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Message: [QUOTE="RF2044, post: 1466900, member: 40"] I know I'm the only one who made these observations about Chino -- but when I saw him in practice two years ago [his true freshman year], he showed signs he could compete physically AND contribute. His offensive skill is neglibible; he'll give us what Keita did [i.e,. the occasional put back, dunk, FT, etc. but not much more]. If the ball falls to him right under the basket, he'll convert inside, but you aren't going to run any plays for him. Even two years ago, when he was relatively scrawny, he competed. When I first saw him, I was disappointed. He'd been listed as a 6-10 kid, so I figured maybe 6-9. He was barely 6-8, not that bulky, and seemed to have kind of short arms [anyone who remembers TRob will relate to what I'm talking about]. When they started doing drills, he kind of runs at 3/4 speed. Don't get me wrong, he isn't slow, but he also isn't a gazelle. And he didn't seem to have a clue about positioning on either end [although granted, that was too years ago]. So as I was watching him at those early practices, I was scratching my head a bit wondering why we brought him in. Then the scrimmage started. Now, I want to be clear that he was / is far from refined. But that was the year that Rak really "bulked up" [he was always strong, but he went from being a younger player with a solid build to having a man build that senior year]. Coleman was also a big, strong guy. And yet, there was this skinny frosh giving them both fits inside. He rebounded like a terror [no exaggeration]. he blocked a TON of shots, and was physical as hell with them. Granted, he committed a lot of fouls, and that kind of physical play probably wouldn't fly in a game, but he more than held his own. Imagine Rak getting a catch inside, and then doing a spin move for a little hook shot, only to have this smaller player swat it into the bleachers. I could see right away that Obokoh would need a lot of work, and that he'd probably never be much more than a backup. But there is definitely the capability there for him to contribute at this level. I know that isn't going to satisfy some, who expect that we should only be recruiting 4-stars and above. But trust me--the kid I saw that day could give us a solid 10 minutes per game in a reserve role. I'm also encouraged by two more things: [1] he improved his physique quite a bit between year one and year two, adding a lot of noticable muscle to his frame. I think it is reasonable to expect that if he showed that work ethic in the weight room, he'll be even bigger this season [its not like the kid is suddenly going to stop lifting weights]. And [2] he's going to have months since Diagne got declared ineligible knowing that he has to play in some capacity, so I'd expect the coaching staff to have him ready. On the downside, until proven otherwise, his hoops IQ still has to be considered low. And he hasn't played a ton of minutes, so he has a lot of proving to do. I completely concede that. [/QUOTE]

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