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| Username | Post: Newest Penn Commitment |
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AsiaSunset Postdoc Posts 4361 |
05-02-22 04:36 PM - Post#340975
Christian Obuchi 6’10 220 post player from Williston A project with limited recruiting cache. Nevertheless, a very interesting addition. Film looks a little bit like I would have imagined Jaylen Gainey’s level to have been when entering Brown. Christian is from Nigeria and has only been playing basketball for a few years. I’m thinking potentially a ‘diamond in the rough”. Time will tell. |
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AsiaSunset Postdoc Posts 4361 |
05-02-22 04:38 PM - Post#340976
Ubochi |
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penn nation Professor Posts 21204 |
05-02-22 04:39 PM - Post#340977
Who is he marrying? |
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PennFan10 Postdoc Posts 3585 |
05-02-22 04:44 PM - Post#340980
https://twitter.com/_bigcey_ |
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palestra38 Professor Posts 32833 |
05-02-22 05:05 PM - Post#340982
Excellent. Looks like a legitimate big https://www.thehoophustle.com/christianubochi |
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Penndemonium PhD Student Posts 1900 |
05-02-22 05:22 PM - Post#340984
Well, of course I did some quick research and watched video. Honestly his video was way different than I expected. When I heard "diamond in the rough" I was imagining someone like Dikembie Mutombo - wiry, awkward, limited bt developing skills. Instead, he is very smooth athletically, finishes way above the rim, has great feet and spin moves, and looks like he has been playing way longer than he has. His video looks as promising as any of the big man videos I have seen for our recruits. It's a bit of a wonder he wasn't more heavily recruited, as he appears to be a good student (Honors PG student) and seems to have a lot of potential. NERR has him ranked 65, which is much lower than I would have expected for someone of his striking physical capabilities. His success at Penn will probably depend on two things: First, is whether he develops well enough physical presence for D1. He does not shy away from contact, but he is still a bit thin. Can he apply his potential to be a defensive and rebounding force in college basketball? Or will he be a tweener - not physical enough for the 4 and 5, but not skilled enough to play the 3. Quite honestly, I'm optimistic he can be a good 4/5. Second, how does he fit with a Donahue scheme? There isn't a lot to go on here, as we haven't had many players with his mix of talent. He seems to be a smoother version of MLL, but we haven't had a chance to see how Donahue uses MLL. Donahue's schemes do seem to favor players with high basketball IQ and shooting touch. I have no idea if Ubochi has had time to develop in these areas. His video looks great, though. Interesting article on his back story: https://www.willistonian.org/christian-ubochi-is-n ... |
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nychoops Junior Posts 243 |
05-02-22 05:23 PM - Post#340985
I’ve seen him play( in full disclosure was their looking at another kid). He’s VERY raw, very long and athletic. I honestly haven’t a clue what he becomes but I thought the same when I saw Koko at Pasadena Poly so who knows?? Credit to Penfan10 for having the respect for the young man and the school to proceed on their timeline |
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Penndemonium PhD Student Posts 1900 |
05-02-22 05:25 PM - Post#340986
+1 to PF10. |
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Penndemonium PhD Student Posts 1900 |
05-02-22 05:28 PM - Post#340987
nychoops, at what age did you seem him play? With only 4 years of competitive basketball, each year is a big percentage of his overall development curve. |
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Mike Porter Postdoc Posts 3618 
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05-02-22 07:21 PM - Post#340989
Definitely a big kid, who seems to have athletic ability a step above, but looks and sounds very raw. Happy to have him at Penn though with that length and hops and hope he develops. While they aren't very good at closing known talent, the staff usually is very good at diamond in the rough assessment. Let's hope that is what is going on here, and I'm glad they are taking a shot with him. That said, we should also be realistic that a 65th ranking in NERR is a red flag. Only Cornell has a commit lower than that. For comparisons, Danny Wolf who we were after was 10th and the two kids Columbia landed are 13th and 15th. Hopefully these rankings are old and from before the season. Anyone find any stats from the season? |
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Silver Maple Postdoc Posts 3777 |
05-02-22 08:06 PM - Post#340991
It's good to see the staff ink a recruit, particularly since they seem to be struggling right now. That said, I never let myself get excited by any player associated with the terms 'project,' 'potential,' 'upside,' 'raw,' or 'diamond in the rough.' As they say, pessimists are never disappointed. |
