Welcome to Duke, Sean Obi!

[dukelion]

GoodmanESPN Jeff Goodman
Duke has received a commitment from Rice big man Sean Obi, he told ESPN. Will sit out and have three years left.

[luburch]

Has anyone seen him play? I saw he averaged about 12 and 9 last year.

[dcar1985]

The big man transfer from Rice has committed to suit up for the Blue Devils...

[conmanlhughes]

Per instagram again 4083 welcome to duke, Obi 1!!!!

[jipops]

Man this is wonderful news. I gotta read up on this guy. Practices in the paint should be intense.

[Native]

Huge pick-up for us. Some recruiting analysts say this guy is comparable to a top-20 prospect out of high school.

The biggest question for us Crazies at the moment is whether he gets Jabari's #1 jersey so that we can call him "Obi-One".

[Furniture]

Great news! Welcome Sean!

"Happy to officially announce that I will be attending Duke university for the rest of my college basketball career. Very thankful for all the support and love from my family and friends all over, and also to every college Coach that have called and been in involved with me through out this process. Duke it is!!"

[MChambers]

Huge pick-up for us. Some recruiting analysts say this guy is comparable to a top-20 prospect out of high school.

The biggest question for us Crazies at the moment is whether he gets Jabari's #1 jersey so that we can call him "Obi-One".
What if he's Obi-One and Done? Of course, I guess that would mean he has a darn good season at Duke.

[Furniture]

Found this interesting piece on Sean.

http://www.greenwichmag.com/g/December-2011/A-New-Kind-of-Dream-Team/

Seems like a great kid!

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Please make this happen...

4084

[Bluegrassdevil1]

If there is any justice in this world, Coach K will permit (he will want to) him to wear number one. The world will be a much happier place if there is a kid playing basketball at Duke with Obi 1 on his back.

[Bluegrassdevil1]

Duke will have an Obi and a Luke on the 15-16 team. I think I may have just found a duo that I love more than Laettner and G. Hill.

If the ACC does not schedule a game in the Yum! Center, I may need to take up alcohol.

[FireOgilvie]

Great news! He should be a solid player for us for several years. Here is a previous "scouting report" I wrote up about him after watching every available video I could find on the Internet and Rice websites:

"First, I think he would play center for Duke as he's not (currently) a typical mobile or stretch 4 type. He plays below the rim and he's not much of a shot-blocker, but he's a very good defensive rebounder. He's a big physical guy. I wouldn't describe him as particularly athletic and he's not quick, but he can score reasonably well due to his size and ability to make space for himself. He seems like he has good touch around the basket, but the stats say he's a poor free throw shooter (54%). As far as comparisons go, I'd say he's more of a Brian Zoubek type of player, but 4 inches shorter. I'm impressed by his ability to play the game as a freshman, and I think he has a lot of areas that he could improve on - mostly related to fitness and mobility (lateral mobility, in particular). Also, keep in mind that he was the best player on his team last year (Rice) as a freshman, but they finished 7-23. I can definitely see him contributing at Duke through his senior year, especially after sitting out a year and working with the Duke trainers. I hope we land him. Also, he shouldn't scare away guys like Chase Jeter (more of a 4) or probably anyone else we are currently recruiting as there isn't a lot of overlap." Although, rethinking the last part, there may be overlap with guys like Diamond Stone/Henry Ellenson just because they are centers - but with different games. Also, he played club ball with Andre Drummond for awhile, which is interesting - they're both from Connecticut.

[GGLC]

This is awesome. Welcome, Sean! I think this is a great fit.

[CDu]

Fantastic news! Someone else to bang with Okafor and Plumlee and another option for the bigs rotation for 2015-2016. Love it.

[conmanlhughes]

We will have Justise Winslow, Semi Ojeleye, Jahlil Okafor, and Sean Obi on one team. If i saw them on the court, i would become scared very quickly. We got some big boys next year, and i have a feeling some new weight room records are gonna be made next year. Its unfortunate Obi cannot play this year, but i have a feeling he will help motivate our guys this year to another level.

I think our motto next year should be Tough, No Pain=No gain, or Started from the Bottom.

[revmel53]

In more ways than one... If K is interested in him, he knows that he could produce as a grunt guy for several years.... Virginia has 'em... Md has 'em... Clem has em... We focus on major athletic guys a lot... But if they are that good, they can't (doesn't mean they don't want to stay longer) stay... Could be a big pick up...

[GGLC]

Found this interesting piece on Sean.

http://www.greenwichmag.com/g/December-2011/A-New-Kind-of-Dream-Team/

Seems like a great kid!

This really is a great article. I encourage everyone to read it.

[MCFinARL]

We will have Justise Winslow, Semi Ojeleye, Jahlil Okafor, and Sean Obi on one team. If i saw them on the court, i would become scared very quickly. We got some big boys next year, and i have a feeling some new weight room records are gonna be made next year. Its unfortunate Obi cannot play this year, but i have a feeling he will help motivate our guys this year to another level.

I think our motto next year should be Tough, No Pain=No gain, or Started from the Bottom.

Yes, on one team--but probably not in one game. Obi will need to sit out next year so will likely only face Okafor in practice unless something really surprising happens and Okafor stays for a second season.

[mattman91]

Very exciting. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Semi's family from Nigeria as well? New pipeline? :)

[Henderson]

Great news indeed. Welcome Sean Obi!

He and Okafor will both benefit from practicing against one another next year, and Obi will get a full year to hit the weights and learn the Duke system. A huge get of a huge guy.

Obi and Jeter would make a formidable duo down low together. I see them as complementary players, not rivals for PT, and it signals to Jeter that he wouldn't be expected to come in and play out of position at the 5. This probably closes the book on Diamond Stone (to the extent it was still open), but I think it makes for a more attractive situation for Jeter. And it's certainly got to be great news to Luke Kennard.

I'd guess the "Obi-One" thing and Star Wars references generally are probably already pretty faded for Obi, like he hasn't already heard them a few billion times. They're only a couple weeks old around here, and they're already getting old old to me. If people keep on the Luke-and-Obi-One kick, I might be seeing my reflection in the porcelain pond. That's really going to get old fast. But then, I have trouble making it through those longer comic strips on Sundays.

Of course, we haven't had the "Obi-One Chases Luke" post yet, so there's still room for this to get worse.

[HK Dukie]

I'm very impressed he made the dean's list in an American private school in his first year after coming from classes in Nigeria with virtually no teacher interaction and 100 to 1 class sizes. He is clearly very motivated to succeed.

He seems like a great fit and will do well in this system as he soaks in all he can during the year sitting out.

I couldn't agree more with Obi getting the number one, although I doubt he knows so much about old american pop culture. Hope someone shows him one of the movies (except episode I) and let's him make up his mind for himself. He probably picked 3 for a reason at Rice.

[moonpie23]

awesome story, awesome pickup.....


welcome Obi 1 :cool:

[brevity]

Please make this happen...

4084

I was joking about this in the ACC Transfer Watch (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?33684) thread, but now that Sean Obi is coming to Duke, he seriously needs to wear the #1 jersey. First, Obi needs a new jersey number. He wore #3 at Rice, but Grayson Allen has already claimed #3, at least for next season. Second, Jabari Parker's departure has freed up the #1 jersey.

Every DBR member with a connection to Duke's basketball program -- watzone, jimsumner, Gerald Henderson's neighbor -- has to point out the obvious to Coach K, his staff, his office, his wife, and the inhabitants of his garden. Mark my words: if this doesn't happen, it counts as a complete failure in my book. Just tell Coach K that a basketball team is like five fingers on a hand, and while you can make a fist when you play as one, the Force will give you a fist that can choke opposing teams without even making contact.*

*Okay, fine, that's the dark side of the Force. Fortunately we'll have a couple of Jedi players in Obi and Luke to balance things out.

[tfk53]

Welcome to Duke Sean Obi!
Just finished reading the Greenwich article.
Parallels to The Blind Side accurate to a degree. Obi came to the States with a desire for education whereas Michael Oher took longer to realize its importance. Both have gone through trials that are difficult to comprehend. They both have my admiration.
I trust Obi's Duke experience, both academically and in basketball, will be all he expects and that he continues his development into a fine gentleman.

[Des Esseintes]

We will have Justise Winslow, Semi Ojeleye, Jahlil Okafor, and Sean Obi on one team. If i saw them on the court, i would become scared very quickly. We got some big boys next year, and i have a feeling some new weight room records are gonna be made next year. Its unfortunate Obi cannot play this year, but i have a feeling he will help motivate our guys this year to another level.

I think our motto next year should be Tough, No Pain=No gain, or Started from the Bottom.

A) Drake sucks.
B) Calipari has a corner on Drake-ness.
C) We could only use such a slogan if we adopted the same willful self-blindness as sentimental d-bag Drake, who was a child star in Canada and the son of a very successful musician. Likewise, a Duke team hasn't "started from the bottom" since the prime of Newt Gingrich. Potential preseason #1 2014-15 Duke will not change that pattern. No Drake comps, please.

But I am very excited about this transfer.

[richardjackson199]

Duke will have an Obi and a Luke on the 15-16 team. I think I may have just found a duo that I love more than Laettner and G. Hill.

If the ACC does not schedule a game in the Yum! Center, I may need to take up alcohol.

If our whole team goes pro next year, Obi 1 and Luke may be our only hope

[FireOgilvie]

I'd guess the "Obi-One" thing and Star Wars references generally are probably already pretty faded for Obi, like he hasn't already heard them a few billion times. They're only a couple weeks old around here, and they're already getting old old to me. If people keep on the Luke-and-Obi-One kick, I might be seeing my reflection in the porcelain pond. That's really going to get old fast. But then, I have trouble making it through those longer comic strips on Sundays.

Of course, we haven't had the "Obi-One Chases Luke" post yet, so there's still room for this to get worse.

Totally agree.

4087

[Edouble]

Of course, we haven't had the "Obi-One Chases Luke" post yet, so there's still room for this to get worse.

With a full ride to Duke for Sean, and big body ready for when Okafor departs, it's clear that both Coach K and Obi won!

[bob blue devil]

Great news. Star Wars refs def getting old fast.

[martydoesntfoul]

Duke will have an Obi and a Luke on the 15-16 team. I think I may have just found a duo that I love more than Laettner and G. Hill.

If the ACC does not schedule a game in the Yum! Center, I may need to take up alcohol.

Luke and Obi are definitely cool, but if we're going down the path of the great duos, who can forget Andre SWEET and Reggie LOVE?

