Obekpa 2015/16

[1and1sju]

I wonder if Obekpa returning would be more of a draw or deterrent for Diallo committing to SJU.
The west african and OSNA connection 2ould be a plus, but I imagine Chiek wants to start immediately, and Obekpa returning would be an obstacle.

That's why, I could be wrong, but I think Diallo ' s recruitment is premised on the assumption that Obekpa isn't returning for next season.

 

[paultzman]

As for big men, anyone know what ADR was rated as a H.S. senior?

3 star, #314 in his class per 247

That is a pretty crappy ranking of him. He's a top 150 player without a doubt--with top 50 potential that I don't think will be fully realized.

As for Obekpa, he is the #1 priority...Jordan a distant second and any other recruits beyond Sampson after that. This is a very deep and talnted draft class for bigs and international players. Obekpa has likely risen as high has he can based on his potential and shot-blocking stats, and can only fall from this point due to his raw offensive game.

There shouldn't be a rush for him. He has a former NBA big man working with him daily. I think he returns. As I've said all along, it comes down to his measurement. If he's 6'7 3/4, he's got an uphill battle...if he's a true 6'9...he'll get a chance in the league.

Marillac did you watch ADR play in High School? I know rankings are a somewhat subjective thing, and I haven't seen many of the other 313 kids in front of him, but based on what I did see that ranking is pretty close to spot on. One thing I can tell is that he was nowhere near a top 150 kid coming out of CTK.

I followed him pretty closely. You just can't teach that size and he is very skilled with soft hands and very good fundamentals. Obviously not an above average athlete, but every year there are 5-10 bigs ranked ahead of guys like ADR based on potential that will never be able to do something like a baby hook that comes easily to player like ADR.

If CO had his skill...fahgetabouit.

The two best comparisons to Obekpa for pro potential are Deng Gai and Shawn James. Gai played two games in the NBA and James didn't play any. Both appeared on mock drafts for a few seasons.

Deng Gai -6'9.25 with shoes - 7'4.5 wingspans
Shawn James -6'9.0 with shoes -7'5 wingspan
Chris Obekpa -6'8.5 with shoes -7'4.5 wingspan

Here is a scouting report on James that sounds very familar:
"For James it’s not so much the incredible shot-blocking numbers he puts up, but the way he does it in a completely different style than anyone else among the other top shot-blockers in the country that makes it so remarkable. James blocks shots with his mind just as much as he does with his arms. He anticipates and times his jump beautifully, getting high in the air with his pterodactyl-like arms outstretched, tapping the ball to himself or a teammate to almost always keeping the ball in-bounds, and just intimidating and rejecting shot attempts from angles that most players have never had their shot blocked before thanks to his incredible reach."

From DraftExpress.comhttp://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz3Ohgf8fLN
http://www.draftexpress.com

Deng Gai averaged 12.7 points, 7 boards, and 4.4 blocks per game over his four year career, leading the nation with 5.5 blocks as a senior. He declared for the NBA draft after his junior year and was invited to the pre-draft camp, but withdrew his name shortly after.

Both guys were much better offensively than CO.

Big difference between "following him pretty closely" and actually seeing him play ..... as I did multiple time Now I don't claim to be some sort of a scout, but what seeing him tells you a lot of things that statistics and videos don't. For instance, every guy that I saw him play against last year he had a good 6" on, and still he not dominate. And his conditioning, which is taken in to account when ranking a kid, was nowhere near Big East level. Furthermore it was not going to get to Big East level with one summer of hard work as many on here projected. Likewise seeing Shamorie play on Sunday told be that the kid is not a PG, as advertised, but a 2G. And a 6' 2G at that. Now maybe he develops in to a PG, but he isnt one as of yet. McKennon, a damn good ballplayer, is the PG on that team. The High School ranks are littered with high scoring 6' 2Gs, not to many at the high D1 level.

Really value your opinion Monte. "Substance v Hyperbole" I'll take the former. "Scim" is good advice I need to heed.

 

[montyaloofah]

I wish CO the best whether he stays or goes. He's really been a great anchor to our D. If he envisions himself going pro, he needs to work on his stamina. There are more than a few times that he's looked winded. I get that our offense is only 7 deep and a lot is asked of him, but pros are more demanding. Season and games are much longer. As another poster said, just hope he stays healthy this year.

 

[Jack Williams]

I wonder if Obekpa returning would be more of a draw or deterrent for Diallo committing to SJU.
The west african and OSNA connection 2ould be a plus, but I imagine Chiek wants to start immediately, and Obekpa returning would be an obstacle.

