Chris Obekpa

Can't wait to see Obekpa's development under the watchful eye of Professor Dunlap.
 
 excellent news!! Welcome anoard CO. Can't wait to see you establishing the paint as a bad place for opponents to try and shoot
 
Good choice CO! Looks like Lav didn't have to make any rash decisions after all. And it's good to see some finality to our roster unless Chandler somehow winds up here. Loaded on the wings, ultra talented backcourt with Branch and Harrison, and now a defensive beast.
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 please dont forget phil green who was very valuable as a freshman and will be much better as a soph after all the minutes he played. if harrison goes nba next we want him around.
 
Good choice CO! Looks like Lav didn't have to make any rash decisions after all. And it's good to see some finality to our roster unless Chandler somehow winds up here. Loaded on the wings, ultra talented backcourt with Branch and Harrison, and now a defensive beast.
Click to expand...
 please dont forget phil green who was very valuable as a freshman and will be much better as a soph after all the minutes he played. if harrison goes nba next we want him around.
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I hear what you're saying, and I'm high on Phil too. But Harrison isn't going to the NBA any time soon. No disrespect to D'angelo, but being a very good college player doesn't have a direct relationship with playing in the NBA.
 
For a coach who allegedly had one foot back in the hospital and another foot stepping onto a jet to move back to L.A., this is an awfully nice recruiting class. Not to mention coming off a sub 500 season. And the schools leaving the Big East. The floodgates are already opening, and I get the feeling this is just the start. If Lavin can do this with the silly rumor mill flying, I would hate to be an opposing Big East coach over the next few years when all of the talk is behind us. So many of the long time fans here, myself included, became content with 20 wins, a NCAA bid, and an elite 8 run every 15-20 years. The idea of a national championship banner being raised one day in C.A. is not so far fetched anymore. Adding a real shot blocker with major upside (based on age alone) is a nice start.
 
An excellent pickup by Coach Lavin who has clearly showed that he is an elite recruiter. Both CO and FB will be very good four year players and each have a very high upside. Something special is happening in Queens, something I never thought possible with our prior mom and pop attitude.  
 
Good choice CO! Looks like Lav didn't have to make any rash decisions after all. And it's good to see some finality to our roster unless Chandler somehow winds up here. Loaded on the wings, ultra talented backcourt with Branch and Harrison, and now a defensive beast.
Click to expand...
 please dont forget phil green who was very valuable as a freshman and will be much better as a soph after all the minutes he played. if harrison goes nba next we want him around.
Click to expand...
 

I hear what you're saying, and I'm high on Phil too. But Harrison isn't going to the NBA any time soon. No disrespect to D'angelo, but being a very good college player doesn't have a direct relationship with playing in the NBA.
Click to expand...
 

Did you ever talk to DLO, I have and I have said it on this board many a time he expects to be playing for $$$ in the very near future.
 
Great recruiting job by the staff these past months. Welcome Chris!

This team is going to killer on defense next year. Think of all the athletes we will be throwing at other teams. Suffocating is the word that comes to mind for me.  A great defense is the most reliable thing you can put out on the court.. defenders don't go "cold".... conversely shooting can definitely go cold. We will have a great competitive advantage going against most teams with our defense.
 
Good choice CO! Looks like Lav didn't have to make any rash decisions after all. And it's good to see some finality to our roster unless Chandler somehow winds up here. Loaded on the wings, ultra talented backcourt with Branch and Harrison, and now a defensive beast.
Click to expand...
 please dont forget phil green who was very valuable as a freshman and will be much better as a soph after all the minutes he played. if harrison goes nba next we want him around.
Click to expand...
 

I hear what you're saying, and I'm high on Phil too. But Harrison isn't going to the NBA any time soon. No disrespect to D'angelo, but being a very good college player doesn't have a direct relationship with playing in the NBA.
Click to expand...
 

Did you ever talk to DLO, I have and I have said it on this board many a time he expects to be playing for $$$ in the very near future.
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Nope, I haven't. But I know you've said he's told you that before. That's good to hear. He should expect to play in the NBA. He's a heck of a good basketball player, and just had a phenomenal year in the Big East.