[Gilby_10]

He seems to remind me of DeJuan Blair that played at Pittsburgh. A little undersized and plays below the rim but has soft hands with good footwork and uses his body well enough to use his size to an advantage. Not to mention something Duke has been missing for the last few years which is toughness and rebounding. If we get the productivity that Blair produced at Pitt this will be nothing a great for Duke and will be one of the better stories the program has ever had as a player considering where hes came from in the last 5-6 years

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

He seems to remind me of DeJuan Blair that played at Pittsburgh. A little undersized and plays below the rim but has soft hands with good footwork and uses his body well enough to use his size to an advantage. Not to mention something Duke has been missing for the last few years which is toughness and rebounding. If we get the productivity that Blair produced at Pitt this will be nothing a great for Duke and will be one of the better stories the program has ever had as a player considering where hes came from in the last 5-6 years
6-9, 265 is undersized???

[Troublemaker]

He seems to remind me of DeJuan Blair that played at Pittsburgh. A little undersized and plays below the rim but has soft hands with good footwork and uses his body well enough to use his size to an advantage. Not to mention something Duke has been missing for the last few years which is toughness and rebounding. If we get the productivity that Blair produced at Pitt this will be nothing a great for Duke and will be one of the better stories the program has ever had as a player considering where hes came from in the last 5-6 years

Ha! I would think so, since Blair was an NPOY candidate and 1st team All American.

I'm not quite expecting that level of production from Obi, but I'm very happy Duke added this quality young man to the program.

[SCMatt33]

6-9, 265 is undersized???

Absolutely right. 6-9 is rarely undersized in college. The 265 is more important for banging down low. Duke's interior defense wasn't a problem last year because of height. Jabari got up in the air just fine. Duke had no one who could truly bang around in the middle. Hopefully, Sean will remind us of Elton Brand or Shelden Williams, both of whom are 6-9. You don't have to get half of your arms above the rim to be a good center.

[Bluegrassdevil1]

Luke and Obi are definitely cool, but if we're going down the path of the great duos, who can forget Andre SWEET and Reggie LOVE?

I concede to your brilliant recall; that was an amazing pairing.

As an aside: How flipping amazing was Reggie Love???? Truly a great unsung Duke hero.

[FerryFor50]

Yea but what's his wingspan??? : p

[tbyers11]

Yea but what's his wingspan??? : p

Only cinder block measurements, please ;)

[martydoesntfoul]

I concede to your brilliant recall; that was an amazing pairing.

As an aside: How flipping amazing was Reggie Love???? Truly a great unsung Duke hero.

Couldn't agree more!

[Chicken Little]

Word(number) play and Coach K wanting him here aside, is anyone else reluctant to get excited about a guy who was a two star recruit with a 61 rating on ESPN out of high school?

Not trying to be a downer, and of course I realize that it is the offseason, but do we have a reason to think he'll get more than leftover minutes? I don't think K brought him in because he's geeking out over the chance to make the ultimate nerd Jersey.

[Olympic Fan]

Just to get the numbers right, as a freshman at Rice. Obi averaged 26.4 mpg. He averaged 11.4 ppg (second on the team) and 9.3 rpg (first on the team). He shot .591 from the field (all 2-point attempts ... he never shot a 3) and .544 from the FT line. He had 24 assists and 59 turnovers. He committed 91 fouls and fouled out of four games. He blocked 22 shots and had 15 steals.

His best game was against South Alabama -- 25 points/19 rebounds. He had 22/18 against Marshall. In all, he had 11 double-doubles. Jabari Parker and Talib Zana were the only ACC players with that many double-doubles last season.

I guess the only bad news is that Rice was 7-23.

Every scouting report I've seen suggests that he's a raw talent without a lot of basketball experience. If true, his year sitting out at Duke and working against Okafor in practice ought to really help him.

And you've got to love K's track record with transfers -- Roshown McLeod (first team All-ACC; first round draft pick); Dahntay Jones (first-team All-AQCC; first round NBA draft pick); Seth Curry (first-team All-ACC); Rodney Hood (second team All-ACC; likely to be a first-round draft pick). The only reason Hood didn't make first team is that he was only at Duke one year -- the other transfers made first-team in their second (McLeod and Jones) or third years (Curry).

This is great news.

[miramar]

6-9, 265 is undersized???

At right tackle.

[MaxAMillion]

I hope this is the start of Duke bringing in multiple bigs most years. Coach K mentioned being small this year at his press conference. Duke should never be small...even if it means recruiting diamonds in the rough who can play center. I think Obi will be helpful as a 2nd center to go along with Plumlee.

[Kedsy]

Word(number) play and Coach K wanting him here aside, is anyone else reluctant to get excited about a guy who was a two star recruit with a 61 rating on ESPN out of high school?

Not trying to be a downer, and of course I realize that it is the offseason, but do we have a reason to think he'll get more than leftover minutes?

As a high school recruit, Dahntay Jones was ranked #91 by the RSCI. Seth Curry was unranked. They both had strong freshman (and in Dahntay's case sophomore) seasons and Coach K reached out to them via the transfer process. Both worked out pretty well.

Like Seth Curry, Sean Obi was unranked out of high school but had a very strong freshman season. There's reason to be excited because the #3 defensive rebounder in the country from last season has decided to come to Duke and should be here for 3 years, a guy who averaged very close to a double-double and shot nearly 60% from the floor despite not having played organized basketball very long (meaning there should be plenty of upside).

Derrick Williams was rated #100 in the RSCI and two years later he was the 2nd pick in the NBA draft. Sometimes how a guy plays in college is more important than what his rating was coming out of high school.

[Mike Corey]

Some highlights here starting around :45


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xfzOt4By6U

[FerryFor50]

Word(number) play and Coach K wanting him here aside, is anyone else reluctant to get excited about a guy who was a two star recruit with a 61 rating on ESPN out of high school?

Not trying to be a downer, and of course I realize that it is the offseason, but do we have a reason to think he'll get more than leftover minutes? I don't think K brought him in because he's geeking out over the chance to make the ultimate nerd Jersey.

"Not trying to be a downer.... Oh, wait. Yes I am."

4088

[Chicken Little]

Good points, O_Fan and Kedsy.

[eddiehaskell]

Having a big guy that's likely comparable to what the competition will play is surely going to make Okafor/Plumlee better. Without him, I'm guessing Okafor would only have Plumlee to practice against....

[NashvilleDevil]

He seems to remind me of DeJuan Blair that played at Pittsburgh. A little undersized and plays below the rim but has soft hands with good footwork and uses his body well enough to use his size to an advantage. Not to mention something Duke has been missing for the last few years which is toughness and rebounding. If we get the productivity that Blair produced at Pitt this will be nothing a great for Duke and will be one of the better stories the program has ever had as a player considering where hes came from in the last 5-6 years

Zach Randolph. I'm not saying he will be like Zach but their measurements are exactly the same and ZBo doesn't really play above the rim. I guess Blair is a comp but let's hope Sean's knees are that of a 20 year old and not a 60 year olds like Blair's.

[lotusland]

Some highlights here starting around :45


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xfzOt4By6U

Awesome this guy never misses:D!

[wsb3]

Welcome Obi. I am excited that with his body he should not get pushed around.

[miramar]

As a high school recruit, Dahntay Jones was ranked #91 by the RSCI. Seth Curry was unranked. They both had strong freshman (and in Dahntay's case sophomore) seasons and Coach K reached out to them via the transfer process. Both worked out pretty well.

Like Seth Curry, Sean Obi was unranked out of high school but had a very strong freshman season. There's reason to be excited because the #3 defensive rebounder in the country from last season has decided to come to Duke and should be here for 3 years, a guy who averaged very close to a double-double and shot nearly 60% from the floor despite not having played organized basketball very long (meaning there should be plenty of upside).

Derrick Williams was rated #100 in the RSCI and two years later he was the 2nd pick in the NBA draft. Sometimes how a guy plays in college is more important than what his rating was coming out of high school.

I think Stephen was also unranked, and he somehow has struggled to score 20 PPG in the NBA. Considering that Stephen and Seth were from North Carolina and had outstanding basketball DNA, I can't believe we didn't have both of them for four years. That would have also meant that we would have Mrs. Curry in the stands for a much longer period, and she was the most entertaining Duke parent ever. I have never seen another parent get so excited about her kids' play.

Just one question about all this: Based on the freshman of the week video, can Obi 1 dunk?

[MCFinARL]

A) Drake sucks.
B) Calipari has a corner on Drake-ness.
C) We could only use such a slogan if we adopted the same willful self-blindness as sentimental d-bag Drake, who was a child star in Canada and the son of a very successful musician. Likewise, a Duke team hasn't "started from the bottom" since the prime of Newt Gingrich. Potential preseason #1 2014-15 Duke will not change that pattern. No Drake comps, please.

But I am very excited about this transfer.

C'mon, don't pull your punches--tell us how you really feel about Drake.


Luke and Obi are definitely cool, but if we're going down the path of the great duos, who can forget Andre SWEET and Reggie LOVE?

Good excuse to cue up Anita Baker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y9DYGiDL1o

[BD80]

Word(number) play and Coach K wanting him here aside, is anyone else reluctant to get excited about a guy who was a two star recruit with a 61 rating on ESPN out of high school?

Not trying to be a downer, and of course I realize that it is the offseason, but do we have a reason to think he'll get more than leftover minutes? ...

You are sooooo right. I don't think he'll get a minute of PT next year.

[BD80]

Great news indeed. Welcome Sean Obi!

... I'd guess the "Obi-One" thing and Star Wars references generally are probably already pretty faded for Obi, like he hasn't already heard them a few billion times. They're only a couple weeks old around here, and they're already getting old old to me. If people keep on the Luke-and-Obi-One kick, I might be seeing my reflection in the porcelain pond. That's really going to get old fast. But then, I have trouble making it through those longer comic strips on Sundays.

Of course, we haven't had the "Obi-One Chases Luke" post yet, so there's still room for this to get worse.

I'm glad we got him, lets us avoid this:

4089

[johnb]

it's also refreshing that Sean has already succeeded at the Division I level, considered a cluster of colleges that are academically similar to Duke, and then committed within a week of the visit. It's what I did many years ago--for most decisions like this, you just know, and Sean's thought process strikes me as healthy and reasonable and somewhat unusual in the world of basketball recruiting. Sure, he wasn't a McDonald's all American, but if you ask me who on ANY 2015 -16 team is THE most likely to average 7 or 8 rbg's, I'd go with Mr. Obi.

there are also a bunch of articles about his move to Connecticut--terrific young guy. And I bet he's polite enough that he'd try to restrain from rolling his eyes at the Star War references that he was undoubtedly hearing since he stepped off the plane from Nigeria.

Welcome!

[UrinalCake]

Luke and Obi are definitely cool, but if we're going down the path of the great duos, who can forget Andre SWEET and Reggie LOVE?

I waited that whole season for a SWEET-LOVE alley-oop. Alas, it never happened 8-(

[Matches]

Not trying to be a downer, and of course I realize that it is the offseason, but do we have a reason to think he'll get more than leftover minutes? I don't think K brought him in because he's geeking out over the chance to make the ultimate nerd Jersey.

