St. John's has suspended junior center Chris Obekpa for two weeks for a violation of team rules.
The school announced Sunday that the suspension would include any postseason games this season until March 29. Among them will be the ninth-seeded Red Storm's NCAA tournament opener Friday against eighth-seeded San Diego State in a second-round South Region game in Charlotte, North Carolina.
"All of the young men associated with our program are held to standards consistent with the aims and mission of our University," coach Steve Lavin said in a statement. "Accountability is tied to the decision making of our student-athletes. It is our hope Chris will learn from this experience."
Lavin told ESPN that it wouldn't have been ethical to withhold the announcement of Obekpa's suspension until after Sunday's NCAA tournament reveal. An NCAA official said the suspension could have affected the Red Storm but did not say if that regarded selection or seeding.
Obekpa started 24 of 30 games for the Red Storm (21-11) this season, averaging 5.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-10 center led the Big East and ranks fifth in the country with 3.1 blocks per game. He blocked 94 shots this season and holds the program's record with 321 over his career.
He was ejected from the Red Storm's loss to Butler on Feb. 3 for throwing an elbow at the head of Tyler Wideman.
ESPN's Andy Katz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