That's why, I could be wrong, but I think Diallo ' s recruitment is premised on the assumption that Obekpa isn't returning for next season.

I don't think that is true at all. Who is gonna start over a mcdonalds all American? Freeman? ADR? Christian Jones? I think our starting front court will be Diallo/CO if Cheick made the decision to come here

 

[doodyny33]

I wonder if Obekpa returning would be more of a draw or deterrent for Diallo committing to SJU.
The west african and OSNA connection 2ould be a plus, but I imagine Chiek wants to start immediately, and Obekpa returning would be an obstacle.

That's why, I could be wrong, but I think Diallo ' s recruitment is premised on the assumption that Obekpa isn't returning for next season.

I don't think one has to do with the other. If anything, I think it would open up both of their games.

 

[cappy105]

I wonder if Obekpa returning would be more of a draw or deterrent for Diallo committing to SJU.
The west african and OSNA connection 2ould be a plus, but I imagine Chiek wants to start immediately, and Obekpa returning would be an obstacle.

That's why, I could be wrong, but I think Diallo ' s recruitment is premised on the assumption that Obekpa isn't returning for next season.

Obstacle??? Did you see our returning players ? Obekpa AND Diallo would be starting side by side without doubt!

 

[Andrew]

I saw ADR play twice at the end of last season. While he was playing against much smaller players, he had a shooting touch that you don't see too often for a player his size. If he could be properly conditioned, I think he could be a useful player if surrounded with other useful players.

 

[monte]

As for big men, anyone know what ADR was rated as a H.S. senior?

3 star, #314 in his class per 247

That is a pretty crappy ranking of him. He's a top 150 player without a doubt--with top 50 potential that I don't think will be fully realized.

As for Obekpa, he is the #1 priority...Jordan a distant second and any other recruits beyond Sampson after that. This is a very deep and talnted draft class for bigs and international players. Obekpa has likely risen as high has he can based on his potential and shot-blocking stats, and can only fall from this point due to his raw offensive game.

There shouldn't be a rush for him. He has a former NBA big man working with him daily. I think he returns. As I've said all along, it comes down to his measurement. If he's 6'7 3/4, he's got an uphill battle...if he's a true 6'9...he'll get a chance in the league.

Marillac did you watch ADR play in High School? I know rankings are a somewhat subjective thing, and I haven't seen many of the other 313 kids in front of him, but based on what I did see that ranking is pretty close to spot on. One thing I can tell is that he was nowhere near a top 150 kid coming out of CTK.

I followed him pretty closely. You just can't teach that size and he is very skilled with soft hands and very good fundamentals. Obviously not an above average athlete, but every year there are 5-10 bigs ranked ahead of guys like ADR based on potential that will never be able to do something like a baby hook that comes easily to player like ADR.

If CO had his skill...fahgetabouit.

The two best comparisons to Obekpa for pro potential are Deng Gai and Shawn James. Gai played two games in the NBA and James didn't play any. Both appeared on mock drafts for a few seasons.

Deng Gai -6'9.25 with shoes - 7'4.5 wingspans
Shawn James -6'9.0 with shoes -7'5 wingspan
Chris Obekpa -6'8.5 with shoes -7'4.5 wingspan

Here is a scouting report on James that sounds very familar:
"For James it’s not so much the incredible shot-blocking numbers he puts up, but the way he does it in a completely different style than anyone else among the other top shot-blockers in the country that makes it so remarkable. James blocks shots with his mind just as much as he does with his arms. He anticipates and times his jump beautifully, getting high in the air with his pterodactyl-like arms outstretched, tapping the ball to himself or a teammate to almost always keeping the ball in-bounds, and just intimidating and rejecting shot attempts from angles that most players have never had their shot blocked before thanks to his incredible reach."

From DraftExpress.comhttp://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz3Ohgf8fLN
http://www.draftexpress.com

Deng Gai averaged 12.7 points, 7 boards, and 4.4 blocks per game over his four year career, leading the nation with 5.5 blocks as a senior. He declared for the NBA draft after his junior year and was invited to the pre-draft camp, but withdrew his name shortly after.

Both guys were much better offensively than CO.

Big difference between "following him pretty closely" and actually seeing him play ..... as I did multiple time Now I don't claim to be some sort of a scout, but what seeing him tells you a lot of things that statistics and videos don't. For instance, every guy that I saw him play against last year he had a good 6" on, and still he not dominate. And his conditioning, which is taken in to account when ranking a kid, was nowhere near Big East level. Furthermore it was not going to get to Big East level with one summer of hard work as many on here projected. Likewise seeing Shamorie play on Sunday told be that the kid is not a PG, as advertised, but a 2G. And a 6' 2G at that. Now maybe he develops in to a PG, but he isnt one as of yet. McKennon, a damn good ballplayer, is the PG on that team. The High School ranks are littered with high scoring 6' 2Gs, not to many at the high D1 level.

