St. John's University Athletics
RJ Luis Jr. Named CSC Academic All-America Team Member of the Year; Zuby Ejiofor Named Academic All-America Second Team
4/15/2025 11:55:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Luis becomes the first St. John’s student-athlete to be named CSC Academic All-American of the Year in 21 years
QUEENS, N.Y. – Consensus All-American and BIG EAST Player of the Year RJ Luis Jr. has added another prestigious award to his trophy case by earning the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America Team Member of the Year on Tuesday. St. John's junior forward Zuby Ejiofor was also recognized for his excellence on the court and in the classroom by CSC as the junior forward was named Second Team Academic All-American.
Luis, a standout on-and-off the hardwood, was named the most outstanding scholar-athlete in NCAA Division I Men's Basketball for the 2024-25 campaign. He becomes just the third-ever St. John's student-athlete to win Academic All-America Team Member of the Year honors and just the third men's basketball player in the history of the BIG EAST Conference joining UConn's Emeka Okafor (2004) and West Virginia's Johannes Herber (2006), dating back to the awards inception in 1987-88.
Luis helped guide the Johnnies to BIG EAST Regular Season and Tournament Championships while earning a 3.86 grade point average as a sports management major. His name will be added to an impressive list featuring some of the world's best athletes who have previously received Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for their respective sports, including Peyton Manning, Katie Ledecky, Caitilin Clark, Justin Herbert and many more. Additionally, Luis is the third St. John's student-athlete to ever capture the distinguished award and the first in 21 years, joining a pair of men's soccer players Matt Groenwald (2004) and Chris Wingert (2003).
Ejiofor, the BIG EAST's Most Improved Player and All-BIG EAST First Team selection, earned Second Team All-America honors after posting a 3.82 GPA in the classroom, majoring in sports management. St. John's is the only men's basketball program in Division I with multiple Academic All-America honorees for the 2024-25 school year. Luis and Ejiofor are also the first-ever Red Storm men's basketball players to earn Academic All-America honors.
Luis shined during a historic campaign for the Red Storm becoming the program's first consensus All-American in the 21st century and first BIG EAST Player of the Year since 1986. The Miami native averaged 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, both marks ranked top five in the BIG EAST. Luis led the league with 10 double-doubles, capped off by a 29-point, 10-board performance in the BIG EAST Tournament Championship victory over Creighton, as he went on to capture the Dave Gavitt Trophy.
The 6-foot-7 wing recorded 14 20-plus point performance and finished in double-figures in 33 of 35 contests this past season. Luis was named to all four All-America teams – The Sporting News (Third Team), Associated Press (Second Team), NABC (Second Team) and USBWA (Second Team) after helping guide the Johnnies to a 31-5 overall record.
Ejiofor made significant improvements in his second year in Queens, anchoring the frontcourt for National Coach of the Year Rick Pitino. The All-BIG EAST First Team selection averaged 14.7 points on 57.7 percent shooting and 8.1 rebounds per contest. The Garland, Texas native led NCAA Division I in offensive rebounding, pulling down 4.3 on that end of the glass per outing.
Ejiofor had the brightest performance of his collegiate career in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinal, exploding for 33 points. He broke St. John's BIG EAST Tournament scoring record and tallied the highest point total the conference's semifinal round since Kemba Walker in 2011 as he lifted the Johnnies past Marquette, 79-63, on March 14.
Ejiofor matched Luis for the league-lead logging 10 double-doubles this season and put together a stretch of 18 games with seven or more rebounds.
In addition to their success on the court and in the classroom, both Ejiofor and Luis engaged in community service both on-campus and in the local community.
Luis, a standout on-and-off the hardwood, was named the most outstanding scholar-athlete in NCAA Division I Men's Basketball for the 2024-25 campaign. He becomes just the third-ever St. John's student-athlete to win Academic All-America Team Member of the Year honors and just the third men's basketball player in the history of the BIG EAST Conference joining UConn's Emeka Okafor (2004) and West Virginia's Johannes Herber (2006), dating back to the awards inception in 1987-88.
Luis helped guide the Johnnies to BIG EAST Regular Season and Tournament Championships while earning a 3.86 grade point average as a sports management major. His name will be added to an impressive list featuring some of the world's best athletes who have previously received Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for their respective sports, including Peyton Manning, Katie Ledecky, Caitilin Clark, Justin Herbert and many more. Additionally, Luis is the third St. John's student-athlete to ever capture the distinguished award and the first in 21 years, joining a pair of men's soccer players Matt Groenwald (2004) and Chris Wingert (2003).
Ejiofor, the BIG EAST's Most Improved Player and All-BIG EAST First Team selection, earned Second Team All-America honors after posting a 3.82 GPA in the classroom, majoring in sports management. St. John's is the only men's basketball program in Division I with multiple Academic All-America honorees for the 2024-25 school year. Luis and Ejiofor are also the first-ever Red Storm men's basketball players to earn Academic All-America honors.
Luis shined during a historic campaign for the Red Storm becoming the program's first consensus All-American in the 21st century and first BIG EAST Player of the Year since 1986. The Miami native averaged 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, both marks ranked top five in the BIG EAST. Luis led the league with 10 double-doubles, capped off by a 29-point, 10-board performance in the BIG EAST Tournament Championship victory over Creighton, as he went on to capture the Dave Gavitt Trophy.
The 6-foot-7 wing recorded 14 20-plus point performance and finished in double-figures in 33 of 35 contests this past season. Luis was named to all four All-America teams – The Sporting News (Third Team), Associated Press (Second Team), NABC (Second Team) and USBWA (Second Team) after helping guide the Johnnies to a 31-5 overall record.
Ejiofor made significant improvements in his second year in Queens, anchoring the frontcourt for National Coach of the Year Rick Pitino. The All-BIG EAST First Team selection averaged 14.7 points on 57.7 percent shooting and 8.1 rebounds per contest. The Garland, Texas native led NCAA Division I in offensive rebounding, pulling down 4.3 on that end of the glass per outing.
Ejiofor had the brightest performance of his collegiate career in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinal, exploding for 33 points. He broke St. John's BIG EAST Tournament scoring record and tallied the highest point total the conference's semifinal round since Kemba Walker in 2011 as he lifted the Johnnies past Marquette, 79-63, on March 14.
Ejiofor matched Luis for the league-lead logging 10 double-doubles this season and put together a stretch of 18 games with seven or more rebounds.
In addition to their success on the court and in the classroom, both Ejiofor and Luis engaged in community service both on-campus and in the local community.
Players Mentioned
Forward
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