St. John’s Zuby Ejiofor Named Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Seton Hall's Shaheen Holloway selected as Coach of the Year
Marquette's Nigel James Jr. Tabbed Freshman of the Year
NEW YORK -- St. John’s Zuby Ejiofor has been named 2025-26 BIG EAST Player of the Year, Seton Hall's Shaheen Holloway has been chosen BIG EAST Coach of the Year, and Marquette guard Nigel James Jr. has been tabbed BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. Ejiofor and Holloway were unanimous selections, made by the conference’s head coaches who are not permitted to vote for their own members of their own teams.
The awards are presented at Madison Square Garden prior to the start of the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament Presented by JEEP. It is the 44th consecutive year the BIG EAST is playing its postseason tournament at the World’s Most Famous Arena.
Ejiofor was a unanimous 2025-26 All-BIG EAST First Team selection, averaging 16.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 blocks per game for the Red Storm this season. He is the only power conference player to rank top 10 in his respective conference and lead his team in all four of those statistical categories. Ejiofor appeared on the all-conference first team and earned the BIG EAST Most Improved Player award a season ago.
The senior forward was named 2025-26 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year this past Monday and was three-time BIG EAST Player of the Week and five-time honor roll recipient this season. Additionally, Ejiofor was tabbed to the Naismith Player and Defensive Player of the Year Late-Season Team and landed on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Top 10 list. He has tallied 25 double-digit scoring efforts this season - including nine games with at least 20 points, including a career-high 33 points against Providence on Jan. 3.
Holloway engineered one of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball in South Orange, N.J. this season. Seton Hall enters the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament presented by JEEP as the No. 4 seed with a 20-11 overall record and a 10-10 mark in conference play - an +13 overall improvement in win total and a +8 win improvement in conference play. The 13-win improvement, year-over-year, is the second-best mark in the country. It is Holloway's second 20-win campaign in three seasons with the Pirates.
Seton Hall opened 2025-26 with six straight victories en route to an 11-1 mark, which included a 2-1 mark at the Maui Invitational. On Jan. 12, the Pirates made their return to the national polls for the first time since the 2021-22 season, entering the Associated Press poll at No. 25. Holloway becomes the fourth BIG EAST Coach of the Year award recipient who also played in the league, joining Dan Hurley, Kevin Willard, and the late Louis Orr.
James finished his inaugural collegiate campaign as the second-leading scorer in the BIG EAST, at 19.3 points per game. It is the highest scoring average by a freshman in league play since the 2002-03 season, when Syracuse's Carmelo Anthony averaged 21.4 points per outing. The Huntington, N.Y. guard reached double figures in 19 of 20 conference games.
A five-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week award recipient, James ranks among the conference's leaders in five different statistical categories - overall and BIG EAST only. James is one of only two freshmen nationally to average at least 19.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game in league play. He scored 20 or more points on eight occasions, including three games with at least 30 points. James is one of only four freshmen in the country to have at least three 30-point performances in league play.
BIG EAST Player of the Year
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s
BIG EAST Coach of the Year
Shaheen Holloway, Seton Hall
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Nigel James Jr., Marquette
BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s