K has never brought in a transfer to play bit minutes. He just doesn't do that. Of course there are no guarantees of PT, but the fact that K brought him in is, in and of itself, a reason to think he'll be playing more than leftover minutes.

[richardjackson199]

Great news. Star Wars refs def getting old fast.

I'm sorry, but you may have to get used to it. If Obi takes Jabari's jersey number, there will be more Star Wars character look-alikes in the Cameron crowd than at a Star Wars reunion convention. Get ready for Duke blue face-painted storm troopers.

I think it will be fun for TV, and highlight that our Crazies are fun, and that they are not Terp-esque hostile.

[wilko]

I'd guess the "Obi-One" thing and Star Wars references generally are probably already pretty faded for Obi, like he hasn't already heard them a few billion times.

I thought the exact same thing. Not just for him but for us.
Getting a "Star Wars" geek-on over this may not work out so well...

[Kfanarmy]

I was joking about this in the ACC Transfer Watch (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?33684) thread, but now that Sean Obi is coming to Duke, he seriously needs to wear the #1 jersey. First, Obi needs a new jersey number. He wore #3 at Rice, but Grayson Allen has already claimed #3, at least for next season. Second, Jabari Parker's departure has freed up the #1 jersey.

Every DBR member with a connection to Duke's basketball program -- watzone, jimsumner, Gerald Henderson's neighbor -- has to point out the obvious to Coach K, his staff, his office, his wife, and the inhabitants of his garden. Mark my words: if this doesn't happen, it counts as a complete failure in my book. Just tell Coach K that a basketball team is like five fingers on a hand, and while you can make a fist when you play as one, the Force will give you a fist that can choke opposing teams without even making contact.*

*Okay, fine, that's the dark side of the Force. Fortunately we'll have a couple of Jedi players in Obi and Luke to balance things out. I get the humor of it, but Star Wars was a long time ago and I'd rather see him make a spectacle of himself for what he does on the court, not what he wears.

[richardjackson199]

I just don't know at all what to expect here. Which means the safe bet is to keep expectations low and be pleasantly surprised. I'm very excited Duke got Obi, and Coach K has always loved smart, hard-working kids of this character model. Obi definitely sounds like a great fit for Duke and Coach K's style.

From a basketball standpoint I don't know what to expect. I definitely believe it's unlikely to expect DeJuan Blair, Elton Brand, Shelden Williams, or Zach Randolph type production by his senior year. I really appreciate Kedsy, FireOgilvie, john B, C-Du, and others knowledgeable responses & Mike Corey's highlight video.

I'd love to hear what other guys who know basketball recruiting (like Tommy, Jim Sumner and others) think we might expect??

I'm friends with a knowledgeable guy at Rice who played pick-up with Obi and told me that nobody on that team was good enough to play division 1, much less in the ACC. I'm sure that was exaggeration as Obi had some great division 1 stats his freshman year. But I'm just wondering how his defensive rebounding ability, double doubles, 59% FG percentage, and development of raw talent might translate against ACC competition. Could this guy be as good as Reid Travis for example? Better? Not as good? I have no clue.

He's certainly a great get, and I'm thrilled to have him at Duke. Worst case - he'll be a great kid with good attitude and great practice player. He will likely serve a role like Todd next year in practice against Okafor and MP3. Of course he'll be working on developing his own game at the same time, and I'm sure he has more upside than Todd. How much more? Best case the raw talent develops into a monster. I'd love to hear speculations of what other knowledgeable posters think we might expect over time. I don't think he should scare away 5 star guys like Diamond Stone.

[Skitzle]

For those sick of the Star Wars references.. I put my "photoshop skills" to work.


4090


http://i.imgur.com/D1kkGHn.png

[jacone21]

Would he be good enough to play at Mercer?

[johnb]

Rice only won 7 games, but they do play division I, and played competitively with a number of teams in their league, Conference-USA. While not the ACC, it's quite a step up from Sean's preppy high school that won 2 games the year before he came along. They quickly did better, though I imagine the competition was akin to Semi's in Kansas--and perhaps Justise's at St. Johns in Houston. I haven't seen anything reliable in terms of evaluating him on a bigger stage. Interestingly, while K likes great character guys, he doesn't often recruit diamonds in the rough who he hopes to sharpen. By and large, all of our recruited players have been VERY highly rated out of high school since the 1980's.

[Mike Corey]

Another video, with highlights and an interview with Sean, can be watched here (http://www.msgvarsity.com/connecticut/interview-with-greens-farms-academy-s-sean-obi-1.434050). It's not on YouTube, so I can't embed it.

This is very informative, FWIW. It does not focus on bball, but focuses on Mr. Obi the person, and his very unique story.

[CameronBornAndBred]

What I love about him is that he obviously puts academics way up there on his priorities. The schools he was looking at were Duke,Vandy, Stanford, Northwestern and Harvard, plus he obviously came from Rice. That lets me enjoy the likelihood that we will not be having an Obi Draft Vigil until his second year on the court, since he'll be graduating that year. Would love to see him stay in grad school and give us three seasons though!

[Troublemaker]

What I love about him is that he obviously puts academics way up there on his priorities. The schools he was looking at were Duke,Vandy, Stanford, Northwestern and Harvard, plus he obviously came from Rice. That lets me enjoy the likelihood that we will not be having an Obi Draft Vigil until his second year on the court, since he'll be graduating that year. Would love to see him stay in grad school and give us three seasons though!

I think that's, by far, the most likely possibility. Nothing I've read or seen so far suggests to me that he's an early-entry candidate. Good player, but probably lacking the explosiveness and length that the NBA desires. We'll know more after Blue-White and maybe an open practice in the fall, and then we'll know LOTS more in a year and half when he's eligible to play again.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I think that's, by far, the most likely possibility. Nothing I've read or seen so far suggests to me that he's an early-entry candidate. Good player, but probably lacking the explosiveness and length that the NBA desires. We'll know more after Blue-White and maybe an open practice in the fall, and then we'll know LOTS more in a year and half when he's eligible to play again.
I think about a guy like Mason, obviously not ready in his first or second year, but by his third year taking off early was a definite possibility. It would not be hard to envision another big man with an improved skill set having that option, too.

[Kedsy]

Interestingly, while K likes great character guys, he doesn't often recruit diamonds in the rough who he hopes to sharpen. By and large, all of our recruited players have been VERY highly rated out of high school since the 1980's.

But not all our transfers. As has been noted earlier in this thread, Dahntay Jones was #91 out of high school and Seth Curry was unranked.

Your statement isn't entirely true regarding regular recruits, either. In the 15 years since 2000, by my count 9 of our recruits were ranked outside the top 50 (using RSCI rank), which if I calculated correctly would be 19% of our recruits during the period:

M Pocius (53)
J Boykin (60)
Marshall Plumlee (61)
O Czyz (66)
D McClure (71)
Miles Plumlee (81)
A Sweet (unranked)
L Melchionni (unranked)
T Thornton (unranked)

Almost 1 in 5 recruits since the turn of the century have been potential "diamonds in the rough," along with at least two of our four previous transfers (I don't know what Roshown McLeod's recruiting ranking was coming out of high school).

So maybe Mr. Obi isn't quite as much of an outlier after all.

[freshmanjs]

But not all our transfers. As has been noted earlier in this thread, Dahntay Jones was #91 out of high school and Seth Curry was unranked.

Your statement isn't entirely true regarding regular recruits, either. In the 15 years since 2000, by my count 9 of our recruits were ranked outside the top 50 (using RSCI rank), which if I calculated correctly would be 19% of our recruits during the period:

M Pocius (53)
J Boykin (60)
Marshall Plumlee (61)
O Czyz (66)
D McClure (71)
Miles Plumlee (81)
A Sweet (unranked)
L Melchionni (unranked)
T Thornton (unranked)

Almost 1 in 5 recruits since the turn of the century have been potential "diamonds in the rough," along with at least two of our four previous transfers (I don't know what Roshown McLeod's recruiting ranking was coming out of high school).

So maybe Mr. Obi isn't quite as much of an outlier after all.

i think Andre Buckner was the year before your list starts as well.

[Des Esseintes]

I think about a guy like Mason, obviously not ready in his first or second year, but by his third year taking off early was a definite possibility. It would not be hard to envision another big man with an improved skill set having that option, too.

Mason is not a great comp. He could have jumped after his freshman year--and likely gone lottery. He was a physical specimen with a bunch of interesting tools, and thus had a lot of projection. That he stayed at Duke was a matter of choice, not draftability.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I get the humor of it, but Star Wars was a long time ago and I'd rather see him make a spectacle of himself for what he does on the court, not what he wears.

Highly disagree with this post for many reasons:

1) Star Wars will always be relevant. It has and will test the boundaries of time.

2) We know little about Sean Obi, other than his stats, parts of his personal life, and the fact that he wanted to go to a great academic school. His name is one of the concrete facts about Sean that we do know.

3) How often do you get to play games with someone's jersey? And these are harmless games that make fans, the media, and (probably) coaches crack up.

So, my recommendation? Someone create a petition begging Coach K to give Sean Obi the #1 jersey. We can do it!

[CameronBornAndBred]

Highly disagree with this post for many reasons:

1) Star Wars will always be relevant. It has and will test the boundaries of time.

And the boundaries of space. Remember, not only was it long ago, it was also far, far away.

[jacone21]

... but Star Wars was a long time ago...

Not only that. It was in a galaxy far, far away. But you do have a point.

[Duvall]

Highly disagree with this post for many reasons:

1) Star Wars will always be relevant. It has and will test the boundaries of time.

2) We know little about Sean Obi, other than his stats, parts of his personal life, and the fact that he wanted to go to a great academic school. His name is one of the concrete facts about Sean that we do know.

3) How often do you get to play games with someone's jersey? And these are harmless games that make fans, the media, and (probably) coaches crack up.

So, my recommendation? Someone create a petition begging Coach K to give Sean Obi the #1 jersey. We can do it!

Just note this - the joke about someone's name that you think is clever the first time that you meet is going to be something the other person has heard hundreds of times, at least.

[NashvilleDevil]

I get the humor of it, but Star Wars was a long time ago and I'd rather see him make a spectacle of himself for what he does on the court, not what he wears.

Lighten up Francis.

I mixed my movies up again didn't I?

[NashvilleDevil]

Just note this - the joke about someone's name that you think is clever the first time that you meet is going to be something the other person has heard hundreds of times, at least.

Agreed you are speaking to someone who is named Chewbacca.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Will Obi's "brother" also be transferring? He seems to have been a preferred walk-on or something of the sort at Rice. I'm guessing he would not come within a mile of the court at Duke, but it never hurts to have another decent practice player, and it sounds like he will have no trouble paying his own way.

[NashvilleDevil]

Will Obi's "brother" also be transferring? He seems to have been a preferred walk-on or something of the sort at Rice. I'm guessing he would not come within a mile of the court at Duke, but it never hurts to have another decent practice player, and it sounds like he will have no trouble paying his own way.

