(12-19-2015 06:45 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote: They lost to Utah today at home in overtime. One of their best players (their power forward) is out with an injury but Obi still isn't getting any playing time.
I know some people have mentioned Rice can't be effective with a 8-man rotation but Duke is currently using a 7-man rotation. And despite playing overtime, really they only played 6 guys for the most part today. Of course they did lose so maybe Coach K adds to the rotation shortly.
I'm still stumped about the Obi transfer to Duke. Although I liked him as a player, it's not like he was a superstar. I never though he had the talent to get playing time at a powerhouse like Duke.
I'm reminded of my friend's daughter Cristina, who went to UT and played as a walk-on for UT volleyball about 7 years ago (actually - for those of you that follow Rice volleyball, Cristina is Daniela Arenas's sister). As a Freshman, Cristina got to see a decent amount of playing time as a defensive specialist. In fact, she played some in their 5-set loss to Penn State in the National Championship. Her sophomore year she had injury problems, and because UT was developing into a volleyball powerhouse, it became evident that her playing time would become negligible in her remaining years. She ultimately decided that for her, getting playing time was more important than sitting on the bench and possibly getting a National Championship ring. So, she transferred to Alabama and was their libero for her final two college years.
Either Obi felt he could develop into a major contributor at Duke (which to be honest, I don't think any Rice basketball fan saw happening), or he decided he would rather sit on the bench and possibly get a ring as being part of a National Championship team. If so, I guess he got what he wanted. Maybe he felt he had untapped potential that Coach K could develop better than the Rice coaches - which would ultimately lead to a possible professional career. Hard to see that happening if you're never getting any playing time.
Maybe the bigger question is, why would Duke spend a scholarship on him? I assume he's on scholarship there. I can't believe he would have left a full-ride scholarship at Rice to walk-on at Duke.
Personally, I think he made a big mistake. Look at how much Drone has improved playing with Rhoades. Of the two, Obi had the most potential. Too bad he didn't stay at Rice - I think he would have developed into a major player for us.
