'12 NY PF Christopher Obekpa

BearcatTalk

Help Support BearcatTalk:

Status
Not open for further replies.
Bearcat22 said:
Yikes! lots of talk on the Obekpa front. I think he would be a great addition to the program. Sounds like there are lots of things afoot on this one. I think it's important to not understate that Mick is building a program. One player will not make or break or us.

I've been rooting that we get this kid but maintain that his recruitment could also be a motivating force to Gaines and Mbodj to step up. I'm not sure we ever got to see the real Mbodj because of injury and Gaines could develop into that shock blocking defensive stopper we're looking for. Also, without losing a year of eligibility, Thomas has had a full season and offseason to add strength and get acclimated the program. I love that Rubbles wants to come in and crash the boards.

As far as recruiting I don't care about how many stars they have from recruiting services, how highly touted they are, or what shoe company likes them. I want guys like Parker who decided not to transfer and stuck it out through adversity or Killpatrick that willed himself into a great shooter. Assemble a team that plays with the heart and spirit that Bearcats showed against FSU in the tourney and I'll be a happy Cats fan.
Click to expand...

Cincinnati is going to be fine for many years to come.
 
I can think of a few easy, non-sinister arguments Lavin could make to Obekpa:

-plenty of playing time with St. John's complete roster overhaul;
-don't have to leave the familiarity of NYC, as an overseas kid this probably holds some appeal.

My only question is considering how hard St. John's recruited him before, why didn't those arguments hold more appeal then? Why have they leapt back into the picture at this late date? It's not like St. John's is Kentucky - never have been, never will be. I get the distinct impression that Lavin is trying to reshape the Johnnies into an East Coast version of the new Cal/Kentucky model, however: promise kids one fun filled, risk and schoolwork-free year of college and then off to the NBA with my blessing. Not against the rules and would certainly jive with my impression of Coach Lavin - a "get rich quick" kind of snake oil salesman. Don't exactly remember him being a great molder of big men or any other kind of player however - it's hard to argue that Dan Gadzuric or Matt Barnes got any better under his tutelage.

Hey, whatever. He can go wherever he wants and Cincinnati will keep winning with or without him. At this point I'm beginning to wonder if he's worth the trouble.
 
bearcat jeff said:
Cincinnati is going to be fine for many years to come.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more. Hopefully my post implied that. I think we're going to be that team that come tourney time other coaches and fans don't want us in their bracket.
 
Doogle said:
I can think of a few easy, non-sinister arguments Lavin could make to Obekpa:

-plenty of playing time with St. John's complete roster overhaul;
-don't have to leave the familiarity of NYC, as an overseas kid this probably holds some appeal.

My only question is considering how hard St. John's recruited him before, why didn't those arguments hold more appeal then? Why have they leapt back into the picture at this late date? It's not like St. John's is Kentucky - never have been, never will be. I get the distinct impression that Lavin is trying to reshape the Johnnies into an East Coast version of the new Cal/Kentucky model, however: promise kids one fun filled, risk and schoolwork-free year of college and then off to the NBA with my blessing. Not against the rules and would certainly jive with my impression of Coach Lavin - a "get rich quick" kind of snake oil salesman. Don't exactly remember him being a great molder of big men or any other kind of player however - it's hard to argue that Dan Gadzuric or Matt Barnes got any better under his tutelage.

Hey, whatever. He can go wherever he wants and Cincinnati will keep winning with or without him. At this point I'm beginning to wonder if he's worth the trouble.
Click to expand...

His best friend plays for St john's
 
Bearcat22 said:
I couldn't agree more. Hopefully my post implied that. I think we're going to be that team that come tourney time other coaches and fans don't want us in their bracket.
Click to expand...

I agree with all of this. The residual effects of UC's success over the past few years will probably manifest itself more with the classes of 2013-15. A lot of kids will see players like Cash and SK, maybe even Shaq Thomas, and want to be like them.

Great points about Mbodj and Gaines as well. Would love to see a healthy and fully mobile Cheikh show us his full potential this year.
 
NYC baller said:
His best friend plays for St john's
Click to expand...

He's been committed for a long while and was committed when Obekpa visited in March. There were some who were sure he'd commit to SJU after his visit back then but he didn't. I'm sure that's a consideration along with having a reasonable certainty you will play big minutes.
 
bearcat jeff said:
He's been committed for a long while and was committed when Obekpa visited in March. There were some who were sure he'd commit to SJU after his visit back then but he didn't. I'm sure that's a consideration along with having a reasonable certainty you will play big minutes.
Click to expand...

Stakes are a lot higher for a kid like Chris than a kid like Felix Balamou. Handlers want to position themselves for the best position for Chris. After seeing him countless times I hope everyone isn't confused of the impact he will bring to either program from day one. He isn't a savior.
 