As a fan though I'm not worried about him leaving, because he won't be in the nba any time soon. Do I know that for a fact? No. But if you take a look at who gets drafted, he just doesn't fit the mold. If you're going to be a shooting guard in the nba you had better not only shoot as well as Dlo does, but have the quickness of a Brad Beal or Austin Rivers. He's shorter and less athletic than those guys. Doesn't make him a worse basketball player... just means NBA gm's won't like him as much.

But this is off-topic. It's a good day for SJU bball and let's see D'angelo go out and win big east player of the year.. then we can debate his nba-chances next spring ;) agreed?
 
Another fantastic pickup. It figures that I've been checking the board on and off all day, and must have signed off right before you guys broke the news. Tough to find a hole with this group now. Can't wait for the season to start and for us to get back to that menacing defense from two years ago. I guess we won't be hearing much from UC Bearcat anytime soon, huh? What a clown.
 
As I said 2+ years ago when Steve got the job and the Redman board graciously allowed me to join y'all here. Steve Lavin is a different kind of animal, and he didn't come back to coaching to "settle" for "good" or "very good". Despite the negativity of Bruin fans, he had ALREADY acchieved those goals in his coaching career. His new gameplan is for "excellence" and "greatness".  That's why he chose THIS school, put together THIS coaching staff, and especially why he has targeted and landed the players he has. Would have been real easy to have "settled" for the signed 6 we already had, and move on to next year's recruiting. But even with multiple NBA and NBDL level centers developed in his 7 year UCLA career (Jelani McCoy, Dan Gadzuric, Jerome Moiso, Ryan Hollins, Mike Fey), he's never had that potentially GREAT defensive center. McCoy was the closest, but he smoked himself out of his potential collegiate greatness.

Folks are picturing St. Johns as some wild run-n-gun offensive team. That may well be. But if you look at the kids that have truly been targeted and landed, the Lavin Gameplan is pretty obvious. I haven't read a single article this year where the subject is brought up that Obekpa isn't considered at WORST the 3rd best defensive center in high school this year. Rivals branded Jamal Branch as the BEST defensive player in all of high school just a year ago. In a listing of the top 10 defensive players in the entire 2011 high school class, Branch was joined by BOTH Amir Garret and Sir Dom.

Obekpa is very likely the missing peice between "good" and "very good" for the coming year - and maybe even a cornerstone for "great" in year or two years or 3 years after that. Obekpa can be that piece that Norvell Pelle (6'10 defensive stalwart and shotblocking savant) MIGHT have been had he qualified.

Excuse the over exuberance. But after 16 years as a lone voice in the night (a UCLA Lavin fan!), every single bit of ammo that can be loaded into the "I told you so" arsenal MUST be savored!

Congratuations to Chris on making a delayed but CORRECT decision. And to the staff for keeping the "eye on the prize" throughout.
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Another great post by you. Like most of my fellow St. John's fans, I've been pulling out my hair for years over near-misses, not to mention those far-too-many never-had-a-chance misses, and it's not always easy for us to see the light at the end of the tunnel ... something you seem to have no problem with being able to do -- provided, of course, Coach Lavin is on the job. A "CORRECT decision" indeed; one which we all can celebrate. Can't wait for the season to begin. (P.S. Hope you're doing well and that you feel as good as you sound.)
 
Congrats on the pick up. He should be a good one. 
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My bad. I never expected to hear from you. Sorry for the slight. I agree with the other guys. Classy on your part.
 
As I said 2+ years ago when Steve got the job and the Redman board graciously allowed me to join y'all here. Steve Lavin is a different kind of animal, and he didn't come back to coaching to "settle" for "good" or "very good". Despite the negativity of Bruin fans, he had ALREADY acchieved those goals in his coaching career. His new gameplan is for "excellence" and "greatness".  That's why he chose THIS school, put together THIS coaching staff, and especially why he has targeted and landed the players he has. Would have been real easy to have "settled" for the signed 6 we already had, and move on to next year's recruiting. But even with multiple NBA and NBDL level centers developed in his 7 year UCLA career (Jelani McCoy, Dan Gadzuric, Jerome Moiso, Ryan Hollins, Mike Fey), he's never had that potentially GREAT defensive center. McCoy was the closest, but he smoked himself out of his potential collegiate greatness.

