5 St. John’s Stories From Last Season That May Carry Over

Chris Obekpa is a Man-Beast

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

“Oblockpa” was only a freshman last season. A freshman, mind you, who blocked a gazillion shots last year. Okay, so a gazillion might be an overstatement, but he did block a ton of shots — four per game to be exact.

Obekpa couldn’t score, had zero real offensive game and was as raw as a dozen unprepared chicken wings. Even with all those things going against him, he did as much for the team on the defensive side of the ball as Sampson or Harrison did on the offensive side.

Unfortunately, his lack of offense really limited how much Lavin could put him on the court. Defense is great, it really is, but the Johnnies were in need for a third scorer a lot of the time and Obekpa obviously did not fit the bill.

Now a sophomore, Obekpa hopefully improved dramatically in the offseason. His defense alone will earn him more than solid minutes on the court, but even if his offensive game improved just a little bit, he can find himself as a starter or (even) a future All-Conference type of player. I mean, his defense is already that good. Imagine if the kid ever becomes a player who can put the ball in the bucket — in at least a relatively consistent way.

Realistically, though, it is unlikely he is that kind of player yet. Heck, he may never be that type of player. But you know what? That is okay. Rarely, especially at the collegiate level, is a player as dominant defensively as Obekpa was a freshman.

With a year now under his belts, even a conservative projection calls for him to be better on both sides of the ball. Which, you know, is a good thing.