Really value your opinion Monte. "Substance v Hyperbole" I'll take the former. "Scim" is good advice I need to heed.

High praise indeed coming from you. Thanks Paultz.

 

[monte]

I saw ADR play twice at the end of last season. While he was playing against much smaller players, he had a shooting touch that you don't see too often for a player his size. If he could be properly conditioned, I think he could be a useful player if surrounded with other useful players.

I agree completely, and there's no question that he's got very good skill sets. But as I mentioned in an earlier post, IMO people who have not seen him are grossly underestimating how much work he'll need to put in to become a serviceable player at this level. At the St. Mary's game he was huffing and puffing on the warm up line. Not a sign of good conditioning. Hoping he uses the rest of the year and summer to work his butt off(literally lol) and get in game shape. He did not look any fitter this past Sunday when I saw him at CTK.

 

[1and1sju]

I wonder if Obekpa returning would be more of a draw or deterrent for Diallo committing to SJU.
The west african and OSNA connection 2ould be a plus, but I imagine Chiek wants to start immediately, and Obekpa returning would be an obstacle.

That's why, I could be wrong, but I think Diallo ' s recruitment is premised on the assumption that Obekpa isn't returning for next season.

I don't think that is true at all. Who is gonna start over a mcdonalds all American? Freeman? ADR? Christian Jones? I think our starting front court will be Diallo/CO if Cheick made the decision to come here

I'm not saying it doesn't make basketball-sense, of course SJU would start them both. But what center-recruit wants to play next to another nba-caliber center? It hurts your rebounding and block numbers, steals the shine. That is a factor.

I think Obekpa returning could hurt our chances with Diallo as much as it would help.

 

[paultzman]

I wonder if Obekpa returning would be more of a draw or deterrent for Diallo committing to SJU.
The west african and OSNA connection 2ould be a plus, but I imagine Chiek wants to start immediately, and Obekpa returning would be an obstacle.

That's why, I could be wrong, but I think Diallo ' s recruitment is premised on the assumption that Obekpa isn't returning for next season.

I don't think that is true at all. Who is gonna start over a mcdonalds all American? Freeman? ADR? Christian Jones? I think our starting front court will be Diallo/CO if Cheick made the decision to come here

I'm not saying it doesn't make basketball-sense, of course SJU would start them both. But what center-recruit wants to play next to another nba-caliber center? It hurts your rebounding and block numbers, steals the shine. That is a factor.

I think Obekpa returning could hurt our chances with Diallo as much as it would help.

Being realistic It's quite possible not to have either. We'll see.

 

[SJUalum98]

I wonder if Obekpa returning would be more of a draw or deterrent for Diallo committing to SJU.
The west african and OSNA connection 2ould be a plus, but I imagine Chiek wants to start immediately, and Obekpa returning would be an obstacle.

That's why, I could be wrong, but I think Diallo ' s recruitment is premised on the assumption that Obekpa isn't returning for next season.

I don't think that is true at all. Who is gonna start over a mcdonalds all American? Freeman? ADR? Christian Jones? I think our starting front court will be Diallo/CO if Cheick made the decision to come here

I'm not saying it doesn't make basketball-sense, of course SJU would start them both. But what center-recruit wants to play next to another nba-caliber center? It hurts your rebounding and block numbers, steals the shine. That is a factor.

I think Obekpa returning could hurt our chances with Diallo as much as it would help.

Diallo is not a Center.

 

[SJU91_03]

Correct, and supposedly more polished offensively - which is not a stretch when comparing to C.O., so he would play the 4.

C.O. Is not built like a true center, but has a Center-like game, so he stays at the 5 and plays bigger than he is.

He's not playing Center in the NBA , anyway. He's defensive 4, with very good athletic ability

 

[beast of the east]

The only thing I would say about CO's pro potential is that when Olajuwon was drafted, one NBA analyst said he was severely lacking in lateral movement and would be a bust offensively in the NBA.

 

[1and1sju]

The only thing I would say about CO's pro potential is that when Olajuwon was drafted, one NBA analyst said he was severely lacking in lateral movement and would be a bust offensively in the NBA.

He was still a number 1 pick though. Thinking a number 1 pick might be a bust is a different analysis than saying Obekpa isn't ready to leave. The talk of Olajuwon being a "bust" was in comparison to other number 1 draft picks or high lottery picks.