Folks are picturing St. Johns as some wild run-n-gun offensive team. That may well be. But if you look at the kids that have truly been targeted and landed, the Lavin Gameplan is pretty obvious. I haven't read a single article this year where the subject is brought up that Obekpa isn't considered at WORST the 3rd best defensive center in high school this year. Rivals branded Jamal Branch as the BEST defensive player in all of high school just a year ago. In a listing of the top 10 defensive players in the entire 2011 high school class, Branch was joined by BOTH Amir Garret and Sir Dom.

Obekpa is very likely the missing peice between "good" and "very good" for the coming year - and maybe even a cornerstone for "great" in year or two years or 3 years after that. Obekpa can be that piece that Norvell Pelle (6'10 defensive stalwart and shotblocking savant) MIGHT have been had he qualified.

Excuse the over exuberance. But after 16 years as a lone voice in the night (a UCLA Lavin fan!), every single bit of ammo that can be loaded into the "I told you so" arsenal MUST be savored!

Congratuations to Chris on making a delayed but CORRECT decision. And to the staff for keeping the "eye on the prize" throughout.
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Terrific post. You have been right on about Lavin since you came aboard as a member.
 
This is a great pick up for St John's I can't wait till December when we will have all the pieces besides the extra shooter off the bench in Hooper, I can't wait for the first game of the season. 
 
As I said 2+ years ago when Steve got the job and the Redman board graciously allowed me to join y'all here. Steve Lavin is a different kind of animal, and he didn't come back to coaching to "settle" for "good" or "very good". Despite the negativity of Bruin fans, he had ALREADY acchieved those goals in his coaching career. His new gameplan is for "excellence" and "greatness".  That's why he chose THIS school, put together THIS coaching staff, and especially why he has targeted and landed the players he has. Would have been real easy to have "settled" for the signed 6 we already had, and move on to next year's recruiting. But even with multiple NBA and NBDL level centers developed in his 7 year UCLA career (Jelani McCoy, Dan Gadzuric, Jerome Moiso, Ryan Hollins, Mike Fey), he's never had that potentially GREAT defensive center. McCoy was the closest, but he smoked himself out of his potential collegiate greatness.

Folks are picturing St. Johns as some wild run-n-gun offensive team. That may well be. But if you look at the kids that have truly been targeted and landed, the Lavin Gameplan is pretty obvious. I haven't read a single article this year where the subject is brought up that Obekpa isn't considered at WORST the 3rd best defensive center in high school this year. Rivals branded Jamal Branch as the BEST defensive player in all of high school just a year ago. In a listing of the top 10 defensive players in the entire 2011 high school class, Branch was joined by BOTH Amir Garret and Sir Dom.

Obekpa is very likely the missing peice between "good" and "very good" for the coming year - and maybe even a cornerstone for "great" in year or two years or 3 years after that. Obekpa can be that piece that Norvell Pelle (6'10 defensive stalwart and shotblocking savant) MIGHT have been had he qualified.

Excuse the over exuberance. But after 16 years as a lone voice in the night (a UCLA Lavin fan!), every single bit of ammo that can be loaded into the "I told you so" arsenal MUST be savored!

Congratuations to Chris on making a delayed but CORRECT decision. And to the staff for keeping the "eye on the prize" throughout.
Click to expand...
 

Your initial predictions about the impact that Coach Lavin would make on our program seemed to be too good to be true at the time - but they weren't.
 
Congrats on the pick up. He should be a good one. 
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My bad. I never expected to hear from you. Sorry for the slight. I agree with the other guys. Classy on your part.
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Same here. Classy post UC. Don't worry Cronin has Cincy on the upswing and this doesn't change that.
 
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