Trio of Johnnies Named to Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List

QUEENS, N.Y. – Just hours before the Johnnies officially tip off the 2025-26 season on Monday, three members of the St. John's men's basketball team were named to the preseason watch list for the Naismith Men's Player of the Year Trophy presented by AXIA TIME, LLC.

Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins and Ian Jackson earned spots on the preseason watch list for the prestigious national accolade, joining 47 other college basketball standouts. St. John's is one of just three programs nationally to place three or more players on the list, joining defending national champion Florida (4) and last year's national runner-up, Houston (3).

Ejiofor, a First Team All-BIG EAST selection and the league's most improved player in 2024-25, is coming off a breakout campaign that saw him average 14.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for the BIG EAST Regular Season and Tournament Champions. The second-leading rebounder in the BIG EAST and the nation's top offensive rebounder (4.4), he finished in double figures 29 times in 36 appearances with a league-best 10 double-doubles. One of four returners from last year's Red Storm, Ejiofor was named the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year earlier this month and has already found spots on national watch lists for the NABC Player of the Year Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award.

Hopkins arrived in Queens following three seasons at Providence that saw him establish a reputation as one of the nation's most productive players. Limited to just 50 games over three seasons due to injury, Hopkins averaged an eye-popping 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest. A two-time selection to the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List, Hopkins earned First Team All-BIG EAST honors in 2022-23 after leading the Friars to 21 wins and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Jackson returns home to New York City following a standout freshman season at North Carolina, where he ranked second on the team with 11.9 points per game, including a 13.5 point-per-outing average in league play. The former McDonald's All-American shot 39.5% from long distance on more than four attempts per game and finished with 20 or more points eight times.

Ranked fifth in the preseason Associated Press poll and sixth in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, St. John's kicks off its season at 6:30 p.m. against Quinnipiac at Carnesecca Arena. The game will air nationally on FS1 with Jason Benetti and Bill Raftery on the call. An audio broadcast of the contest featuring John Minko and Brandon Tierney can be found on a variety of platforms including the ESPN New York app, available for download in the App Store and on Google Play. The LEARFIELD Red Storm Sports Network can broadcast also be found on the Varsity Network app, TuneIn, SiriusXM and the St. John's Red Storm app.

St. John's University Athletics

Trio of Johnnies Named to Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List

Players Mentioned

Zuby Ejiofor

Bryce Hopkins

Ian Jackson

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