Only if his last name is Qui Gon

[Wander]

Will Obi's "brother" also be transferring? He seems to have been a preferred walk-on or something of the sort at Rice. I'm guessing he would not come within a mile of the court at Duke, but it never hurts to have another decent practice player, and it sounds like he will have no trouble paying his own way.

But is the kid REALLY his brother, or just someone who works on a moisture farm in Texas to watch over Luke Kennard until he's ready for training to begin at Duke?

[Olympic Fan]

I just don't know at all what to expect here. Which means the safe bet is to keep expectations low and be pleasantly surprised. I'm very excited Duke got Obi, and Coach K has always loved smart, hard-working kids of this character model. Obi definitely sounds like a great fit for Duke and Coach K's style.

From a basketball standpoint I don't know what to expect. I definitely believe it's unlikely to expect DeJuan Blair, Elton Brand, Shelden Williams, or Zach Randolph type production by his senior year.

Interesting list. Just for fun, here are the freshman numbers of those four guys -- and Obi:

Elton Brand: 13.4 ppg/7.4 rpb (obviously warped by his injury)
Shelden Williams: 8.2 ppg/5.9 rpg
Zach Randolph 10.8 ppg/6.3 rpg
DeJaun Blair 11.6 ppg/9.1 rpg
Sean Obi 11.4 ppg/9.3 rpg

I understand the difference in competition and the difference in teammates ... but still Obi's numbers compare very well to the freshmen production of the four future pros that you cite. And I think with his limited basketball background, he actually has more room from growth -- especially with a redshirt year under K (and working against Okafor). Seth Curry, who jumped from a much lower level of competition, didn't match his Liberty numbers in his first year at Duke, but he was still the number three scorer on a 30-win, ACC championship team. He was an all-acc quality player in his second and third years.

If I had to guess, I'm project Obi's 2015 stats to be very similar to his Rice numbers -- 10-12 points, 8-10 rebounds. Maybe a few less points, depending on what's around him in the offense. After that, onward and upward. Bold prediction -- Obi leaves Duke as a No. 1 NBA draft pick. If he stays until his senior year, he'll also be a first-team All-ACC guy.

Going forward, I think this really impacts just one recruiting target -- Diamond Stone. Not that Stone will be scared off by Obi, but Stone is the only target who can come in and contest the Obi-MP3 battle for the starting spot in 2015-16. Stone is a real recruiting longshot -- so was Okafor in the spring of his junior year and Duke hit that jackpot ... but how often do you hit the jackpot (especially with big men)?

Duke's other main 2015 targets -- Case Jeter and Henry Ellenson -- are more fours who will come in and battle Amile for time at the four.

I'll be quite comfortable with a center rotation of fifth-year senior Plumlee and third-year sophomore Obi in 2015.

[richardjackson199]

Interesting list. Just for fun, here are the freshman numbers of those four guys -- and Obi:

Elton Brand: 13.4 ppg/7.4 rpb (obviously warped by his injury)
Shelden Williams: 8.2 ppg/5.9 rpg
Zach Randolph 10.8 ppg/6.3 rpg
DeJaun Blair 11.6 ppg/9.1 rpg
Sean Obi 11.4 ppg/9.3 rpg

I understand the difference in competition and the difference in teammates ... but still Obi's numbers compare very well to the freshmen production of the four future pros that you cite. And I think with his limited basketball background, he actually has more room from growth -- especially with a redshirt year under K (and working against Okafor). Seth Curry, who jumped from a much lower level of competition, didn't match his Liberty numbers in his first year at Duke, but he was still the number three scorer on a 30-win, ACC championship team. He was an all-acc quality player in his second and third years.

If I had to guess, I'm project Obi's 2015 stats to be very similar to his Rice numbers -- 10-12 points, 8-10 rebounds. Maybe a few less points, depending on what's around him in the offense. After that, onward and upward. Bold prediction -- Obi leaves Duke as a No. 1 NBA draft pick. If he stays until his senior year, he'll also be a first-team All-ACC guy.

Going forward, I think this really impacts just one recruiting target -- Diamond Stone. Not that Stone will be scared off by Obi, but Stone is the only target who can come in and contest the Obi-MP3 battle for the starting spot in 2015-16. Stone is a real recruiting longshot -- so was Okafor in the spring of his junior year and Duke hit that jackpot ... but how often do you hit the jackpot (especially with big men)?

Duke's other main 2015 targets -- Case Jeter and Henry Ellenson -- are more fours who will come in and battle Amile for time at the four.

I'll be quite comfortable with a center rotation of fifth-year senior Plumlee and third-year sophomore Obi in 2015.

Thanks! Wow bold predictions. The staff must be really excited about Obi. I'm not allowed to give you any more pitchfork points for optimism, but I sure hope you're right.

[BD80]

Will Obi's "brother" also be transferring? He seems to have been a preferred walk-on or something of the sort at Rice. I'm guessing he would not come within a mile of the court at Duke, but it never hurts to have another decent practice player, and it sounds like he will have no trouble paying his own way.

"Always two, there are" ... wait they're not Sith, the Sith go with calipari or go to unc.

"There is another" ... but isn't it best they be kept apart - for their safety?

It does sound like Obi's "adopted" brother would be a good addition as a walk-on, the kind of kid to contribute and to appreciate and take advantage of the opportunity.

[Wander]

Bold prediction -- Obi leaves Duke as a No. 1 NBA draft pick.

What? I'm excited about Obi too, but I'll give you 100:1 odds against that...

[wilson]

So who is Duke's Jar Jar Binks? I know who I'd vote for...

[Olympic Fan]

What? I'm excited about Obi too, but I'll give you 100:1 odds against that...

100 to 1? Really?

I would point out that K has had four previous transfers -- two were first-round NBA draft picks (McLeod and Jones) and a third (Hood) almost certainly will be this spring.

I think the odds are 3-to-1 -- in my favor.

[loran16]

Absolutely right. 6-9 is rarely undersized in college. The 265 is more important for banging down low. Duke's interior defense wasn't a problem last year because of height. Jabari got up in the air just fine. Duke had no one who could truly bang around in the middle. Hopefully, Sean will remind us of Elton Brand or Shelden Williams, both of whom are 6-9. You don't have to get half of your arms above the rim to be a good center.

He had the second best d rebound percentage in all of NCAA d1 last year. Bet he can do it

[tbyers11]

If I had to guess, I'm project Obi's 2015 stats to be very similar to his Rice numbers -- 10-12 points, 8-10 rebounds. Maybe a few less points, depending on what's around him in the offense. After that, onward and upward. Bold prediction -- Obi leaves Duke as a No. 1 NBA draft pick. If he stays until his senior year, he'll also be a first-team All-ACC guy.

Going forward, I think this really impacts just one recruiting target -- Diamond Stone. Not that Stone will be scared off by Obi, but Stone is the only target who can come in and contest the Obi-MP3 battle for the starting spot in 2015-16. Stone is a real recruiting longshot -- so was Okafor in the spring of his junior year and Duke hit that jackpot ... but how often do you hit the jackpot (especially with big men)?

Duke's other main 2015 targets -- Case Jeter and Henry Ellenson -- are more fours who will come in and battle Amile for time at the four.

I'll be quite comfortable with a center rotation of fifth-year senior Plumlee and third-year sophomore Obi in 2015.

Clarification, Olympic Fan, please. Is your bold prediction that Obi will be the #1 overall draft pick (very bold if that is the case) or a first-round NBA draft pick (still bold, but more realistic)?

[richardjackson199]

So who is Duke's Jar Jar Binks? I know who I'd vote for...

So true after coming in with so much potential as a new hope, and then being the star of a season that turned out to be Episode I (and done)

Gotta laugh. I love the kid and hope he goes #1 to return as a Jedi in the NBA, or at least strikes back.

[Olympic Fan]

Clarification, Olympic Fan, please. Is your bold prediction that Obi will be the #1 overall draft pick (very bold if that is the case) or a first-round NBA draft pick (still bold, but more realistic)?

Sorry for the confusion ... first-round pick ... not the No. 1 pick in the draft.

And I feel very confident about that prediction ... I just hope it happens after the 2017-18 season and not after the 2015-16 season.

(But if I had to guess, I'd guess he's a first round pick in the spring of 2017 after two years at Duke).

[CDu]

Sorry for the confusion ... first-round pick ... not the No. 1 pick in the draft.

And I feel very confident about that prediction ... I just hope it happens after the 2017-18 season and not after the 2015-16 season.

(But if I had to guess, I'd guess he's a first round pick in the spring of 2017 after two years at Duke).

Yeah, that seems reasonable. The folks who are saying he'll play for three years for us are setting their expectations too high. Any player who is All-ACC caliber is a threat to leave before his eligibility runs out. So either he'll not become All-ACC caliber or he'll be a threat to leave "early." I put the "early" in quotation marks because it is entirely possible that he graduates after his redshirt junior year, at which point he may decide it is time to go pro.

[InSpades]

Seems like a great kid and you can never have too many of those in your program.

I laugh when people mention high school rankings. What were the kids at Mercer ranked in high school? If games were won on high school rankings we'd lose a lot less games. That's obviously not to say we don't want kids that are top rated... just that those rankings are far from set in stone. They are a mere predictor and can turn out to be laughably inaccurate. A year of college and those rankings should mostly be just thrown away. Will he be a star at Duke? Maybe yes, maybe no. He's already shown he can compete at a D1 level which is more than we can say for many of the guys we're counting on next year. We would've killed for a Sean Obi on last season's roster. Now we'll have one for as many as 3 years starting in 2015. Sounds good to me.

[bob blue devil]

I'm sorry, but you may have to get used to it. If Obi takes Jabari's jersey number, there will be more Star Wars character look-alikes in the Cameron crowd than at a Star Wars reunion convention. Get ready for Duke blue face-painted storm troopers.

I think it will be fun for TV, and highlight that our Crazies are fun, and that they are not Terp-esque hostile.

Well... it would definitely highlight something about the crazies. If that's what you're into, there's no shame in being yourself. Have fun!

[Kedsy]

If games were won on high school rankings we'd lose a lot less games.

You think Duke loses a lot of games? In the past 30 years we've had double-figure losses three (3) times. And one of those was when Coach K was out with an injury and one was the year after that.

In the past 7 seasons, Duke has averaged 6.5 losses per season (including the post-season). In the past 18 seasons, Duke has averaged 5.9 losses per season; in the past 30 seasons (not counting 1994-95), Duke has averaged 6.4 losses per season.

Not including post-season losses, Duke has averaged 5.0 losses the last 7 seasons, 4.6 losses the last 18 seasons, and 5.0 losses the last 30 seasons (again, not counting 1995). We play an ACC schedule and also generally play one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country. Would it even be possible to "lose a lot less games"?

