It has been quite the Grassroots season for 6’9” rising junior Ejike Obinna. More specifically it has been quite a July playing with the Uncommon Bulls.
Obinna, who is a native of Nigeria, picked up offers from Xavier, Miami, Georgia Tech, LSU, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, Rhode Island, Temple, Howard, St Joeseph’s, Seton Hall, and George Mason. In March, Obinna competed in the prestigious Virginia Top 80 where he competed against the best players the state had to offer.
After his performance at the Virginia Top 80 we wrote, “Walking through the door, Obinna sticks out. He is a big kid with a long frame, but what really stood out about Obinna throughout the camp was his attitude and coachability. Obinna’s Camp Coach Craig Dawson stated, “I would take Ejike on my team any day. He was the most coachable kid on any team. Ejike is a great post defender, a very hard worker, and battled for every rebound. He improved every game.” As Obinna continues to develop, we would like to see him continue to develop his offensive post game and footwork.”
This was just the beginning for Obinna. Since then, as evident by his extensive offer list, his game has taken another step. According to his coach Duval Simmonds, “Obinna has progressed a lot since the Top 80. He is in the gym doing agility, weights, and footwork. He’s physically stronger (able to better finish around the basket), running the floor better, rebounding higher, and he is more patient on offense.”
While Obinna is a native of the Ibo tribe of Nigeria, speaks close to perfect English while he keeps a GPA in the 3.5 range. With is academic standing he is also gaining interest from Ivy League schools, Cornell and Princeton.
When choosing a school for the next level, Obinna not only has a good idea of what he wants but he also has a great support system around him. Simmonds says, “Athletic Director Andwaan Randle El, host parents Ray and Teresa Matthews, myself, Chris Rhone, and Isaac McNeil are all involved with supporting Obinna. Life after basketball is key for Ejike. We also want to look for a program that feeds the post, one where he can be a focal point of the offense.”
Obinna’s best basketball is ahead of him, he is still raw and a work in progress at this point. But every day the young man gets better, and he is doing so at a rapid rate. As the stock market goes, Obinna is “buy now.”