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Username Post: Newest Penn Commitment        (Topic#26276)
AsiaSunset 
Postdoc
Posts: 4350

Reg: 11-21-04
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.

 
AsiaSunset 
Postdoc
Posts: 4350

Reg: 11-21-04
05-02-22 04:38 PM - Post#340976    
    In response to AsiaSunset

Ubochi

 
penn nation 
Professor
Posts: 21085

Reg: 12-02-04
05-02-22 04:39 PM - Post#340977    
    In response to AsiaSunset

Who is he marrying?

 
PennFan10 
Postdoc
Posts: 3578

Reg: 02-15-15
05-02-22 04:44 PM - Post#340980    
    In response to penn nation

https://twitter.com/_bigcey_

 
palestra38 
Professor
Posts: 32683

Reg: 11-21-04
05-02-22 05:05 PM - Post#340982    
    In response to PennFan10

Excellent. Looks like a legitimate big

https://www.thehoophustle.com/christianubochi

 
Penndemonium 
PhD Student
Posts: 1877

Reg: 11-29-04
05-02-22 05:22 PM - Post#340984    
    In response to palestra38


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 ...



 
nychoops 
Junior
Posts: 239

Reg: 11-23-04
05-02-22 05:23 PM - Post#340985    
    In response to palestra38

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

 
Penndemonium 
PhD Student
Posts: 1877

Reg: 11-29-04
05-02-22 05:25 PM - Post#340986    
    In response to nychoops

+1 to PF10.

 
Penndemonium 
PhD Student
Posts: 1877

Reg: 11-29-04
05-02-22 05:28 PM - Post#340987    
    In response to nychoops

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.

 
Mike Porter 
Postdoc
Posts: 3615
Mike Porter
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
Reg: 11-21-04
05-02-22 07:21 PM - Post#340989    
    In response to nychoops

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?

 
Silver Maple 
Postdoc
Posts: 3765

Loc: Westfield, New Jersey
Reg: 11-23-04
05-02-22 08:06 PM - Post#340991    
    In response to Mike Porter

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.

 
Buckeye Quake 
PhD Student
Posts: 1601

Reg: 11-21-04
05-02-22 09:06 PM - Post#340993    
    In response to Silver Maple


Depends on who's using the terms. Consider the sources. Start with anyone that's actually seen someone play.

 
Penndemonium 
PhD Student
Posts: 1877

Reg: 11-29-04
05-03-22 02:27 AM - Post#341001    
    In response to Silver Maple

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.

 
QHoops 
Senior
Posts: 368

Reg: 12-16-04
05-03-22 05:42 AM - Post#341002    
    In response to Penndemonium

Let's hope in this case the applicable comparison is not Gavin Hunt.

 
AsiaSunset 
Postdoc
Posts: 4350

Reg: 11-21-04
05-03-22 06:30 AM - Post#341005    
    In response to Buckeye Quake

  • Buckeye Quake Said:

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.

 
AsiaSunset 
Postdoc
Posts: 4350

Reg: 11-21-04
05-03-22 06:41 AM - Post#341006    
    In response to AsiaSunset

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.

 
TheLine 
Professor
Posts: 5597

Age: 60
Reg: 07-07-09
05-03-22 08:03 AM - Post#341008    
    In response to AsiaSunset

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.


 
PennFan10 
Postdoc
Posts: 3578

Reg: 02-15-15
05-03-22 10:16 AM - Post#341022    
    In response to TheLine

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.

 
AsiaSunset 
Postdoc
Posts: 4350

Reg: 11-21-04
05-03-22 10:41 AM - Post#341023    
    In response to TheLine

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.

 
Jeff2sf 
Postdoc
Posts: 4466

Reg: 11-22-04
05-03-22 12:10 PM - Post#341029    
    In response to AsiaSunset

it would be an interesting and exciting addition if the class wasn't so desultory to begin with.

 
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