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Buckeye Quake PhD Student Posts 1601 |
05-02-22 09:06 PM - Post#340993
Depends on who's using the terms. Consider the sources. Start with anyone that's actually seen someone play. |
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Penndemonium PhD Student Posts 1900 |
05-03-22 02:27 AM - Post#341001
I would agree with that overall, except that those are words I would have used to define a few other players such as Koko Archibong, Max Rothschild, DNH, and a few others. I will also concede that there are far more projects who haven't starred such as Jarrod Simmons, Cam Gunter, Mark Jackson, and many more. |
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QHoops Senior Posts 369 |
05-03-22 05:42 AM - Post#341002
Let's hope in this case the applicable comparison is not Gavin Hunt. |
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AsiaSunset Postdoc Posts 4361 |
05-03-22 06:30 AM - Post#341005
Depends on who's using the terms. Consider the sources. Start with anyone that's actually seen someone play. How about Adam Finkelstein from NERR Adam Finkelstein @AdamFinkelstein Penn adds a late 2022 pledge from @WNSBVBasketball big man Christian Ubochi. Tremendous physical tools & clear untapped potential. |
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AsiaSunset Postdoc Posts 4361 |
05-03-22 06:41 AM - Post#341006
Or Aaron Burgin @FullTimeHoops1 Former Mater Dei Catholic 6-10 C Christian Ubochi (Williston Northampton ‘22) has committed to Penn. Athletic rim-running big is an elite rim protector and has a ton of upside. |
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TheLine Professor Posts 5597 |
05-03-22 08:03 AM - Post#341008
It's tough to get an accurate gauge from highlight reels, otherwise you could conclude Penn just recruited a player who hits 100% of his free throws. Ubochi looks quite green to me, even without seeing him in a full game tape. It looks like he needs lots of hard work and polish. You can look no further than the current Penn roster to understand the odds of making the leap. I'm not saying he can't, just saying to not bank on it. |
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PennFan10 Postdoc Posts 3585 |
05-03-22 10:16 AM - Post#341022
Well size and athleticism is going to get him on the floor for a shot at making an impact. No one else on the roster has that combination (save MLL maybe). That by itself gives Ubochi an edge over most others buried on the roster. If he can go in a game and block/alter 3 shots in 10 minutes he's gonna play. |
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AsiaSunset Postdoc Posts 4361 |
05-03-22 10:41 AM - Post#341023
I agree it’s hard to gage everything from highlight reels; however, his highlight reels don’t evidence a project - just the opposite. But the people who have tracked him over time say he is, but that he is one with the attributes Pennfan10 and others have described. That seems to me the accurate takeaway. All things considered Ubochi is an incredibly interesting late addition to this class. As I said in the initial post, time will tell. |
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Jeff2sf Postdoc Posts 4466 |
05-03-22 12:10 PM - Post#341029
it would be an interesting and exciting addition if the class wasn't so desultory to begin with. |
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Jeff2sf Postdoc Posts 4466 |
05-03-22 12:12 PM - Post#341030
pf10, i would agree he could get on the floor with his athleticism. But maybe it's one too many Paul Reed watches by me lately but I feel like he could be a foul machine, not know where to be, etc. and undo all his good work with lots of bad just like Paul the Bball. having said that, f rivers, morey and jordan. |
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palestra38 Professor Posts 32833 |
05-03-22 12:15 PM - Post#341032
But Harden was to be the savior! My view of this kid is that he has unbelievable athleticism and from his video, is not Abraham Okorududu. He can be a very good player at our level within a couple of years IMO. |
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Buckeye Quake PhD Student Posts 1601 |
05-03-22 12:27 PM - Post#341034
That's two and thanks for them. Both clearly have a much more positive assessment than what's being stated here. |
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Buckeye Quake PhD Student Posts 1601 |
05-03-22 12:29 PM - Post#341036
Amen! |
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Penndemonium PhD Student Posts 1900 |
05-03-22 01:39 PM - Post#341042