 

[logen]

I wonder if Obekpa returning would be more of a draw or deterrent for Diallo committing to SJU.
The west african and OSNA connection 2ould be a plus, but I imagine Chiek wants to start immediately, and Obekpa returning would be an obstacle.

That's why, I could be wrong, but I think Diallo ' s recruitment is premised on the assumption that Obekpa isn't returning for next season.

I don't think that is true at all. Who is gonna start over a mcdonalds all American? Freeman? ADR? Christian Jones? I think our starting front court will be Diallo/CO if Cheick made the decision to come here

I'm not saying it doesn't make basketball-sense, of course SJU would start them both. But what center-recruit wants to play next to another nba-caliber center? It hurts your rebounding and block numbers, steals the shine. That is a factor.

I think Obekpa returning could hurt our chances with Diallo as much as it would help.

Honestly, numbers have very little to do with getting drafted nowadays. Not saying they are not a factor at all but they are way down the list of criteria.

 

[beast of the east]

The only thing I would say about CO's pro potential is that when Olajuwon was drafted, one NBA analyst said he was severely lacking in lateral movement and would be a bust offensively in the NBA.

He was still a number 1 pick though. Thinking a number 1 pick might be a bust is a different analysis than saying Obekpa isn't ready to leave. The talk of Olajuwon being a "bust" was in comparison to other number 1 draft picks or high lottery picks.

That wasn't the point. The point was that even an NBA scout can be seriously wrong about a high profile player's offensive potential. To that end, anyone who saw Ewing play in college thought he could be Bill Russell incarnate in the pros. The fact that he never became the devastating defensive player he was in college mars his reputation for his detractors. However, not many expected him to become a 20 ppg scorer with a soft touch within 18-20 feet.

 

[REDfan55555]

I wonder if Obekpa returning would be more of a draw or deterrent for Diallo committing to SJU.
The west african and OSNA connection 2ould be a plus, but I imagine Chiek wants to start immediately, and Obekpa returning would be an obstacle.

That's why, I could be wrong, but I think Diallo ' s recruitment is premised on the assumption that Obekpa isn't returning for next season.

I don't think that is true at all. Who is gonna start over a mcdonalds all American? Freeman? ADR? Christian Jones? I think our starting front court will be Diallo/CO if Cheick made the decision to come here

I'm not saying it doesn't make basketball-sense, of course SJU would start them both. But what center-recruit wants to play next to another nba-caliber center? It hurts your rebounding and block numbers, steals the shine. That is a factor.

I think Obekpa returning could hurt our chances with Diallo as much as it would help.

Diallo is not a Center.

Obekpa returning can only help the way I see it. The two are similar, but not identical players. Obekpa is older and when push comes to shove is probably a better shot blocker as of now, and wiser at the 5 spot. He is also slightly bigger then Diallo, He's got an inch on him height wise, two inches in terms of wingspan, and about 15, 20 lbs. on him.

Diallo is a more tactical scorer and would be a fairly natural scorer at the 4. The two together shouldn't wreck any stats. Considering how good they can both be blocking shots from the week side. I can see them almost working like interchangeable parts. It would be a legendary front court.

 

[MCNPA]

Diallo easily could and probably should play the 4 spot. He has much more offensive ability than Obekpa at the same point. He'd be a nightmare for most 4's to cover inside. I'd love to see Obekpa stay and I believe he probably will. He still needs to develop more offense and his post defense will not yet make him an NBA prospect that will last very long.

Just to add, I can't see Rysheed going anywhere either at this point. He's been too erratic in his behavioral issues to even showcase himself as an NBA pG. Nobody is going to draft him if he's both inconsistent on the court snd comes across as a head case. If anybody leaves imo it would be Obekpa, but I think we have a very good shot at bringing him back because he still isn't a multi-dimensional player that would garner a high draft premium I don't think. Of course, there's not doubt that both kids are capable of making an erratic decision.

 

[usguard]

Diallo easily could and probably should play the 4 spot. He has much more offensive ability than Obekpa at the same point. He'd be a nightmare for most 4's to cover inside. I'd love to see Obekpa stay and I believe he probably will. He still needs to develop more offense and his post defense will not yet make him an NBA prospect that will last very long.

Just to add, I can't see Rysheed going anywhere either at this point. He's been too erratic in his behavioral issues to even showcase himself as an NBA pG. Nobody is going to draft him if he's both inconsistent on the court snd comes across as a head case. If anybody leaves imo it would be Obekpa, but I think we have a very good shot at bringing him back because he still isn't a multi-dimensional player that would garner a high draft premium I don't think. Of course, there's not doubt that both kids are capable of making an erratic decision.

Agree. it would be in their best interest