NYC baller said:
Stakes are a lot higher for a kid like Chris than a kid like Felix Balamou. Handlers want to position themselves for the best position for Chris. After seeing him countless times I hope everyone isn't confused of the impact he will bring to either program from day one. He isn't a savior.
Click to expand...

As I said earlier his value is long term except as a defensive specialist. He is strong but needs to add bulk to anchor the 5 spot.
 
NYC baller said:
I have seen him recently. He is big. Division one body right now. His offense?? Ehh
Click to expand...

He's added some bulk maybe from 215 to 220/225. But against 240-260 pound bigs night in and out he won't get the put backs that pad most of his scoring.
 
As strange of a recruitment as I've ever seen. I wont believe anything until an announcement comes from Obekpa himself. If he were to choose St. Johns I would be disappointed because I think he has so much potential and obviously gives us much needed depth on the front line. However Im with Jeff that this is a top 25 team and if SK takes that leap into super stardom, Cash becomes an elite point, and Shaq Thomas pushes for rookie of the year we could be looking at a special team. I know Florida and Louisville have the obvious connections to Harrell but if the cats lose Obekpa I think Mick will put the full court press on Harrell. Late in the game with scholarships to spare really has nothing to lose. Interesting stuff....
 
St. John's?

The NCAA should be along as soon as he commits to Slick Steve Lavin's squad. He ranks up there with Calipari in terms of sleaze. Something fishy going on here.

UC will be fine without Obekpa. Thought he could make a difference, but St. John's will never be anything with a sleazeball coach running things.

Obekpa would be smart to get out of New York. Obviously his handlers don't care about the kid. Padding their bank accounts most likely.
 
mplebanon said:
St. John's?

The NCAA should be along as soon as he commits to Slick Steve Lavin's squad. He ranks up there with Calipari in terms of sleaze. Something fishy going on here.

UC will be fine without Obekpa. Thought he could make a difference, but St. John's will never be anything with a sleazeball coach running things.

Obekpa would be smart to get out of New York. Obviously his handlers don't care about the kid. Padding their bank accounts most likely.
Click to expand...

your posts just scream intelligence.
 
NYC baller said:
Stakes are a lot higher for a kid like Chris than a kid like Felix Balamou. Handlers want to position themselves for the best position for Chris. After seeing him countless times I hope everyone isn't confused of the impact he will bring to either program from day one. He isn't a savior.
Click to expand...

What the hell does that mean. Please just explain how they are looking out for this kids best interest. Just come out and say that they invested money in this kid and now they're looking for a return on investment, that is what this is and it is very obvious. They don't even appear to be hiding it. One of the "handlers" flat out sai that it doesn't really matter what Obekpa wants.
 
From poster OCASCM07 at BCN:

Hot off the presses of NYCHoops.net. Chris Obekpa to still take visit to Oregon and won't make a decision until late May or early June. And the Nike deal at Oregon is one reason why.

From the Article:
..."The Regular Signing Period ends May 16th. Any National Letter of Intent signed after that date would be voided.

"You don't have to sign a letter of intent," reminds Coach Jaklitsch.

This is true. Most college prospects sign the National Letter of Intent to bind the school to them. A school can not back out of the commitment after signing. Of course there are loop holes that dastardly college programs use but for the most part the NLI provides a future student-athlete assurances of loyalty.

Assurances that supersede recruiter's puffery.

If they don't intend to sign during the Signing Period the deadline stretches even further into the waning days of Spring.

A decision could come soon. Or maybe after that.

"Later this month or early next month," suggests Obekpa himself.

Should Cincinnati worry?

Regardless of the timing of the decision UC fans just want to know where. Where will he choose to attend school?

Does Cincinnati lead, as some reporters claim?

"No guarantees in recruiting," said Coach Jaklitsch. "You see one school pegged as the school he is going to go to and then he winds up somewhere else. Player 'X' likes one school but winds up at another school all the time."

Does this mean Christopher doesn't like Cincinnati? Hardly. Is it an intentionally vague answer to a straight question? Absolutely.

And now you understand why no one knows where Christopher Obekpa is going to college."
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

J
Future Team
17 18 19
Replies
379
Views
80K
kskenyon4
K
T
Honest Scouting Report
Replies
18
Views
8K
waterhead
W
bearcat jeff
'16 FL PF Tony Bradley
Replies
3
Views
12K
Bearcatboy
B
bearcat jeff
It's Go Time!
2
Replies
29
Views
7K
waterhead
W
W
Unusual Suspects
2
Replies
29
Views
8K
Chad Brendel
C

Latest posts

Back
Top