But the more important point is a big percentage of that incredible success is due to having kids with good high school rankings.


I laugh when people mention high school rankings. What were the kids at Mercer ranked in high school?

I hear you, except I laugh when people evaluate teams based on one game. The kids at Mercer had the same high school rankings when Mercer lost to Evansville, North Florida (twice) and USC Upstate this past season.

[BD80]

... I laugh when people mention high school rankings. What were the kids at Mercer ranked in high school? ...

Did they make the round of 16?

[Kedsy]

A year of college and those rankings should mostly be just thrown away.

Despite my previous post, I sort of agree with this. Obviously there are some kids who are not rated accurately, or vastly improve after they leave high school. Once Derrick Williams and DeJuan Blair and the Curry brothers (and hopefully Sean Obi) showed how good they were, their high school rankings should mostly be thrown away. Once James Michael McAdoo and his ilk show they were overrated in high school, their high school rankings should be taken with a grain of salt. But for the majority of kids who were accurately rated in high school and haven't vastly improved, high school rankings are a decent shorthand for how good they are.

[tele]

100 to 1? Really?

I would point out that K has had four previous transfers -- two were first-round NBA draft picks (McLeod and Jones) and a third (Hood) almost certainly will be this spring.

I think the odds are 3-to-1 -- in my favor.

Quote Originally Posted by Wander View Post
What? I'm excited about Obi too, but I'll give you 100:1 odds against that...
100 to 1? Really?


I think the odds are 3-to-1 -- in my favor.

Can i put a dollar on he will be a first round pick at the 100 to one and also a dollar that he won't at that three to one ?

[Duke3517]

Very exciting!!! I'm glad we are getting a guy who will be at Duke to develop for 3 years. Love these kinds of signings.

[Mike Corey]

To play devil's advocate re: rankings, they're not necessarily underrated or overrated when in high school. The rankings--to my knowledge--are just an indicator of how people have stacked up in high school, and there are so many variables that later come into play--physical and mental growth, coaching, competition, mental stability, work ethic, resources, and on and on and on--that fluctuations continue to be dramatic, perhaps much more so than between ages 14-18 when the rankings system unfortunately begin to assess and grade these young men (and women).

No doubt, of course, that rankings are flawed, and are influenced by more than just eyes for talent. But hopefully my point stands.

[Wander]

Can i put a dollar on he will be a first round pick at the 100 to one and also a dollar that he won't at that three to one ?

Haha, I was just referring to him being the #1 pick. I'm on board with Obi being a first rounder, though.

[FireOgilvie]

Sorry for the confusion ... first-round pick ... not the No. 1 pick in the draft.

And I feel very confident about that prediction ... I just hope it happens after the 2017-18 season and not after the 2015-16 season.

(But if I had to guess, I'd guess he's a first round pick in the spring of 2017 after two years at Duke).


Yeah, that seems reasonable. The folks who are saying he'll play for three years for us are setting their expectations too high. Any player who is All-ACC caliber is a threat to leave before his eligibility runs out. So either he'll not become All-ACC caliber or he'll be a threat to leave "early." I put the "early" in quotation marks because it is entirely possible that he graduates after his redshirt junior year, at which point he may decide it is time to go pro.


It's highly likely Obi stays until his eligibility runs out, and I think that's totally reasonable. Seth, Mason, Miles, Kelly, Nolan, Scheyer, Singler, Lance, Zoubek, etc. did it and were good to great for us for years.

I don't like being the guy that says mildly negative things about our future players, but sometimes I feel like people are just setting themselves up for disappointment. I hate to see that happen, because fans sometimes turn on guys (see Paulus, McRoberts, Lance Thomas as an underclassmen, etc.). Given that, let me give you my opinion on what I think about his NBA potential:

I think it's unlikely Obi is going to be drafted in the first round. It's tough to do! That's not to say Obi can't be a good college player, he just doesn't have the prototypical NBA center or PF game/body/potential. Ryan Kelly and Carlos Boozer went in the 2nd round. Four guys averaged 11+ rebounds/game this year and none of those guys are going to be drafted in the first round. With Obi, it's a situation where scouts say "what position does he play and how does he fit on an NBA roster?" Hansbrough went mid-first round after dominating people for 4 years (NPOY, retired jersey, etc.) because of the same factors, and he's the same height and much more quick and athletic. College is very different than the NBA.

Obi doesn't have the height or athleticism that NBA teams look for in a center. He's probably 6'8"-6'9". He's slow laterally and plays below the rim. These are the reasons why he was rated so low coming out of high school. However, what is more difficult to account for is how good the guy actually is at basketball. He obviously has a knack for rebounding and has pretty good hands around the basket. That's why he's on people's radar now that he is an available transfer.

It's totally meaningless in the long run, but I think he's being over-hyped quite a bit by some people based off of the fact that he put up good numbers as the only solid player on a really terrible basketball team. Rice was last place in a bad Conference USA.

I still think he could potentially be a very good COLLEGE player, just don't get carried away.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Just note this - the joke about someone's name that you think is clever the first time that you meet is going to be something the other person has heard hundreds of times, at least.

I've watched Star Wars a hundred times, at least. Still is as amazing as the first time I saw it.

[Duvall]

I've watched Star Wars a hundred times, at least. Still is as amazing as the first time I saw it.

Star Wars is better than most people's jokes.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Star Wars is better than most people's jokes.

Which is why the Obi "1" jokes are pretty amazing.

[Duvall]

Which is why the Obi "1" jokes are pretty amazing.

For you. But then, you only have to hear it once, because it's not your name. If you heard it every day, it would get pretty tedious.

It's actually gotten pretty tedious in the last 24 hours, to be honest.

[InSpades]

You think Duke loses a lot of games? In the past 30 years we've had double-figure losses three (3) times. And one of those was when Coach K was out with an injury and one was the year after that.

In the past 7 seasons, Duke has averaged 6.5 losses per season (including the post-season). In the past 18 seasons, Duke has averaged 5.9 losses per season; in the past 30 seasons (not counting 1994-95), Duke has averaged 6.4 losses per season.

Not including post-season losses, Duke has averaged 5.0 losses the last 7 seasons, 4.6 losses the last 18 seasons, and 5.0 losses the last 30 seasons (again, not counting 1995). We play an ACC schedule and also generally play one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country. Would it even be possible to "lose a lot less games"?

But the more important point is a big percentage of that incredible success is due to having kids with good high school rankings.



I hear you, except I laugh when people evaluate teams based on one game. The kids at Mercer had the same high school rankings when Mercer lost to Evansville, North Florida (twice) and USC Upstate this past season.

I think we lose a lot of games to teams that don't come close to having the kind of recruits we get (almost every loss we have in fact). If you don't like the Mercer example (just one game), then how about UVA? How many kids on their team would be recruited by Duke? Sure, a few of them, but not that many. Would you want a kid like Malcolm Brogdon on your team? I sure would. He wasn't a top 100 recruit. Who cares? Joe Harris? Not a top 100 recruit. Could he play for Duke? Yeah, I think so.

My point is not to downplay Duke's results, just to point out that the high school rankings don't mean everything. Maybe at the top they mean a bit more... the guys they project to be studs are generally studs. However a lot of the guys around 100 or so end up being as good or better than the guys at 50 or so. Sometimes better than the guys that are around 20. It's the nature of these sort of things. Projecting the future is hard.

If you just looked at the high school rankings you'd say Mercer had no shot against Duke. None of their guys would have been given a second look by the Duke coaching staff. Duke clearly has a coaching edge against virtually anyone they play against. So what happened? Was it a fluke? Maybe part of it was variance, that's true. Part of it is also that the kids at Mercer are a lot closer in skill to the kids at Duke than we might want to realize.

[roywhite]

Speaking of the names of young big men in the program, I'm struck by the "O" guys -- Ojeleye, Okafor, and Obi -- all very powerful.

Oh, my!

[BD80]

Speaking of the names of young big men in the program, I'm struck by the "O" guys -- Ojeleye, Okafor, and Obi -- all very powerful.

Oh, my!

That's a pretty solid O-line

[flyingdutchdevil]

For you. But then, you only have to hear it once, because it's not your name. If you heard it every day, it would get pretty tedious.

It's actually gotten pretty tedious in the last 24 hours, to be honest.

Wow. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed? Or are you just being Duvall?

This had got to be one of the most harmless jokes out there.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Speaking of the names of young big men in the program, I'm struck by the "O" guys -- Ojeleye, Okafor, and Obi -- all very powerful.

Oh, my!

Interesting. All three players come from Nigerian heritage. Check out the names on the Nigerian soccer team: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria_national_football_team

Of the 22 current players, only 3 have last names that don't start with a vowel.

[FireOgilvie]

Speaking of the names of young big men in the program, I'm struck by the "O" guys -- Ojeleye, Okafor, and Obi -- all very powerful.

Oh, my!


Interesting. All three players come from Nigerian heritage. Check out the names on the Nigerian soccer team: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria_national_football_team

Of the 22 current players, only 3 have last names that don't start with a vowel.

Very interesting. Unfortunately, Class of 2016 #1 Thon Maker is Sudanese, so we're probably out with him now :D. But, there's still hope for our pipeline as 2016 #10 Udoka Azubuike is Nigerian! He's apparently 14 in this video, but looks more like 25: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZCdiVW7JxY

[Duvall]

Wow. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed? Or are you just being Duvall?

This had got to be one of the most harmless jokes out there.

Just letting you know that even harmless jokes get old pretty quick.

[Des Esseintes]

For you. But then, you only have to hear it once, because it's not your name. If you heard it every day, it would get pretty tedious.

It's actually gotten pretty tedious in the last 24 hours, to be honest.

Agreed. I don't have a problem with Star Wars references, per se, but I find it exhausting to hear so many easy Star Wars jokes. If any of them showed genuine inspiration, that would be one thing. Instead, it's the same couple of quotations, recycled endlessly.

[Newton_14]

I think we lose a lot of games to teams that don't come close to having the kind of recruits we get (almost every loss we have in fact). If you don't like the Mercer example (just one game), then how about UVA? How many kids on their team would be recruited by Duke? Sure, a few of them, but not that many. Would you want a kid like Malcolm Brogdon on your team? I sure would. He wasn't a top 100 recruit. Who cares? Joe Harris? Not a top 100 recruit. Could he play for Duke? Yeah, I think so.

My point is not to downplay Duke's results, just to point out that the high school rankings don't mean everything. Maybe at the top they mean a bit more... the guys they project to be studs are generally studs. However a lot of the guys around 100 or so end up being as good or better than the guys at 50 or so. Sometimes better than the guys that are around 20. It's the nature of these sort of things. Projecting the future is hard.

If you just looked at the high school rankings you'd say Mercer had no shot against Duke. None of their guys would have been given a second look by the Duke coaching staff. Duke clearly has a coaching edge against virtually anyone they play against. So what happened? Was it a fluke? Maybe part of it was variance, that's true. Part of it is also that the kids at Mercer are a lot closer in skill to the kids at Duke than we might want to realize.

