Chinonso Obokoh: Big Man in a Big New Role

[Orangeyes]

Chinonso Obokoh: Big Man in a Big New Role : Orange Fizz

 

[Madbiker]

Give the kid a chance...and we'll see what he can do. If he can at least catch the ball that's a plus.

 

[Trueblue25]

Need big improvement from the 5 on offense. Kid can't be worse than BMK.

 

[realorange]

Need big improvement from the 5 on offense. Kid can't be worse than BMK.

If he contributes as much as BMK I'll be very happy.

 

[Trueblue25]

If he contributes as much as BMK I'll be very happy.

I'm talking offensively. BMK brought 0 value to our offense.

 

[RF2044]

Need big improvement from the 5 on offense. Kid can't be worse than BMK.

"Worse" than BMK? Time to give up the vendetta. Kid was a class act who represented the program well, and played a major, major part in a final four run.

Moving on...

I had a chance to see Obokoh play last season when I attended practice. Kid had [at the time, this was the first few weeks of practice] zero concept of where he was supposed to be on the floor from a positioning standpoint. He's only about 6-8 or so, doesn't have particularly long arms, etc. Ran the floor pretty well, but didn't look like a gazelle [always seemed to kind of coast along at 3/4 speed].

But when they started scrimmaging, all of the sudden the switch flipped. Kid is VERY aggressive as both a shot blocker and a rebounder. I was shocked, after watching the first two hours of practice how much he got after it. If he ever learns how to play in terms of skill, he's going to have the opportunity to be a very good player for us.

I love kids that display a high motor. Give him a year or two to get some game experience, and I predict Obokoh will be a good one for us.

 

[two3zone]

If he contributes as much as BMK I'll be very happy.

A school like Syracuse should be able to recruit players that contribute more on the court than BMK.

I'm sorry it's so controversial around here to make a comment like that but he was what he was and wasn't a great basketball player.

 

[realorange]

A school like Syracuse should be able to recruit players that contribute more on the court than BMK.

I'm sorry it's so controversial around here to make a comment like that but he was what he was and wasn't a great basketball player.

We don't need a lot of great players. BMK wasn't but he fit a need quite well. Excellent role player. If Obohko fits in as well with whatever skill set he has, most of us will be pleased.

 

[Trueblue25]

Some of you are absolutely ridiculous.

I just said he was non existent on offense.

Does anyone want to really argue that? Or just point fingers at me.

 

[orangefan13]

No doubt Baye didn't have a backdown game, jumpshot, hookshot, low post game, midpost game, or a isolation game, But, Baye got the occasional putback, was a decent free throw shooter, hustled with a speed burts in and out of sets that required movement, and ran a good screen for our guards. He was a defensive big, and did a excellent job at extending our zone on D.

I tend to be harder on guards and perimeter sf's in general when it comes to scoring. Thats the way JB's system usually runs as we get that one guy every year who is used as more of a defensive guy at center or on the wings some years. Scoring bigs are few to none now adays with all the charge flopping going on. I actually wish they would add another midpost circle where they could bump more without a defender flopping.

 

[orangefan13]

A school like Syracuse should be able to recruit players that contribute more on the court than BMK.

I'm sorry it's so controversial around here to make a comment like that but he was what he was and wasn't a great basketball player.

Baye was a low level 4/high level 3 star recruit at worst, from the prestigious Oak Hill Academy(probably the best high school team in the last 25 years in the country) and he challenged and probably won a national title there. That is HUGE props. His biggest downside was his ability to put on alittle strength, (which nobody in the country would know), and his toughest year probably his sr year.

He also had a great freshmen year campaign which is a huge plus with bigs. I can name 3 mcdonalds all american centers of ours in the last 6 years who didn't have any freshmen campaign. He was definitely a factor in getting us to the final four as a junior a few years back, reguardless of what anyone says. If we beat michgan because southerland knocked down 2 more threes and carter williams had a few more points, then thenplayed louisville to a tough championship game then people would give him more credit.

Howbout comparing baye to someone like J.B. Reefsnyder who gave us 5.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in just under 15 minutes in the wallace 96 title run team. Reefsnyder was a huge part of that team, and had a scorer like 12.5 ppg Otis Hill ahead of him unlike baye. Baye by comparison averaged 3.7 and 3.7 in just over 15mpg this year pretty close on the stats.

Or if you need another comparison try kristoff, who averaged 4.8 and 3.1 in around 14 mpg as a senior. Granted, Kristoff may have had a slight edge still. One could argue Baye had a issue with putting on strength and his hands as a senior so that cut his game some as a upperclassmen unlike someone like reefsnyder or kristoff who got better. But, he was still pretty good and a real solid defender and excellent zone extender as a anchor as well. Some overseas team would probably enjoy him as center who hustles, knows how to play zone, and gives alot of effort trying to create plays with speed bursts.

 

[pearl31]

Some of you are absolutely ridiculous.

I just said he was non existent on offense.

Does anyone want to really argue that? Or just point fingers at me.

You really must be dense.

 

[two3zone]

We don't need a lot of great players. BMK wasn't but he fit a need quite well. Excellent role player. If Obohko fits in as well with whatever skill set he has, most of us will be pleased.