The thing is that when you watch the video, he has quickness, moves, and athleticism like a power conference SF. His feet and hands are smooth. He soars on his athletic dunks. The ivies just don't have people doing that. I really like how in his highlights, he is immediately looking to go up with the ball rather than putting it on the floor. If he puts on some muscle, I'd keep him on the floor just as a defender and rim runner. He could be great for tips. That said, it seems no one who has actually seen him seems to describe him as a ready product. We keep hearing the word potential. What we don't see on the highlights: What do his turnovers look like? What does his half-court defense look like? What does it look like when he puts the ball on the floor? How quickly does he read the defense? Can he hold his own on the defensive boards? Can he shoot facing the basket? How many of those hook shots (which look pretty decent) does he miss? |
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palestra38 Professor Posts 32833 |
05-03-22 01:41 PM - Post#341043
It looks to me like he is ripped. It's not muscle he needs--just some weight. But I agree, he does things most Ivy big men don't do...something I loved about MLL from the first time I saw him. If only we can get him on the court. |
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Penndemonium PhD Student Posts 1900 |
05-03-22 01:43 PM - Post#341044
MLL has athleticism, but not this level of explosiveness. MLL has pretty good vertical hops, but not this guy's lateral smoothness. |
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Silver Maple Postdoc Posts 3777 |
05-03-22 01:44 PM - Post#341046
Athleticism is great. But the factors that will determine whether he becomes an effective player are how hard he's willing to work, how quickly he learns, and how well the coaching staff does in coaching him up. Without those things, he'll be nothing but potential. |
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palestra38 Professor Posts 32833 |
05-03-22 01:47 PM - Post#341047
That smoothness looks a bit slow for our level. I'm pretty confident he will learn and improve. I think MLL appears to be faster, if we ever put in an offense that took advantage of the guys we have who can run. But to reach our potential this year, we need to utilize a real big man who can protect the rim. That was the single most significant weakness of the team last year. |
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TheLine Professor Posts 5597 |
05-03-22 03:00 PM - Post#341062
There's an awkwardness to his game on both ends of the court that will take a bunch of effort to iron out. He seems off-balance a lot, which is going to make it tough for him to defend without fouling. It would be good if he has an offensive game that goes beyond dunks and layups. His FT shot is different. Would like to know whether it works. He is big and reasonably mobile, so there's that. You can't coach big. Is there any full game tape of Ubochi in action? BTW, tweets by internet recruiting personalities are worth the paper they are printed on. We should all know that by now. |
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Penndemonium PhD Student Posts 1900 |
05-03-22 03:23 PM - Post#341065
I didn't see the same thing in terms of speed. I saw a springy runner, which we never get from someone 6'10. ----- Actually just re-watched MLL's recruiting videos. He looked great too. Hope we can get him on court! |
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Jeff2sf Postdoc Posts 4466 |
05-03-22 04:15 PM - Post#341068
This isn’t meant as a big criticism for your post but when you say it’s be nice if he had more than dunks and layups… I mean obviously true BUT I wonder how much he’d be allowed to do that in our heliocentric offense. Maybe all we want is a Dwight Powell to our Luka. |
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UPIA1968 PhD Student Posts 1121 
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05-03-22 05:00 PM - Post#341070
Of course Penn is not going to get anything but a project at this late date in a recruiting year. With that in mind Christian clearly exceeds my expectations for late additions. Add one more player with some potential and this year's class would match up to the other Ivies. While that is short of our hopes for breakthrough recruiting, it give me hope for improvement next season. |
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palestra38 Professor Posts 32833 |
05-03-22 05:16 PM - Post#341071
The losses suffered by the other Ivy leaders and the return of MLL, along with the year of experience of a solid core of underclassmen almost certainly guarantees "improvement" for next year. I'm looking for more than that, regardless of the doom and gloom in here. |
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Quake Show Junior Posts 218 |
05-03-22 07:51 PM - Post#341078
Want to say I am happy that the staff was able to sign another recruit– and a big man at that. From what footage I have been able to see: I like his footwork a lot, and echo what others have said in that he tends to go straight up with the ball. These are all good things that bode well. However, I noticed that his team did not seem to face another big man in any of the highlights posted. He was at least 4-5 inches taller than his competition– not sure how that translates to matching up against other big men |