FWIW, I full got and fully agreed with your points in your original post. Befuddling you got ripped for it. The post was spot on. Your point as I read it was not that Duke "loses a lot of games" we don't. The point was 1 year of College at a Div 1 school trumps High School rankings all day every day. Obi's High School ranking is now irrelevant. We now have tape on 30+ games against Div 1 competition rather than 4 years of tape against GFA's High School opponents. There is no comparison there. The 1 year of College performances trumps all 4 years of High School performances. Your other secondary point as I understand it was that there are many good/great teams that have multiple players on their team that were not ranked in the Top 100. Yet they win games. Like UVA. Again that's the gospel truth. I thought it a great post.

Glad that we landed Obi. Great student, values education, excellent rebounder who will provide toughness and strength in the paint. In 2 years there is no one that will move that kid off the spot he wants to take. If he gives us 6 to 10 points per game on top of that, all the better. He will most certainly be more than a practice player when he is eligible to play and the comparison's to Todd are way off.

[Kedsy]

If you just looked at the high school rankings you'd say Mercer had no shot against Duke. None of their guys would have been given a second look by the Duke coaching staff. Duke clearly has a coaching edge against virtually anyone they play against. So what happened? Was it a fluke? Maybe part of it was variance, that's true. Part of it is also that the kids at Mercer are a lot closer in skill to the kids at Duke than we might want to realize.

I agree with you that a lot of people would say Mercer had no shot against Duke. A lot of people still think it, and because Mercer beat Duke they have now discounted Duke, saying the team wasn't as good as they thought it was. But that phenomenon would occur based on almost any criteria, not just high school rankings. Because Duke was the better team and they lost.

But the way I look at it is Duke had approximately an 85% chance of beating Mercer, because Duke was a much better team (with much better players, whether that's measured by high school ranking or whatever other measure you choose). Since 85% isn't 100%, sometimes that big a favorite loses, and it's unfortunate (for us) that the short side came up. That doesn't mean high school rankings are meaningless.

All that said, I repeat what I said in another earlier post that I agree with you that sometimes the high school rankings are wrong and sometimes players improve dramatically in college, and I agree with you that most of the time what a player has done in college is a better indicator of how good that player is than his high school ranking. And like Dahntay Jones, Seth Curry, and Derrick Williams (among others) before him, I believe Sean Obi is a player who probably is way better than his high school ranking.

[roywhite]

All that said, I repeat what I said in another earlier post that I agree with you that sometimes the high school rankings are wrong and sometimes players improve dramatically in college, and I agree with you that most of the time what a player has done in college is a better indicator of how good that player is than his high school ranking. And like Dahntay Jones, Seth Curry, and Derrick Williams (among others) before him, I believe Sean Obi is a player who probably is way better than his high school ranking.

And here we have the important facts that Obi didn't play much basketball as a youngster, didn't come to the USA until he was 15, and played at a small prep school in Connecticut. Based on these circumstances, it's very likely he's a late bloomer compared to other players in his age range. With excellent coaching and top level players to practice against for a full year before actual competition, we may see significant additional improvement.

[Furniture]

It's highly likely Obi stays until his eligibility runs out, and I think that's totally reasonable. Seth, Mason, Miles, Kelly, Nolan, Scheyer, Singler, Lance, Zoubek, etc. did it and were good to great for us for years.

I don't like being the guy that says mildly negative things about our future players, but sometimes I feel like people are just setting themselves up for disappointment. I hate to see that happen, because fans sometimes turn on guys (see Paulus, McRoberts, Lance Thomas as an underclassmen, etc.). Given that, let me give you my opinion on what I think about his NBA potential:

I think it's unlikely Obi is going to be drafted in the first round. It's tough to do! That's not to say Obi can't be a good college player, he just doesn't have the prototypical NBA center or PF game/body/potential. Ryan Kelly and Carlos Boozer went in the 2nd round. Four guys averaged 11+ rebounds/game this year and none of those guys are going to be drafted in the first round. With Obi, it's a situation where scouts say "what position does he play and how does he fit on an NBA roster?" Hansbrough went mid-first round after dominating people for 4 years (NPOY, retired jersey, etc.) because of the same factors, and he's the same height and much more quick and athletic. College is very different than the NBA.

Obi doesn't have the height or athleticism that NBA teams look for in a center. He's probably 6'8"-6'9". He's slow laterally and plays below the rim. These are the reasons why he was rated so low coming out of high school. However, what is more difficult to account for is how good the guy actually is at basketball. He obviously has a knack for rebounding and has pretty good hands around the basket. That's why he's on people's radar now that he is an available transfer.

It's totally meaningless in the long run, but I think he's being over-hyped quite a bit by some people based off of the fact that he put up good numbers as the only solid player on a really terrible basketball team. Rice was last place in a bad Conference USA.

I still think he could potentially be a very good COLLEGE player, just don't get carried away.

My conclusion from the last few days of reading posts is that one and done's aren't appreciated and very good college players aren't either......
Where are we now??

[FireOgilvie]

My conclusion from the last few days of reading posts is that one and done's aren't appreciated and very good college players aren't either......
Where are we now??

Yes, no one likes one and done players, including Calipari, which he recently said in an interview. What's to like? But, I guess I'm not sure what you mean; who doesn't appreciate good college players? The NBA? Certainly everyone on this college basketball board appreciates good college players. But, it's another thing to say that just because someone is good in college that they will be good in the NBA. That's not true, and that was the overall point of that post.

Also, not to you - but it's O-B-I. Come on, guys! :D

[DukeFanSince1990]

I have a cousin named Obadiah. Growing up we called him Obi (and yes Obi-Wan on more than one occasion). He is also a Duke basketball fan. This was meant to be.

[JPtheGame]

It's highly likely Obi stays until his eligibility runs out, and I think that's totally reasonable. Seth, Mason, Miles, Kelly, Nolan, Scheyer, Singler, Lance, Zoubek, etc. did it and were good to great for us for years.

I don't like being the guy that says mildly negative things about our future players, but sometimes I feel like people are just setting themselves up for disappointment. I hate to see that happen, because fans sometimes turn on guys (see Paulus, McRoberts, Lance Thomas as an underclassmen, etc.). Given that, let me give you my opinion on what I think about his NBA potential:

I think it's unlikely Obi is going to be drafted in the first round. It's tough to do! That's not to say Obi can't be a good college player, he just doesn't have the prototypical NBA center or PF game/body/potential. Ryan Kelly and Carlos Boozer went in the 2nd round. Four guys averaged 11+ rebounds/game this year and none of those guys are going to be drafted in the first round. With Obi, it's a situation where scouts say "what position does he play and how does he fit on an NBA roster?" Hansbrough went mid-first round after dominating people for 4 years (NPOY, retired jersey, etc.) because of the same factors, and he's the same height and much more quick and athletic. College is very different than the NBA.

Obi doesn't have the height or athleticism that NBA teams look for in a center. He's probably 6'8"-6'9". He's slow laterally and plays below the rim. These are the reasons why he was rated so low coming out of high school. However, what is more difficult to account for is how good the guy actually is at basketball. He obviously has a knack for rebounding and has pretty good hands around the basket. That's why he's on people's radar now that he is an available transfer.

It's totally meaningless in the long run, but I think he's being over-hyped quite a bit by some people based off of the fact that he put up good numbers as the only solid player on a really terrible basketball team. Rice was last place in a bad Conference USA.

I still think he could potentially be a very good COLLEGE player, just don't get carried away.

Here's a scouting report on Obi:
"A short but filled-out big-man who relies on his strength and hustle. He controls the boards, blocks shots, slams into people and plays hard. He's a true center who happens to be a few inches shorter than others who play like him. He's quick and smart. He defends well. He's a bruiser. A bit robotic and not a great passer. He's like a better Brian Grant"

Just kidding, this was the draft express scouting report for shelden williams. Not saying Obi will ever be drafted 5th overall like Shelden but maybe we wait to say what he will be and maybe we wait even longer before we decide what he won't be.

[FireOgilvie]

Here's a scouting report on Obi:
"A short but filled-out big-man who relies on his strength and hustle. He controls the boards, blocks shots, slams into people and plays hard. He's a true center who happens to be a few inches shorter than others who play like him. He's quick and smart. He defends well. He's a bruiser. A bit robotic and not a great passer. He's like a better Brian Grant"

Just kidding, this was the draft express scouting report for shelden williams. Not saying Obi will ever be drafted 5th overall like Shelden but maybe we wait to say what he will be and maybe we wait even longer before we decide what he won't be.

Totally agree - I think it's kind of premature to say we should expect/not be surprised to see him leave school early for the NBA. No one is saying he'll be a bust or anything like that. Also, Shelden Williams - another guy that stayed all four years. Needless to say, I would be thrilled if Obi played well enough for us to have his jersey retired (or to leave early for the NBA based on his outstanding play after winning back-to-back championships).

[OldPhiKap]

Welcome, Obi!

[wilson]

...I find it exhausting to hear so many easy Star Wars jokes. If any of them showed genuine inspiration, that would be one thing. Instead, it's the same couple of quotations, recycled endlessly....so you don't have a problem with the jokes; it's just that these aren't the jokes you're looking for?

[lotusland]

...so you don't have a problem with the jokes; it's just that these aren't the jokes you're looking for?

excellent!

[Henderson]

And here we have the important facts that Obi didn't play much basketball as a youngster, didn't come to the USA until he was 15, and played at a small prep school in Connecticut. Based on these circumstances, it's very likely he's a late bloomer compared to other players in his age range. With excellent coaching and top level players to practice against for a full year before actual competition, we may see significant additional improvement.

Agree completely. On top of that, he's only 19 and won't suit up on the court again for another 18 months, then play for 6 months. It's way too early to know what kind of player he'll be in the fall of 2015, much less come draft time in 2016, making any speculation about how long he'll stay at Duke pretty wild. Kind of like using weather forecasting models to predict weather 6 months out. Unless, of course, you live in Las Vegas, where you pretty much know.

[Kedsy]

Agree completely. On top of that, he's only 19 and won't suit up on the court again for another 18 months, then play for 6 months. It's way too early to know what kind of player he'll be in the fall of 2015, much less come draft time in 2016, making any speculation about how long he'll stay at Duke pretty wild. Kind of like using weather forecasting models to predict weather 6 months out. Unless, of course, you live in Las Vegas, where you pretty much know.

I don't think I agree. He's a 6'9", under-the-rim center. He's not going to change his height, quickness, or hops over the next 18 months, and these are the primary things that will define his NBA draft stock. His lack of shooting or shotblocking ability are things that potentially could change but probably won't, although obviously that's less certain.

