Rivals150 center visiting Florida this weekend
Virginia Academy (Ashburn, Va.) center Ejike Obinna has been a priority recruit for Florida ever since the Gators offered him in May. He's already been to Gainesville for an unofficial visit, spoken with the coaches countless times and did his homework to learn about the school. So there isn’t any one big thing he wants to see when he takes his official visit to Gainesville this weekend – he just wants to take all of it in.
“I can’t think of any one specific thing,” Obinna said. “I’m going to roll with their schedule.”
That schedule will likely feature the pep rally for Saturday’s football game, video presentations, campus tours, playing pick up with the team, meetings with the academic support staff, and maybe even with Athletic Director Jeremy Foley. Obinna saw some of that during his unofficial visit in June. This time his guardian, Ray Matthews, will accompany Obinna. Matthews was unable to travel with him in June, so the Obinna came to Gainesville with Matthews’ wife and son.
Currently ranked the No. 126 prospect in the Rivals150, Obinna is schedule to visit Oklahoma September 16 and Vanderbilt September 23. He took his first official visit to Clemson two weeks ago. Virginia Tech is also in the mix but does not have a visit date scheduled with Obinna but he has taken several unofficial visits to Blacksburg.
The 6-foot-9, 230 pound Nigerian flew under the radar for a while primarily because he didn't play for an AAU team on a major shoe circuit -- but he proved himself at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, the Under Armour All-American Camp and at the Champions Summer Classic in Georgia. At the Under Armour All-American Camp in July, Obinna averaged 13.5 points per game and ranked second among all players in rebounding (8.8 rpg). He also had the best field goal percentage (66.7 percent) among players who averaged double figures in points.
While not a "jump out of the gym" athlete, Obinna is fundamentally sound, strong, long-armed and displays sound footwork in the post. Once the long travel season ended, Obinna took two days off then went back to work in the gym.
“I’ve been working on mostly jump shots but I’m working on every aspect of my game,” he said. “I’m trying to get better in general. The things that I’m good at I’m getting better and the ones that I’m not that good at, I’m improving so I’m working on everything.”
Gators assistant coach Darris “D-Nice” Nichols has been the lead recruiter for Obinna, but during his recruitment, he has been getting to know all of the Florida coaches.
“I really have a good relationship with him,” Obinna said about Nichols. “I talk to him like almost everyday, not even almost, I talk to him everyday. He’s a good person, I can tell it, and I have a really good relationship with him. And not just coach Nichols, they have a good staff. I talk to Coach White almost everyday. He’s a good man, he’s tried to learn what I’m about and what I believe in.”
Ray Matthews and his family have hosted Obinna in their Ashburn, Virginia home since he came over from Nigeria. Matthews has been impressed with Florida’s recruitment of Obinna.
“Florida came on board after the April live period and they’ve been everywhere, and in constant communication. Multiple coaches, the head coach is in contact with all of us regularly.”
We asked him if there was a chance that if Obinna loved his visit this weekend that he would commit and shut down his recruitment.
“Ever since he cut his list his intent was taking his official visits and making his decision,” Matthews said. “I talked to him about it last night and he said he is going to go through all of the visits before he makes his decision. But I think he’ll make a decision quickly after he makes his last visit. I think he can see himself playing at any of the schools that are in this (final) group. So it’s coming down to that last sense of connection, fit – does he fit into the coaches vision for what he wants to do with the team -- can I contribute and continue to develop as a player and get a meaningful degree. All of the remaining schools all value the degree and provide the academic support to that end.
Matthews also told us that in-home visits are already scheduled:
September 9: Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew
September 11: Virginia Tech head coach Buzz Williams
September 13: Oklahoma and Florida coaches
September 14: Vanderbilt staff
Clemson will go in-home either on Sunday (9/11) night or Monday (9/12) morning but “they’re in the process of lining some other things up,” Matthews said.
Russ Wood is a contributing national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com and InsideTheGators.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter