Jason Burgos
St. John’s has a big hole to fill in their front court with the departure of big man Zuby Ejiofor. However, a new rumor links them to a perfect replacement in the college basketball transfer portal.
Over the first two months of the 2025-26 season, there were doubts if St. John’s could play up to the new standard they set the year before. Following a Jan. 3 loss to Providence, they owned a 14-5 record, and reaching the NCAA Tournament was far from a lock.
However, after that setback, the Red Storm caught fire and won 22 of their next 24 games, including a pair of big wins over eventual tournament finalists UConn. While several players had a big role in their run to the Sweet 16, such as guard Dillon Mitchell, none were more important than center Zuby Eliofor.
The former Kansas recruit had his best season yet in 2025-26. Leading the team in scoring (16.3), rebounds (7.3), assists (3.5), and blocks (2.1). It is why he ended up earning Big East Player of the Year honors this spring. But to the chagrin of St. John’s fans, his best season came in his final year of eligibility. Leaving a massive void for head coach Rick Pitino to try to fill.
St. John’s targeting Flory Bidunga in transfer portal
However, the team allegedly has a nearly perfect replacement in mind via the transfer portal. According to Zags Blog’s James Madden, St. John’s is one of three major programs eyeing Kansas big man Flory Bidunga in the transfer portal. The other two teams to watch in the chase are Duke and the new national champions, Michigan.
Ejiofor was such a valuable player for St. John’s, not just because he was a top scorer, but he was also an absolute force on the defensive end. Bidunga is one of the few players in the country who can jump and be as good a rim protector as Ejiofor after posting 2.6 blocks a night. Which was tied for third best in the nation last season.
Bidunga is not as polished an offensive player as Ejiofor. However, he was only a sophomore in 2025-26, and he took a big leap forward in his offensive game. Posting 13.3 PPG after tallying 5.9 in his freshman season for the Jayhawks. Under the tutelage of Pitino next season, he could easily increase his points to put up similar numbers to Ejiofor.