After Josh Hairston played a year at Duke, would you have said it was too early to speculate whether he'd leave early for the NBA? I'm not saying Sean Obi is Josh, but I think you can peg the odds of him being an early-entry candidate with a reasonable degree of certainty. Not 100% sure, I agree, but a lot better than long-term weather forecasting.

[FerryFor50]

I don't think I agree. He's a 6'9", under-the-rim center. He's not going to change his height, quickness, or hops over the next 18 months, and these are the primary things that will define his NBA draft stock. His lack of shooting or shotblocking ability are things that potentially could change but probably won't, although obviously that's less certain.

After Josh Hairston played a year at Duke, would you have said it was too early to speculate whether he'd leave early for the NBA? I'm not saying Sean Obi is Josh, but I think you can peg the odds of him being an early-entry candidate with a reasonable degree of certainty. Not 100% sure, I agree, but a lot better than long-term weather forecasting.

DeJuan Blair was also an undersized (6'7"), stocky under-the-rim center. But he left after two years. Blair wasn't much of a shooter or shot-blocker, either.

http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/dejuan-blair-1.html

By the time Obi plays his 2nd year, he'll be a junior in college. If he plays well his first season at Duke (2015) and the 2 and done rule is in effect, why wouldn't he at least consider going pro?

I think we can't really make any predictions either way until we see him on the floor for Duke.

[CDu]

I don't think I agree. He's a 6'9", under-the-rim center. He's not going to change his height, quickness, or hops over the next 18 months, and these are the primary things that will define his NBA draft stock. His lack of shooting or shotblocking ability are things that potentially could change but probably won't, although obviously that's less certain.

After Josh Hairston played a year at Duke, would you have said it was too early to speculate whether he'd leave early for the NBA? I'm not saying Sean Obi is Josh, but I think you can peg the odds of him being an early-entry candidate with a reasonable degree of certainty. Not 100% sure, I agree, but a lot better than long-term weather forecasting.

I'm not sure I agree. Yes, he's not going to suddenly get taller, or suddenly become a great leaper. But I also wouldn't use Hairston as a reference point. Obi appears to be an elite rebounder and is still learning the game (was a soccer player as a kid; took up bball later than most). Is it unreasonable to think that he develops as a shooter/scorer in the next 18 (or 30) months? Because rebounding is one of those skills that translates well from the college level to the NBA level. And he has ideal size for PF in the NBA. So if he does develop that shot, why couldn't he be a first round pick after his redshirt sophomore or redshirt junior year?

Now, I don't know how likely it will be that he develops a jumpshot over the next 1.5-2.5 years. But if he does, I think it would be highly reasonable for him to merit a first round pick. And I don't think I would say "probably won't" about anything skills-related such as shooting touch. I'd say that shooting is probably the easiest skill to improve in a 1-2 year span. If anything is likely to get better in his game, it's shooting.

[Kedsy]

I'm not sure I agree. Yes, he's not going to suddenly get taller, or suddenly become a great leaper. But I also wouldn't use Hairston as a reference point. Obi appears to be an elite rebounder and is still learning the game (was a soccer player as a kid; took up bball later than most). Is it unreasonable to think that he develops as a shooter/scorer in the next 18 (or 30) months? Because rebounding is one of those skills that translates well from the college level to the NBA level. And he has ideal size for PF in the NBA. So if he does develop that shot, why couldn't he be a first round pick after his redshirt sophomore or redshirt junior year?

Now, I don't know how likely it will be that he develops a jumpshot over the next 1.5-2.5 years. But if he does, I think it would be highly reasonable for him to merit a first round pick. And I don't think I would say "probably won't" about anything skills-related such as shooting touch. I'd say that shooting is probably the easiest skill to improve in a 1-2 year span. If anything is likely to get better in his game, it's shooting.

He shot 54.4% from the free throw line this season. I realize it's possible to improve shooting, but he's got a long way to go.

[kAzE]

So excited for this guy to join the program!! I love his work ethic and rebounding prowess. He's going to be a huge asset for this team while he's with us. Guys, he's not undersized to play center . . he's freakin 6'9", 265 with long arms. He already has the body to play center in the NBA (and I definitely believe this guy will make it to the next level with his type of rebounding skills). I don't what what conference you play in, if you lead the conference in rebounding as a freshman, you are a beast. I see him averaging close to a double double if he plays 25 minutes a game, even in the ACC. What an awesome signing.

[johnb]

So excited for this guy to join the program!! I love his work ethic and rebounding prowess. He's going to be a huge asset for this team while he's with us. Guys, he's not undersized to play center . . he's freakin 6'9", 265 with long arms. He already has the body to play center in the NBA (and I definitely believe this guy will make it to the next level with his type of rebounding skills). I don't what what conference you play in, if you lead the conference in rebounding as a freshman, you are a beast. I see him averaging close to a double double if he plays 25 minutes a game, even in the ACC. What an awesome signing.

Agreed. By the time we actually get to see him play, he'll have had a solid year of working out and practicing against Jahlil, Marshall, and Amile. And he'll have had a year of exposure to a terrific big man coach (if we can find someone shorter than Wojo and Capel, so much the better).

As with Justise, it's always easier to get geared up about the unknown, but both of these guys seem like starters as soon as they are eligible. Justise, by the way is rated highly at about 12, but in the international game, he certainly looked like a top 5 player--and the scrappiest guy on either team; only reason he doesn't start in October is if K is leery of starting 3 freshmen.

I'd also imagine Tyus, Quinn, and Rasheed will all get 20+ minutes, though, at least judging from this past year, the actual numbers for all of these guys will vary quite a lot.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Will this guy welcome Obi? Or will he shoot at him and miss?

4092

[COYS]

Will this guy welcome Obi? Or will he shoot at him and miss?

4092

Or maybe he'll just hit his head on the door frame as he enters the room.

TK-421, do you copy?

[CDu]

He shot 54.4% from the free throw line this season. I realize it's possible to improve shooting, but he's got a long way to go.

And he has a long time to get there.

Mason shot 52.8% from the line as a junior after shooting 44.1% as a sophomore. As a senior, he shot 68.1%. So in the span of one year he jumped 16 percentage points. I'm not saying that is the norm, but it is far from unheard of for a player to get better as a shooter. Especially one who started playing later in life like Obi.

And remember: Obi doesn't have to become a marksman to be a first round pick. DeJuan Blair (who is shorter and plays even more below the rim) was a 1st round pick before doctors discovered he had no ACLs. He shot just 60.5% from the line as a sophomore. He still ended up getting drafted 37th in spite of those knees and concerns about his height.

If Obi comes in and averages a double-double as a sophomore or junior, he's likely to be a first round pick.

[Kedsy]

If Obi comes in and averages a double-double as a sophomore or junior, he's likely to be a first round pick.

I'm not saying Obi can't be a first round pick, I think he has a shot. But even if he's projected late first/early second after his second year at Duke (and I'd be very surprised if he's ever projected much higher than that), it's hard (for me at least) to see him leaving before his college eligibility expires.

[Wander]

I know DeJuan Blair is the obvious comparison, but let's also remember he's one of the best college rebounders.... maybe ever. And he still wasn't a first rounder (though as CDu pointed out, health concerns were a part of this). I'm not saying Obi won't or can't be a very good player, but I'd put the odds of him being a first rounder at about 50/50 right now, maybe a little below that. Either way, definitely nice to have more than one realistic option at center, which we haven't always had recently.

[bob blue devil]

Thought exercise - if Sean had stayed at Rice, how would a discussion of him being a possible first round pick go?

[lotusland]

DeJuan Blair was also an undersized (6'7"), stocky under-the-rim center. But he left after two years. Blair wasn't much of a shooter or shot-blocker, either.

http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/dejuan-blair-1.html

By the time Obi plays his 2nd year, he'll be a junior in college. If he plays well his first season at Duke (2015) and the 2 and done rule is in effect, why wouldn't he at least consider going pro?

I think we can't really make any predictions either way until we see him on the floor for Duke.

Wasn't Boozer a 6'9 under the rim center too? I've never seen Obi play so I'm not saying his game is like Boozer's. I just don't remember Carlos blocking a lot of shots or knocking down any 3-pointers either and he's carved out a nice NBA career after only 3-years of college.

[lotusland]

Thought exercise - if Sean had stayed at Rice, how would a discussion of him being a possible first round pick go?

Or if MP3 played at Rice the last 2-years how many rebounds would he have gotten? I agree that it's hard to project a players success at Duke much less the NBA from his stats at Rice but, as others have mentioned, K has a pretty good record with transfers.

[Kedsy]

Wasn't Boozer a 6'9 under the rim center too? I've never seen Obi play so I'm not saying his game is like Boozer's. I just don't remember Carlos blocking a lot of shots or knocking down any 3-pointers either and he's carved out a nice NBA career after only 3-years of college.

Yeah, but he also went in the 2nd round, primarily because he was a 6'9 under-the-rim center. And he also displayed a lot better offense than Obi did at Rice last season.

[CDu]

Wasn't Boozer a 6'9 under the rim center too? I've never seen Obi play so I'm not saying his game is like Boozer's. I just don't remember Carlos blocking a lot of shots or knocking down any 3-pointers either and he's carved out a nice NBA career after only 3-years of college.

Correct. Actually, both Boozer and Shelden Williams were largely "under the rim" players. Williams blocked a lot of shots, but it was more timing rather than athleticism. Interestingly, Boozer, due to some league-wide insanity, fell to the second round of the 2002 draft. He quickly showed that to be ridiculous. Williams on the other hand went high in the lottery, but has been nothing more than a journeyman reserve in his career.

But there are a lot of 6'9" (and shorter) PFs who were not great leapers/athletes that have gotten drafted in the first round in the NBA draft. It's hard to be a top-5 pick if you're a widebody big man, but getting into the first round is not so hard.

[johnb]

Thought exercise - if Sean had stayed at Rice, how would a discussion of him being a possible first round pick go?

If he'd stayed at Rice, I doubt we'd know anything about him. OTOH, I'm annually surprised by the number of NBA draft choices who were not on my radar during the year. They're sometimes international players but they're also players who happen to play on unranked and non-ACC teams. If he spent the next couple of years leading there NCAA in rebounds and playing like Elton Brand, I'd imagine pro scouts would notice him even if his team wins single digits every year.

[FireOgilvie]

Correct. Actually, both Boozer and Shelden Williams were largely "under the rim" players. Williams blocked a lot of shots, but it was more timing rather than athleticism. Interestingly, Boozer, due to some league-wide insanity, fell to the second round of the 2002 draft. He quickly showed that to be ridiculous. Williams on the other hand went high in the lottery, but has been nothing more than a journeyman reserve in his career.

But there are a lot of 6'9" (and shorter) PFs who were not great leapers/athletes that have gotten drafted in the first round in the NBA draft. It's hard to be a top-5 pick if you're a widebody big man, but getting into the first round is not so hard.

