Chris Obekpa

Keeping my fingers crossed that he is the next on board.

Kid is a freak, plus he will run all day with our wings and guards--perfect fit.

His shot blocking ability is Okafor like. St. John's has never had a center with his defensive ability.
 
Keeping my fingers crossed that he is the next on board.

Kid is a freak, plus he will run all day with our wings and guards--perfect fit.

His shot blocking ability is Okafor like. St. John's has never had a center with his defensive ability.
Click to expand...
 

Wouldnt go so far as to say that
 
Keeping my fingers crossed that he is the next on board.

Kid is a freak, plus he will run all day with our wings and guards--perfect fit.

His shot blocking ability is Okafor like. St. John's has never had a center with his defensive ability.
Click to expand...
 

Wouldnt go so far as to say that
Click to expand...
 

Obekpa reminds me of a more raw version of Etan Thomas. Thomas was only 6'8"-6'9" but always a quick leaper off the floor. I agree that in my time I don't know of another shotblocker that SJU has had that's nearly as good. Obekpa also is a gazelle in the open court. He doesn't have a ton of post moves and needs seasoning offensively for sure, but his shotblocking ability is awesome. Excellent rebounder as well.
 
Keeping my fingers crossed that he is the next on board.

Kid is a freak, plus he will run all day with our wings and guards--perfect fit.

His shot blocking ability is Okafor like. St. John's has never had a center with his defensive ability.
Click to expand...
 

Wouldnt go so far as to say that
Click to expand...
 

Why?
Okafor was very raw coming out of Houston. Was a very under the radar recruit (did not make any top 75 lists). It was not like I comparing him to Dwight Howard or Andrew Bynum, two guys that are taller and way more skilled offensively than Okafor.

I was comparing the defensive capabilities and shot blocking ability. Etan Thomas is a good comparison too.
 
 AdamZagoriaAdam Zagoria

With Steve Lavin watching 2012 PF Chris Obekpa had 11 pts, 15 rebs and 20 blocks in a win tonight #stjbb

Lock him up coach. You put this kid on our frontline and we'll be in business big time.
 
 Felix Balamou, a 2012 wing also being courted by St. John’s, added 13 points and Nick Lewis had 20 off the bench.

“Steve Lavin was front and center,” Our Savior assistant Eric Jaklitsch said, adding that the 20 blocks were legit.

“Coach Lavin has started personally recruiting Chris. He came out to see him. He spoke to him personally on the phone. Lav calls him and everything. We sat behind the bench at the Louisville game.”

Jaklitsch said Providence, Cincinnati and UConn were also heavily involved with Obekpa, who plans to sign in the spring.

“Everybody’s trying to get involved with this kid,” he said.

http://www.zagsblog.com/2012/01/12/with-lavin-watching-chris-obekpa-blocks-20-shots/
 
 I believe SJU would be a good destination for him. He would see a lot of PT next year and w Gift graduating he would be our future C. Despite this years dissapointments ,SJU will make a lot of noise in the not to distant future and he could be part of it.
 
 Felix Balamou, a 2012 wing also being courted by St. John’s, added 13 points and Nick Lewis had 20 off the bench.

“Steve Lavin was front and center,” Our Savior assistant Eric Jaklitsch said, adding that the 20 blocks were legit.

“Coach Lavin has started personally recruiting Chris. He came out to see him. He spoke to him personally on the phone. Lav calls him and everything. We sat behind the bench at the Louisville game.”

Jaklitsch said Providence, Cincinnati and UConn were also heavily involved with Obekpa, who plans to sign in the spring.

“Everybody’s trying to get involved with this kid,” he said.

http://www.zagsblog.com/2012/01/12/with-lavin-watching-chris-obekpa-blocks-20-shots/
Click to expand...
 

Wow! Pretty sick on the block shots stats. I like it that Lavin is making it a serious duty to nab this kid (by personally recruiting him).

This could be a heckuva, defensive coup.
 
 Felix Balamou, a 2012 wing also being courted by St. John’s, added 13 points and Nick Lewis had 20 off the bench.

“Steve Lavin was front and center,” Our Savior assistant Eric Jaklitsch said, adding that the 20 blocks were legit.

“Coach Lavin has started personally recruiting Chris. He came out to see him. He spoke to him personally on the phone. Lav calls him and everything. We sat behind the bench at the Louisville game.”

Jaklitsch said Providence, Cincinnati and UConn were also heavily involved with Obekpa, who plans to sign in the spring.

“Everybody’s trying to get involved with this kid,” he said.

http://www.zagsblog.com/2012/01/12/with-lavin-watching-chris-obekpa-blocks-20-shots/
Click to expand...
 

Wow! Pretty sick on the block shots stats. I like it that Lavin is making it a serious duty to nab this kid (by personally recruiting him).

This could be a heckuva, defensive coup.
Click to expand...
 

