St. John's star Zuby Ejiofor speaks on how friends were "ready to clown him" after throwing first pitch for New York Mets

Zuby Ejiofor ditched the basketball court for the baseball diamond as he threw the ceremonial first pitch for the New York Mets before their game against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.

Ejiofor revealed in an interview with reporter Kevin Connelly of "Storm the Paint" that his family and friends didn't have high expectations about his first pitch as he had no previous experience of throwing a baseball.

"They were ready to clown me," Ejiofor said about his teammates, who were behind the plate when he threw the first pitch.

Ejiofor proved them wrong as he showed he was also talented in throwing the baseball. The St. John's star's first pitch found the strike zone, much to the delight of his teammates standing behind home plate.

Zuby Ejiofor told Connelly that he felt "pretty accomplished" after throwing "a perfect strike in the eyes of so many." He made it clear, though, that his future still remains with basketball.

The New York Mets failed to replicate Ejiofor's stellar showing on the mound as they lost 5-0 to the Miami Marlins to snap their six-game winning streak. Max Meyer kept the Mets' bats quiet, throwing 6.1 shutout innings. The Marlins' starting pitcher carried a no-hitter into the bottom of the sixth inning.

How Zuby Ejiofor fared for St. John's in the 2024-25 NCAA season

Zuby Ejiofor rose to prominence in the 2024-25 NCAA campaign, posting career-best numbers in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocked shots for the St. John's Red Storm. He averaged 14.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.6 dimes, 1.4 blocks and 0.9 steals through 36 games this season.

St. John's Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor (#24) dunks against Arkansas Razorbacks forward Billy Richmond III (#24) and guard Johnell Davis (#1) during the second half of their NCAA Tournament game at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Photo: Imagn

Ejiofor more than tripled his offensive numbers in the 2023-24 season, where he averaged 4.3 points per outing. He scored at least 20 points seven times this season, including a 33-point performance against Marquette in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament.

Rick Pitino and the Red Storm benefited from Ejiofor's improved numbers, winning the outright Big East regular-season title for the first time since 1985 and capturing the Big East Tournament crown for the first time since 2000.

Ejiofor continued his excellent play in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 16.5 points and 9.5 boards in the games against Omaha and Arkansas. He dazzled in his final game of the season, recording 23 points and 12 rebounds in the Red Storm's 75-66 loss to the Razorbacks in the second round.