By Michael McAllister
Chinonso Obokoh is a center in the 2013 class. While he hasn't received as much national attention as classmates BeeJay Anya, Goodluck Okonoboh, and Chris Walker, Chinonso has been on the Syracuse radar for some time. The big man from Rochester, NY spoke with us about his recruitment, and his game.
Nation of Orange: Tell us about how your summer has gone, specifically what the EYBL experience was like.
Chinonso Obokoh: It’s going good. I think I played good, but it wasn’t how I expected. The way we played wasn’t that great for me, and everything went crashing from there. With time, I think everything will get back to normal.
Nation of Orange: How has your recruitment gone and who’s been showing interest? Who has made offers?
Chinonso Obokoh: As far as my recruiting, I didn’t think it was going to be this big. Big schools like Syracuse have offered. West Virginia, Miami, Villanova, Temple, Texas, Oregon, USC, University of Buffalo, Oklahoma, Wake Forest, Washington, and some other schools I can’t remember are recruiting me right now. They’re trying to see more of me.
Nation of Orange: So Syracuse has made you a scholarship offer?
Chinonso Obokoh: They definitely made an offer. I can’t remember the actual time, but I’ve been around Syracuse a lot. I went to their camp and it’s really close to me.
Nation of Orange: Have you taken visits as well to Syracuse?
Chinonso Obokoh: I haven’t taken an official visit but I have been on the campus and stuff. I haven’t been at games, but I went to Midnight Madness.
Nation of Orange: Any plans on taking an official to Syracuse?
Chinonso Obokoh: Right now I wouldn’t say an official visit, I would say unofficial. I haven’t laid out my schools on which I want to take my official visits to.
Nation of Orange: Tell us about your impressions of Syracuse, who’s been recruiting you, and what your thoughts are about the program.
Chinonso Obokoh: The program is great. I think last season they had the deepest bench in college basketball because they had some big guys that can run the floor. I love their style of play because they play all big guys and they can run. I love how it is, the coach, the assistant coach. Coach Hopkins has been recruiting me. I’ve been talking to him a couple times now. I’ve also talked to Jim Boeheim.
Nation of Orange: What have Hopkins and Boeheim told you about their interest in you?
Chinonso Obokoh: They told me that they want me to run the floor. They like the physical player I am and how I run the floor. They showed me their interest in me. They told me their interest in me is because of my style of play.
Nation of Orange: Is Syracuse a favorite for you right now or do you have any favorites? Or are you still wide open?
Chinonso Obokoh: I’m kind of wide open right now. I have a lot of things to think about. Every coach that I’ve been talking to has said things I’ve liked. For me, it’s not about basketball. It’s about academic support. They can offer me a good education and skills that can help me in life. I’m not thinking about it as a basketball thing. I know basketball is going to be there.
Nation of Orange: How do you perform in the classroom?
Chinonso Obokoh: I think it’s good. I’ve been working so hard to keep my grades high. I’m a 3.4 right now, and I’m trying to get it higher.
Nation of Orange: What will your major be when you go to college?
Chinonso Obokoh: Yeah I already know I want to major in accounting.
Nation of Orange: Tell us about your game and what type of player you are.
Chinonso Obokoh: I would say I know I have the offense, but I haven’t had the college to bring out my real game. Because I know what I can do when I’m working out by myself or with my coach. I can do everything I want to do around the basket on offense, like shoot the ball, attack the rim, and finish. I like playing defense because defense makes you win the game. I can go out there, block the shot, and rebound the ball. I can shut down any type of play I want to shut down.
Nation of Orange: What type of range do you have on your jump shot?
Chinonso Obokoh: Last year in high school I had six attempts (from three-point range) and I made four of them. I can shoot, but for me, I need more work with it. When I get that confidence, I can start knocking it down. It doesn’t come every time for me, but I make it when it does. But I need more work with it.
Nation of Orange: What parts of your game are you working on to get ready for your senior season?
Chinonso Obokoh: I’ve been working on offensive because that’s what I want to focus on. I want to be able to shoot and attack the rim. Those are the things I’m working on right now.
Nation of Orange: Besides academics, what are the most important factors for you when deciding where you’re going to play in college?
Chinonso Obokoh: Good basketball, and I want to be able to go there and feel at home.
Nation of Orange: How important will your parents be in your decision?
Chinonso Obokoh: My parents would like me to find a school where I feel at home around them. But if that didn’t happen they would understand. Anywhere that will give me what I want in terms of education, where I can feel at home, I know they will understand.
Nation of Orange: Do you have any time frame for when you will make your decision?
Chinonso Obokoh: Not really right now. I want to start narrowing down everything after the summer is over. But right now I don’t have any idea.
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