St. John’s kicked off its NCAA Tournament in impressive fashion on Thursday, securing an 83-53 victory over Omaha. The win lifted the spirits of the Red Storm players, but one reporter noticed that something seemed off with Zuby Ejiofor and decided to ask him about it.
Ejiofor contributed 10 points to the game, joining three other St. John’s players in scoring double digits. His performance also included seven rebounds, four assists, and three blocked shots. However, during the postgame press conference, Ejiofor was not his usual cheerful self.
“Zuby, you usually seem very upbeat after a win,” the reporter pointed out, “but you do not seem upbeat tonight.” Coach Rick Pitino interjected with a playful retort: “Are you a psychologist now?” The reporter replied jokingly, “Well, I mean, on the side,” before continuing, “You don’t seem as upbeat as usual. Is there a reason for that?”
Pitino chimed in with another joke, saying, “Tell him your girlfriend broke up. Give him a psychological thing.”
Zuby Ejiofor was asked about not seeming “upbeat” after the St. John’s win.
Rick Pitino: “Tell him your girlfriend broke up” 😂 pic.twitter.com/xKUOyftQ7f
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 21, 2025
“No girl issues,” Ejiofor laughed. “You’re always going to see me with a smile on my face, especially after a big-time win like this. It’s the road to a national championship. We got one down, five to go. I’m happy for what we accomplished today, but there’s still work to be done.” Despite the unusual line of questioning, Ejiofor, along with others in the room, couldn’t help but laugh and smile. Pitino added one final quip: “Anybody have any Prozac out there to give to Zuby?”
