Ikey Obiagu
7-0 265 LBS Abuja, Nigeria
Greenforest Academy
Bio
**2019 BIG EAST ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM**
2019-20: Scored 11 points against Wagner (11/5/19)... recorded six blocks in a victory over Maryland (12/19/19)... grabbed eight rebounds in a victory vs. DePaul (1/29/20).
2018-19: Sat out the season due to NCAA transfer regulations.
BEFORE SETON HALL: Appeared in 34 games as freshman at Florida State during the 2017-18 season...Averaged 2.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while averaging 10.7 minutes per game...His 20.9 block percentage would have easily led the nation had he qualified with the minimum of 40 percent minutes played...Helped the Seminoles reach the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight...Made a big collegiate debut with three blocks and three rebounds in seven minutes in a win over George Washington (Nov. 14)...Totaled a career-high 10 rebounds and five blocked shots in Florida State’s victory over Rutgers in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge (Nov. 28)...Posted eight points, five rebounds and three blocked shots in Florida State’s win over Charleston Southern (Dec. 18)…Delivered six points, five rebounds and four blocks in a victory over Southern Miss (Dec. 21)…Rejected six shots in 13 minutes of play against NC State (Feb. 25)…Blocked five shots in 19 minutes of play against No. 18 Clemson (Feb. 28)…Blocked a career-high seven shots and grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds in victory over Boston College (March 3)…Blocked four shots against Louisville in the ACC Tournament (March 7)…Totaled four points, six rebounds and one block in the win over Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen.
HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated from Greenforest Christian Academy in 2017 and was a four-year member of the varsity basketball program…Earned Atlanta Journal Constitution All-State first team honors for Class A in the state of Georgia as a senior in 2017...Totaled 330 blocked shots during his final two seasons at Greenforest (201 as a senior and 129 as a junior)…Averaged 8.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.2 blocked shots as a senior and led Greenforest to a 27-5 record, ranking as the seventh best boys high school basketball team in the state of Georgia…201 blocked shots as a senior with 11 coming in back-to-back games against Our Lady of Mercy and Bishop McNamara and 10 coming against Memphis East, Holy Innocents Episcopal and St. Francis…Posted two triple-doubles and eight double-doubles during his senior year at Greenforest…17 points against Mountain View was his highest scoring game… Totaled 14 rebounds three times as a senior…His best overall game was 11 points, 12 rebounds and 11 blocked shots against Our Lady of Mercy…Led his high school men’s basketball team to the 2017 class A-Private State Championship title…Averaged 8.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.8 blocked shots in 19 games as a junior at Greenforest and led the Eagles to the Class A Private School state championship and a 31-2 record as a junior in 2016…Season-high 17 points came against Drew Charter School…Posted a double-double of 17 points and a season-high 16 rebounds against Drew…Totaled an incredible 20 blocked shots in Greenforest’s victory over Our Lady of Mercy on February 23, 2016…Blocked at least six shots in 15 of the 19 games he played in as a junior…Played in the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit…Totaled three rebounds and two blocked shots while playing for the World Team…Member of the Georgia Stars AAU team…Blocked an incredible 11 shots and pulled down nine rebounds in a Stars’ victory in the 2016 Peach Jam.
PERSONAL: Ike Obiagu...has a wingspan of 7-4...participated in the 2015 Nike Basketball Academy...Birthday is June 27.
Stats
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4277851/ike-obiagu
Strengths:
Obiagu is an extra long and athletic center that is very mobile and runs the floor well. He is a powerful above the rim finisher when he receives drop off passes created by dribble penetration. He rebounds with great pursuit of the ball in and out of his area as well. Obiagu is also a stellar shot blocker both on the ball and coming to the aid of an teammate from the weak side.
Bottom Line:
Obiagu is a athletic center who's defense is ahead of his offense. He is a shot blocker, rebounder and finisher for the high major level. Obiagu is a rim protector that is loaded with upside.
So says ESPN. But maybe not Seton Hall fans who watched the powerfully built athletic big man from Nigeria this past basketball season.
It was a beautiful spring day in May nearly two years ago when CBS commentator and basketball guru Jon Rothstein broke the news that Florida State big man Ikey Obiagu was transferring from the ACC school to the Big East to play for Seton Hall.
It's rare for Seton Hall to bring to South Orange a player with the size and potential of the Nigerian. But with newly hired assistant coach Tony Skinn at the forefront the Hall reeled in the consensus 4 star top 100 player. Clearly a feather in the cap for the staff in general and Skinn is particular, who used his sources in Nigeria, where he played for their Olympic team, to make the connection needed to get the commitment.
Obiagu performed well at Florida State starting 14 games his rookie season, but playing behind 7-4 teammate Christ Koumadje limited his minutes to just less than eleven per game and Obiagu wanted more. Thus his decision to leave Florida to come to New Jersey to continue his career.
The future seemed bright for both Obiagu and the Seton Hall Pirates after the young man sat out the mandatory imposed NCAA one year period.
Coming into this season the Pirates were considered by most a Sweet 16 team with the potential to be more than that. And much of those expectations squarely lied on the board shoulders of the now eligible man in the middle. But expectations are not always reality and word started to leak that Obiagu was going to need more time, more seasoning, to play to the level his size and physical ability dictated and that fellow 7 footer Romaro Gill would be getting the majority of the minutes at the 5 position. At least early in the season.
That proved accurate, but not just early in the season but throughout the year as Obiagu struggled on the court more than many anticipated and saw almost the exact same amount of time per game at Seton Hall as he did at Florida State.
During that time on the court it became evident that Obiagu had to work on his game on both sides of the court as his footwork, anticipation, court awareness, lateral movement, lack of any offense short of dunks and inexperience held him back.
Rating
From all accounts Obiagu, like so many Pirates on this team is an excellent student, hard worker and a player well liked by everyone who comes in contact with him. But clearly despite that being a bonus he's not at Seton Hall for those reasons. He's here to play basketball and play it at the highest level.
Fortunately this season Obiagu had Ro Gill as his teammate, and Gill clearly played in the middle with the skill and ability that was expected of Obiagu. That buffer eased the transition for the 7 foot center. But Gill will soon graduate and next season Obiagu will now have to take the reigns expected the previous year and play much better than he did in his first season in the Big East
Can he? Hard to say because yes the physical ability is there, as is the work ethic. But there are so many improvements needed for the hopefully heir apparent in the middle to overcome that the questions will remain until we see otherwise.
Final rating C-
