Zuby Ejiofor: "Coach Self is the man"

Following visits to Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and TCU, Zuby Ejiofor, the 6-foot-8, 220-pound center from Garland (TX) High School had seen everything that he needed to see.

With serious interest from the likes of Kansas, Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Houston, Oklahoma, Seton Hall, TCU, Texas, Virginia Tech, Western Kentucky, and others, along with five visits under his belt, Ejiofor, following his final visit, got together with his family and reached a final decision.

On July 1, Ejiofor became the second player from the 2022 class to verbally commit to Kansas. On March 3, Gradey Dick, the 6-foot-7, 195-pound small forward from Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan., became the first player from the class to commit to Kansas.

Not long after going public with his commitment, Ejiofor, the No. 58 ranked player in the 2022 class, talked to JayhawkSlant.com about his decision.

“Yeah,” Coach (Bill) Self is the man,” Zuby Ejiofor told JayhawkSlant.com during a phone interview after his commitment to Kansas. “Yeah. I'm thinking Self is the man, so I just had to do it. You know, I'd be getting calls and texts from all these coaches, so I just went ahead and went with what was in my heart and I was like, Kansas, boom. So, I went ahead and committed.”

For Ejiofor, the No. 11 ranked center in the 2022 class, he had plenty of options to consider when thinking about his future. Before reaching a final decision, he visited Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and TCU.

Not surprisingly, there was an opportunity to take additional visits, but that simply wasn’t an option for the talented big man from Garland (TX) High School. Sure, the option to take visits was on the table, but in his mind, the time to make a final decision had arrived.

So, following his final visit (Texas), Ejiofor sat down with his family and came to a decision.

“Me and my family were definitely talking about it, and I decided it yesterday (June 30), because we had our last trip to Texas on Monday,” said Ejiofor. “I just decided after that, and yeah it came close, but I chose Kansas.”

When it comes to KU’s 2022 recruiting class, the Jayhawks are certainly off to a strong start. With Gradey Dick and Zuby Ejiofor in the fold, Kansas is also in the running for Chris Livingston (visited), the No. 4 ranked player in the class, Keyonte George (visited), the No. 5 ranked player in the class, Mark Mitchell (visited), the No. 8 ranked player in the class, M.J. Rice (visited), the No. 28 ranked player in the class, Nick Smith (visited), the No. 39 ranked player in the class, Aidan Shaw (visited), the No. 58 ranked player in the class, Jayden Epps (visited), the No. 68 ranked player in the class, and AJ Storr (visited).

The staff also played host to several elite 2023 prospects, including Omaha Biliew, the No. 2 ranked player in the class, and Bryson Warren, the No. 16 ranked player in the class.

Four-star small forward Jordan Walsh just received a scholarship offer from Kansas on Saturday, and immediately included Kansas on his list of schools. The Jayhawks, it would appear, have quite a bit of momentum heading into July.

One things for certain: Self and his staff are equally excited to have landed a verbal commitment from Zuby Ejiofor.

“Yeah, he was definitely fired up with all the other coaches,” he said. “I let them know, and they're excited -- so was I -- to finally get this out of the way and focus on my last year before going to Kansas.

“The coaching staff, they were really nice from the jump,” he added. “The facilities were amazing, and they were all around one area. So, everything is close together. And the fact that Kansas is a basketball school. Most of their players always go to the league where I'm trying to go. And the coaches all have experience. So, I'm trying to chase the NCAA championship and I thought Kansas will be in the perfect place for me.”

Ejiofor, who said Self would decide his future position following the Peach Jam, is just looking for the opportunity to leave his mark on one of the most prestigious college basketball programs of all time.

In looking to his future at Kansas, Ejiofor is fully aware that nothing will be handed to him in terms of playing time or his place in the rotation. Everything he achieves at Kansas, Ejiofor will have worked for and earned over a period of time.

Truthfully, Ejiofor wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’m just a player who's going to give a hundred percent every time on the court. I love the game of basketball. This is the profession I see myself playing in the future. So, I'm going to give a hundred percent every time, because, man, this is my life right here.”

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