He's a "must-get" type of guy because his shotblocking ability is special. There are maybe 3 guys in 2012-14 classes that can do it as well. Nerlens Noel may be Obekpa's counterpart there. Noel's offense is further along, but Obekpa has plenty of room to improve.

None of these programs though, offer the PT that we do. There's nobody except Gift who will be a senior. He'd have tons of PT available and his role in this defense would be significant with the gambling and running that we do. It's a no brainer for SJU if I'm a center or PF because there is no competition and a great supporting cast. Right now we have 1 PF/C and nobody else for the 4/5 spots. We could easily land all 3 of obekpa, gathers and sampson and none would be wanton for PT as Harkless would move to the 3. 

That said, I do think we will land Obekpa. We have Lavin who is a closer working on him. Almost no competition at his spot, he can stay in NY and our style of play should all seal the deal.
 
Would love to get him.
Great for the back of an aggressive, pressing defense. From the little film I saw of him he is very mobile and covers a lot of ground defensively. Defense and rebounding-that's what we need from him -the offense will come from others -until he develops more of an offensive aspect to his game-or not-but rebounds and blocks will do.
Has anyone seen much of him in person?
 
Would love to get him.
Great for the back of an aggressive, pressing defense. From the little film I saw of him he is very mobile and covers a lot of ground defensively. Defense and rebounding-that's what we need from him -the offense will come from others -until he develops more of an offensive aspect to his game-or not-but rebounds and blocks will do.
Has anyone seen much of him in person?
Click to expand...
 

Excellent quality video here of OSNA vs St Rays(entire game).

=youtube_gdata_player
 
 


bosworthhoopsBrian Bosworth





St John's is the 1st school in the building this morning, here to watch OSNA's Chris Obekpa. #HHClassic

19 minutes ago FavoriteRetweetReply

Retweeted by jmattera83
 
 


bosworthhoopsBrian Bosworth





St John's is the 1st school in the building this morning, here to watch OSNA's Chris Obekpa. #HHClassic

19 minutes ago FavoriteRetweetReply

Retweeted by jmattera83
Click to expand...
 

The effort says a lot.
Lets seal the deal on this kid coach as he is the human eraser we lack.
 
Update on rivals. Coach not saying much, still evaluating options:

"He doesn't know what he wants to do yet," Jaklitsch said. "He's just trying to figure out the process and enjoy it. He doesn't know all of these schools like your typical American kids do. Nothing's been set yet."

"He loves to block shots and he loves to rebound," Jaklitsch said. "He works hard, he has a 7-foot-5 wingspan and offensively he's better than he's been given credit for."

http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1319248
 
Obekpa would be the man here from day 1 as opposed to uCONn- he'd be sharing time with Daniels, Drummond, Olander, and Oriakhi. Plus they just entered the Tony Parker sweepstakes- maybe a sign they feel they're losing out on Obekpa?
 
Per Rivals....

A strong team effort by Our Savior New American was too much for a young Mount Saint Joseph team. As far as prospects are concerned, 6-foot-8 Christopher Obekpa stood well above the crowd.

Despite playing sick, Obekpa dominated inside grabbing 13 rebounds and blocking eight shots. To go along with his length and athleticism, Obekpa has a knack for rebounding outside of his area.

Offensively, he is still raw (scored 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting from the field), but his jumper doesn't look bad and he has the plenty of potential.

Plenty of schools would love the opportunity to develop Obekpa. Head coaches Jim Calhoun, Steve Lavin and Mick Cronin were on hand to watch him play. A number of other schools are also pursuing him. 

http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1319048
 
Per NBE Basketball....

Chris Obekpa (Our Savior New American 2012) – While somewhat forgotten because it took place in the early 10AM game, Obekpa put on a shot blocking performance just about on par with everything Nerlens Noel did on live TV. He came just 2 blocks shy of posting a triple-double finishing with 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 rejections all while battling a nasty cold. Obekpa is the premier shot blocker in the 2012 class and perhaps most impressively is able to swat and alter so many shots without picking up fouls. His offense is still well behind his defense but he does show signs that he can eventually be an impact player on that end as well. He has solid form on his jump shot and makes athletic plays above the rim. Obekpa needs to drastically improve his handle as he isn’t comfortable putting the ball on the floor at all but it must be remembered he has only been playing basketball for a few years.

http://www.nbebasketball.com/w3/2012-0116/hoophall-classic-2012-sunday-recap/
 
 
Per Rivals....

5. Is Obekpa more than just a shot blocker?

It's not that there is much doubt about whether or not Christopher Obekpa belongs on the list of the nation's premier shot blockers. We are just curious to get another couple of looks at the athletic 6-foot-8 insider from Centerreach (N.Y.) Our Savior New American. In addition to getting another look at his shot blocking and rebounding prowess, we'll be looking to evaluate his offense more closely. While he didn't finish particularly well last weekend at the Hoophall Classic, he showed some touch and form on his jumper, along with quick spin moves to suggest that he's not quite as offensively limited as some have made him out to be. 

http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1320973
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top