He's definitely not a power forward, IMO. He doesn't move anything like Boozer or Williams. Also, it's also really hard to make massive improvements in lateral mobility. If anything, most people probably slow down with more muscle and time. Shelden Williams' "under-the-rim" game is not like other guys' under-the-rim game. He dunked a LOT and has the blocked shots record. It wasn't all timing - he was very quick on his feet (see video). I do agree with Boozer though (under-the-rim). But, we're still talking about two of the strongest muscle-bound big men Duke has ever had. Some people have compared Obi to DeJuan Blair - I actually think that's a good comparison in some ways, but it's probably more of a ceiling that we hope he can reach. Blair absolutely dominated people, and he played in arguably the toughest basketball conference. He averaged 15 pts, 12 reb 1 block in 27 min 59% fg as a sophomore. He also had a 7'2" wingspan and was a very special and unique player for someone his size. He's averaging 7 pts, 5 reb for his NBA career on a good team. Here are some videos for comparison:

North Texas head coach on Obi: "His lateral movement is not great." http://youtu.be/cuzwsJabNIs?t=44s
Boozer highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d87LcAbaYlQ
Shelden highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vRDnk7msQM

[roywhite]

Thought exercise - if Sean had stayed at Rice, how would a discussion of him being a possible first round pick go?

Have you participated in, or at least read the annual thread devoted to a mock NBA draft with DBR board members adopting an NBA team and making their respective picks? Many first round picks in the mock draft come from schools (or foreign sources) more obscure than Rice University.

If they have talent, we find them and draft them (well, sort of). ;)

[FerryFor50]

Have you participated in, or at least read the annual thread devoted to a mock NBA draft with DBR board members adopting an NBA team and making their respective picks? Many first round picks in the mock draft come from schools (or foreign sources) more obscure than Rice University.

If they have talent, we find them and draft them (well, sort of). ;)

Yea, the argument of "but he was from a small school" doesn't really hold water.

Guys that have talent get drafted. This is a list of players from small schools/non-traditional basketball schools who went in the first round. There have even been a few from Rice...

Guys who have "made it" (more than a few years in the league or instant stars/contributors) in bold since 1989 (25 years). Guys from *really* small schools in italics. There was a bit more of an uptick after high school kids were no longer eligible to be drafted. I left out schools like Baylor, Gonzaga, Alabama, Providence, BYU, New Mexico etc due to how many 1st rounders they've produced, but they could have easily been added as well.

CJ McCollum, Lehigh
Damian Lillard, Weber St**
Andrew Nicholson, St Bonaventure
Festus Ezeli, Vanderbilt
John Jenkins, Vanderbilt
Kenneth Faried, Morehead St**
Norris Cole, Cleveland St
Gordon Hayward, Butler*
Larry Sanders, VCU
Luke Babbitt, Nevada
Steph Curry, Davidson**
Eric Maynor, VCU
Jason Thompson, Rider
JaVale McGee, Nevada
Courtney Lee, Western Kentucky
George Hill, IUPUI
Rodney Stucky, Eastern Washington
Jason Smith, Colorado
Morris Almond, Rice
Patrick O'Bryant, Bradley
Quincy Douby, Rutgers
Kirk Snyder, Nevada
Delonte West, St Joe's
Kevin Martin, Western Carolina*
Chris Kaman, Central Michigan
Melvin Ely, Fresno St
Qyntel Woods, North Mississippi Community College
Chris Jeffries, Fresno St
Rodney White, UNCC
Jeryl Sasser, SMU
Trenton Hassell, Austin Peay
Courtney Alexander, Fresno St
Speedy Claxton, Hofstra
Lamar Odom, Rhode Island*
Aleksandar Radojević, Barton County Community College
Cal Bowdler, ODU
Jeff Foster, SW Texas St
Devean George, Augsburg
Michael Olowakandi, Pacific
Larry Hughes, St Louis*
Bonzi Wells, Ball St*
Bryce Drew, Valpo
Antonio Daniels, Bowling Green
Adonal Foyle, Colgate
Tariq Abdul-Wahad, San Jose St
Johnny Taylor, Chattanooga
Anthony Parker, Bradley
Marcus Camby, UMass
Vitaly Potapenko, Wright St
Steve Nash, Santa Clara**
Derek Fisher, Arkansas Little Rock
Kurt Thomas, TCU
Theo Ratliff, Wyoming
Sherrell Ford, UIC
Carlos Rogers, Tennessee St
Yinka Dare, George Washington
Tony Dumas, Missouri-KC
Vin Baker, Hartford**
Lindsey Hunter, Jackson St
Ervin Johnson (not Magic) New Orleans
Clarence Weatherspoon, Southern Miss
Randy Woods, LaSalle
Doug Christie, Pepperdine*
Chris Gatling, ODU
Kevin Brooks, SW Louisiana
John Turner, Phillips
Lionel Simmons, LaSalle
Bo Kimble, Loyola Marymount
Dee Brown, Jacksonville
Anthony Bonner, St Louis
Randy White, Louisiana Tech
Tim Hardaway, UTEP**
Shawn Kemp, Trinity Valley Community College**
Jeff Sanders, Georgia Southern
Blue Edwards, ECU

* denotes starter
** denotes all star

That's not even counting Scottie Pippen (Arkansas Pine Bluff) or Bill Russell (San Francisco) or Larry Bird (Indiana St). Plenty of great players come out of nowhere...

[Furniture]

Very nice reading
http://duke.247sports.com/Article/Sean-Obi-goes-in-depth-on-why-he-chose-to-transfer-to-Duke-28281721

[lotusland]

Very nice reading
http://duke.247sports.com/Article/Sean-Obi-goes-in-depth-on-why-he-chose-to-transfer-to-Duke-28281721

Awesome. Obi is my new favorite player.

[NSDukeFan]

Awesome. Obi is my new favorite player.

Will Duke be allowed to play both Ojeleye and Obi at the same time? That might be a bit too much strenght for one team. I like it.

[Henderson]

Very nice reading
http://duke.247sports.com/Article/Sean-Obi-goes-in-depth-on-why-he-chose-to-transfer-to-Duke-28281721

What was that bit about seeking an exemption that would allow him to play this year?

[MCFinARL]

What was that bit about seeking an exemption that would allow him to play this year?

Yes, that was interesting. The interviewer (Adam Rowe) asked him about it and he said he had to talk with his advisors about it. But there was no suggestion that he has any of the family illness or hardship factors that usually justify waivers. While his coach was fired, the only time I remember that being used to grant a waiver was in a situation when the coach was the player's father.

Given what he said about his own development--that he has only really been playing basketball for 4 years, has a lot of upside, but has a lot of hard work to do to reach it--the redshirt year might be a really good opportunity for him to learn and focus on building his own game without having to worry quite as much about how he fits into a specific role on the team (although he will, of course, still have to do that some in practice). As he notes, at Rice his role was really just to stand under the basket and rebound, and then look for opportunities to score off his own rebounds. A year on the bench with good instruction and high quality opposition in practice could really help him develop a much more versatile and complete game.

[CDu]

Wasn't Boozer a 6'9 under the rim center too? I've never seen Obi play so I'm not saying his game is like Boozer's. I just don't remember Carlos blocking a lot of shots or knocking down any 3-pointers either and he's carved out a nice NBA career after only 3-years of college.

Add Zach Randolph and Al Jefferson to that list as well.

If Obi is able to expand his offensive game over the next couple of years, there's no reason he couldn't be a first round pick. Obviously that is still an "IF". But the point is that we shouldn't expect any players to complete their eligibility at Duke (or any other major college program) in this day and age.

It is certainly possible (perhaps even better than a 50% chance) that Obi plays 3 full seasons at Duke. But if he becomes the double-double guy that many are suggesting he'll become, I would say that it is just as likely that he is first-round pick worthy before his senior year.

[markbdevil]

If there is any justice in this world, Coach K will permit (he will want to) him to wear number one. The world will be a much happier place if there is a kid playing basketball at Duke with Obi 1 on his back.

#34 for Obi per Watson and Scout's website.

[brevity]

#34 for Obi per Watson and Scout's website.

Link (https://twitter.com/TheDevilsDen/status/472813565305688065) to TheDevilsDen on Twitter.

Words cannot express my disappointment. Actually, they can: "Now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb."

[Dukeface88]

Link (https://twitter.com/TheDevilsDen/status/472813565305688065) to TheDevilsDen on Twitter.

Words cannot express my disappointment. Actually, they can: "Now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb."

4145

[MCFinARL]

Link (https://twitter.com/TheDevilsDen/status/472813565305688065) to TheDevilsDen on Twitter.

Words cannot express my disappointment. Actually, they can: "Now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb."

Well, I am going to take a contrarian position here. No one should have to bear the burden of being Obi 1. This way Sean can find his own way. May the force be with him anyway.

[Henderson]

His name is Sean Obi. He's a man with a name that is his family legacy, passed down to him from proud generations. He's not a Star Wars figurine for anyone's amusement.

I've passed from being amused by the Star Wars references to finding them tiresome and predictable. Now I'm starting to find them insulting and disrespectful.

#34 it is. And I want to see him put an elbow into the face of the first opposing player who talks some stupid Star Wars smack.

[BD80]

His name is Sean Obi. He's a man with a name that is his family legacy, passed down to him from proud generations. He's not a Star Wars figurine for anyone's amusement.

I've passed from being amused by the Star Wars references to finding them tiresome and predictable. Now I'm starting to find them insulting and disrespectful.

#34 it is. And I want to see him put an elbow into the face of the first opposing player who talks some stupid Star Wars smack.

4146

[flyingdutchdevil]

His name is Sean Obi. He's a man with a name that is his family legacy, passed down to him from proud generations. He's not a Star Wars figurine for anyone's amusement.

I've passed from being amused by the Star Wars references to finding them tiresome and predictable. Now I'm starting to find them insulting and disrespectful.

#34 it is. And I want to see him put an elbow into the face of the first opposing player who talks some stupid Star Wars smack.

Star Wars smack is never stupid!

How is talking about Obi's name in the context of Obi Wan disrespectful? If it's disrespectful, then ESPN's use of puns in headlines, which happens every day, is also disrespectful.

[Nosbleuatu]

His name is Sean Obi. He's a man with a name that is his family legacy, passed down to him from proud generations...

Henderson's right. Time to move on to something that respects his family legacy. Can we call him Sean-obi (read: Shinobi) now?

[Dukeface88]

Henderson's right. Time to move on to something that respects his family legacy. Can we call him Sean-obi (read: Shinobi) now?

Only when we're wearing the black uniforms.

[kAzE]

Super disappointed that Obi will not be sporting the #1, but excited about having him nonetheless. It's hard to find big time rebounders like him who could potentially stick around for graduation, so awesome move for Duke. The fact that he's a really great person is a big plus too.

[CameronBornAndBred]

After each victory, we can still say "Obi-won".