St. John's forward/center Zuby Ejiofor is one of four finalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, announced by the award's organizers. The other finalists are Kansas center Flory Bidunga, Florida center Rueben Chinyelu and Houston forward Joseph Tugler. Ejiefor, who led St. John’s to victory in the Big East in the regular season and won the conference tournament, is averaging 2.2 blocks, 7.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game as a key player for a physical defense. Despite being named one of 10 semifinalists for the award, he was not one of the finalists.