More great players = better team. Why not have a lot of great players?

Have 4 more years of a BMK type basketball player isn't something I would be excited about. Will it kill us? Probably not, but I don't see the reason why it's bad to want a better player than that.

 

[two3zone]

Baye was a low level 4/high level 3 star recruit at worst, from the prestigious Oak Hill Academy(probably the best high school team in the last 25 years in the country) and he challenged and probably won a national title there. That is HUGE props. His biggest downside was his ability to put on alittle strength, (which nobody in the country would know), and his toughest year probably his sr year. He also had a great freshmen year campaign which is a huge plus with bigs. I can name 3 mcdonalds all american centers of ours in the last 6 years who didn't have any freshmen campaign. He was definitely a factor in getting us to the final four as a junior a few years back, reguardless of what anyone says. If we beat michgan because southerland knocked down 2 more threes and carter williams had a few more points, then thenplayed louisville to a tough championship game then people would give him more credit. Howbout comparing baye to someone like J.B. Reefsnyder who gave us 5.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in just under 15 minutes in the wallace 96 title run team. Reefsnyder was a huge part of that team, and had a scorer like 12.5 ppg Otis Hill ahead of him unlike baye. Baye by comparison averaged 3.7 and 3.7 in just over 15mpg this year pretty close on the stats. Or if you need another comparison try kristoff, who averaged 4.8 and 3.1 in around 14 mpg as a senior. Granted, Kristoff may have had a slight edge still. One could argue Baye had a issue with putting on strength and his hands as a senior so that cut his game some as a upperclassmen unlike someone like reefsnyder or kristoff who got better. But, he was still pretty good and a real solid defender and excellent zone extender as a anchor as well. Some overseas team would probably enjoy him as center who hustles, knows how to play zone, and gives alot of effort trying to create plays with speed bursts.

Why compare him to anybody that previously played, why not just look at him and his numbers. For a 4 year player averaging 2.6 and 3.4 with the amount of time he played isn't good at all. The dude had more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds in his career, which isn't an awful thing but the fact he either fluffed a bunny on his put back or dropped the ball when coming down a majority of the time doesn't help his case.

The facts are he averages 1.8 points a game his senior year. I don't care if he isn't a scoring threat or option on offense, a center shouldn't have a problem averaging 4 just by accident. The prolific scorer Billy Celuck averaged almost double what BMK did on the offensive end. Is it bad that I would like a back up center who can score if needed, rebound the ball, and not drop it every time it comes their direction? I'll take somebody who is good any day over somebody who their only attributes are hustling and talking in the zone.

 

[Trueblue25]

I just hope Chinoso is enough of a presence down low on offense to draw defenders or offer KJo or Gbinije an option on the dribble and drive.

 

[Orangeyes]

More great players = better team. Why not have a lot of great players?

Have 4 more years of a BMK type basketball player isn't something I would be excited about. Will it kill us? Probably not, but I don't see the reason why it's bad to want a better player than that.

If you were to have three All American types at center you'd have nothing but discourse. If you've ever built a team of any kind you'd know the bigger the accolades a player gets the bigger the ego. A successful team needs chemistry. Baye Mossa Keita is a chemistry guy. There was a saying coined by Orange Onions, "We are only going as far as Baye takes us." Unfortunately that turned out to be true. When he came down wrong on the baseline against Pitt and sprained his MCL our fate was pretty much sealed. True, what Baye gave this team was defensive energy in bursts. He turned some games around in five minutes.

 

[realorange]

More great players = better team. Why not have a lot of great players?

Have 4 more years of a BMK type basketball player isn't something I would be excited about. Will it kill us? Probably not, but I don't see the reason why it's bad to want a better player than that.

I didn't say that we wouldn't want a better player than BMK. I said we didn't need a lot of great players. You don't need a lot of great players to have a great team.

 

[Trueblue25]

If you were to have three All American types at center you'd have nothing but discourse. If you've ever built a team of any kind you'd know the bigger the accolades a player gets the bigger the ego. A successful team needs chemistry. Baye Mossa Keita is a chemistry guy. There was a saying coined by Orange Onions, "We are only going as far as Baye takes us." Unfortunately that turned out to be true. When he came down wrong on the baseline against Pitt and sprained his MCL our fate was pretty much sealed. True, what Baye gave this team was defensive energy in bursts. He turned some games around in five minutes.

I agree with what you say but I think Baye's injury...amongst many other things.. caused our immediate downfall.

 

[Orangeyes]

I agree with what you say but I think Baye's injury...amongst many other things.. caused our immediate downfall.

No doubt, Baye was a half a step slower and at the speed the college game is played that creates defensive imbalances.

 

[Trueblue25]

At the end of the day, BMK was glue for us, and if that's what 14/15's team needs then I'd be glad for another Baye like player.

However, it's about time we got some offensive minded tough big men busting out the block and under the basket.

I think our defense will be even better this year, depending on how well Cooney and KJo II can lock up the top of the zone.

McCullough, Rak and Roberson/Johnson/Gbinije etc. should be potent at the bottom.