 prospects in the NCAA Basketball transfer portal. Who are the programs in the mix to land the former Kansas big?
One of the biggest offseason moves so far in NCAA Basketball was the Kansas Jayhawks landing Hunter Dickinson, arguably the biggest transfer in the portal. As great of a move as that was for the program, it caused a roster ripple effect in the frontcourt. In days after the decision, both Ernest Udeh and Zuby Ejiofor entered the transfer portal.
Ejiofor is a former four-star prospect in the 2022 class that didn’t play a ton as a freshman this past season. The 6’9 and 240-pound big man averaged 1.2 ppg and 1.7 rpg in a few minutes per game. His best game was an 8-point effort against Indiana in the non-conference.
Teams still view Ojiofor as a future starter at the power conference level and reportedly, four teams are firmly in the mix. Here’s a look at who they are and whether or not they’re a good fit for the big man.
San Diego State Aztecs
After making it to the national championship, the Aztecs are going to be without Keshad Johnson, starting center Nathan Mensah, and key frontcourt contributor, Jaedon LeDee. Losing Mensah really hurts because he was a two-time Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and the anchor of the elite defense. Ojiofor would get a ton of minutes for San Diego State and could be a dominant force in the league and can develop into a top player over time.
St. John’s Red Storm
After landing 23 ppg scoring guard transfer Jordan Dingle, the roster is starting to round into shape for the Red Storm. The main positions of need are in the frontcourt, particularly finding a backup center for Joel Soriano, who averaged 31 mpg last season as the starting center. Ejiofor isn’t going to start over him but he can get 10 mpg off the bench for next season before taking over the next two years for the program. Is he willing to do that?
TCU Horned Frogs
The Frogs landed one of the better frontcourt transfers in the portal in Essam Mostafa, a 6’9 center that averaged a double-double at Coastal Carolina. He’s the current starter but there’s a chance that Mostafa doesn’t play well at the Big 12 level so it makes sense for them to go for another big man. Ejiofor is familiar with the conference but while not as big a risk for playing time as it was at Kansas, it’s definitely still a risk for him with TCU.
Villanova Wildcats
Like St. John’s, Villanova also has a starter set to come back in Eric Dixon, who led the team in scoring and rebounder at 31 mpg. The only difference is that he could play some at the four-spot if Ejiofor warrants more minutes. They could use some more size, as they were one of the smaller teams in NCAA Basketball last season, with no one in the rotation over 6’9.
Next. Early offseason grades for each Big Ten team. dark
Just looking at the rosters as is, only San Diego State offers guaranteed playing time next season for the former top 50 prospect. If that’s what he wants most, the Mountain West program could be in the lead. But don’t discount the other coaches in this recruiting battle as any could pull off a big commitment.