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penn nation Professor Posts 21204 |
05-03-22 08:52 PM - Post#341081
Just make sure that we schedule appropriately. |
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Penndemonium PhD Student Posts 1900 |
05-04-22 03:07 AM - Post#341087
I re-watched MLL's high school tapes. He looked great back then too. Fingers crossed for both tomorrow. |
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Penndemonium PhD Student Posts 1900 |
05-04-22 04:56 PM - Post#341121
I meant next year. |
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palestra38 Professor Posts 32833 |
05-04-22 05:05 PM - Post#341123
We know that you just cannot contain your excitement for next season. |
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TheLine Professor Posts 5597 |
05-06-22 09:01 AM - Post#341174
This isn’t meant as a big criticism for your post but when you say it’s be nice if he had more than dunks and layups… I mean obviously true BUT I wonder how much he’d be allowed to do that in our heliocentric offense. Maybe all we want is a Dwight Powell to our Luka. I don't expect him to develop an outside game. Or even a Henry Brooks-ian mid game. There would need to be more variability to his inside game though, and it's not clear he has even that. Any guy his size can dunk over dudes a half-foot shorter but that's not what he'll be up against at the next level. Maybe he has that game too, but you can't tell from the highlight reels. |
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AsiaSunset Postdoc Posts 4361 |
05-06-22 09:28 AM - Post#341175
https://newenglandrecruit ingreport.com/in-the-news... |
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Penndemonium PhD Student Posts 1900 |
05-06-22 09:43 AM - Post#341176
I'm not sure if you saw this one. The opponent seems to have a reasonably tall team. He is taller than most, but they are not small. His athleticism still looks good to me. https://www.thehoophustle.com/news_article/show/12... |
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91Quake PhD Student Posts 1126 |
05-06-22 09:57 AM - Post#341177
He is clearly athletic and also clearly a big body. We could have used both those traits last year. Providing spot minutes as a defense and rebounding specialist as he further develops his game can be very valuable for us. Looks like he has good footwork also. |
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UPIA1968 PhD Student Posts 1121
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05-06-22 01:28 PM - Post#341184
This guy can jump higher than anybody in the league now. That should be worth something. |
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section110 Masters Student Posts 847 |
05-06-22 01:28 PM - Post#341185
The opponent's center (15) is a 6'7 junior. |
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penn nation Professor Posts 21204 |
05-06-22 01:49 PM - Post#341186
If nothing else, MLL and Mosh will face much stiffer competition during practice, which can only be for the better. |
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AsiaSunset Postdoc Posts 4361 |
05-06-22 02:03 PM - Post#341187
That’s right. And all of us should remember that Mosh was our starting center for most of last year and is 6’7”. Interestingly AJ was only 6’8” as is last year’s Ivy POY. I think the starting forwards on Ubochi’s Williston team were 6’8” and 6’7”. |
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Buckeye Quake PhD Student Posts 1601 |
05-06-22 04:01 PM - Post#341190
Let's hope Moshkovitz never has to play center next year. A healthy Lorca-Lloyd, Spinosa with a year of experience and hopefully this kid, should allow Michael to concentrate on playing the four where he can maximize his effectiveness. |
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SomeGuy Professor Posts 6413 |
05-06-22 06:12 PM - Post#341191
Who knows, maybe Larson makes a leap too. I suspect the pandemic robbed him of some needed development time, and maybe he kind of catches up to his body. I’ll also push back gently re Mosh (I seem to have somehow become his biggest fan on here). I think there will be instances where we want him playing the 5. The problem last year is that a lot of the time we had to (and there were a few games where, when he was out of the game, we were playing with Martz there). I don’t mind seeing Mosh at the 5 when the matchups dictate or when we want to try to change things up. But we need a legit option with size on defense every game. |
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OldBig5 Masters Student Posts 639 |
05-06-22 08:54 PM - Post#341192
I'm cautiously optimistic about this kid. Hope he develops. |
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Streamers Professor Posts 8254 
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05-07-22 08:46 AM - Post#341194
I agree we should not dismiss Larson. I suspect he is filling out as we speak and from what little I saw of him, he can shoot some which distinguishes him a bit from the others. |
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