Felix Balamou - SG - Our Savior New American - Centerreach, NY - ST. JOHN'S

Im no translator but i took it as his heart wasn't with st johns and its bad karma to go against your heart

Im no translator but i took it as his heart wasn't with st johns and its bad karma to go against your heart

Yikes.  That's not good.  I hope your translation skills suck 

ill tell you the real gem over at OSNA is danny green's little brother he is an 8th grader getting major minutes on the varsity over there.

St. Mary's no longer the family school?

I think I'd send my kid to LuHi before OSNA.

Obekpa chris ‏ @christopherewao    · Open
@SUdobi ma spirit no join st johns for real I for show but its karma when ur spirit tell u something no do otherwise.. I for wan dey wif u

Very good pickup for us for a few reasons:

1) fantastic athlete.  Elite, which is the style of team we're building.

2) we need capable bodies badly, and he is capable and not a reach.

3) he's good buddies with Obekpa

4). Fantastic lateral quickness.  Better anybody we currently have and has means to be excellent defender.

5) capable slasher and scorer

6) Academically qualified.

Nice looking prospect that fits our mold.  Wil be used to press and disrupt
on the court.  Main negative is thathe needs to get a lot more comfortable with his offense on the perimeter.  Overall a kid who is probably better than he gets credit for and has quIte a bit of upside. Good pickup both for depth athleticism and hopefully Obekpa as well which I think is a mere formality at this point now.

Just wondering what changed your mind from 2 months ago, when you mention he is not going to crack the lineup and at best mid major? Can a player really change that much in 2 months when he goes from you not wanting him to a prospect that fits our mold?

Very good pickup for us for a few reasons:

1) fantastic athlete.  Elite, which is the style of team we're building.

2) we need capable bodies badly, and he is capable and not a reach.

3) he's good buddies with Obekpa

4). Fantastic lateral quickness.  Better anybody we currently have and has means to be excellent defender.

5) capable slasher and scorer

6) Academically qualified.

Nice looking prospect that fits our mold.  Wil be used to press and disrupt
on the court.  Main negative is thathe needs to get a lot more comfortable with his offense on the perimeter.  Overall a kid who is probably better than he gets credit for and has quIte a bit of upside. Good pickup both for depth athleticism and hopefully Obekpa as well which I think is a mere formality at this point now.

Add another important point - he is a hard worker with good character.  Konchalski speaks highly of him.  I'm looking forward to seeing this kid develop. 

As for Chris O - I hope he visits before he decides in April.  I don't think he will decide till then.  A visit would be a very good sign.

Don't remember where I saw it, but I think either he or his coach said were getting the last visit.

We'll have to wait and see.  Light candles and get the Spirit to move him in the same direction as Felix.

Obekpa chris ‏ @christopherewao    · Open
@SUdobi ma spirit no join st johns for real I for show but its karma when ur spirit tell u something no do otherwise.. I for wan dey wif u

Marillac quoted this and it provides some insight into Obekpa's thinking.  Did Obekpa write this?  When?

Obekpa tweeted it. What insight does it provide?

We'll have to wait and see.  Light candles and get the Spirit to move him in the same direction as Felix.

FWIW, my daughter is in the college selection mode and her "dream" college changes every week (LOL). . . a lot can/will change between now and the moment of selection.

At this point we all have to appreciate having a talented kid eager to join the Program.

Felix was at the Garden for the ND game.  He loved his visit and feels good about joining a program on the rise. 

Quote from: MCNPA on March 12, 2012, 04:43:41 PM

Very good pickup for us for a few reasons:

1) fantastic athlete.  Elite, which is the style of team we're building.

2) we need capable bodies badly, and he is capable and not a reach.

3) he's good buddies with Obekpa

4). Fantastic lateral quickness.  Better anybody we currently have and has means to be excellent defender.

5) capable slasher and scorer

6) Academically qualified.

Nice looking prospect that fits our mold.  Wil be used to press and disrupt
on the court.  Main negative is thathe needs to get a lot more comfortable with his offense on the perimeter.  Overall a kid who is probably better than he gets credit for and has quIte a bit of upside. Good pickup both for depth athleticism and hopefully Obekpa as well which I think is a mere formality at this point now.

Just wondering what changed your mind from 2 months ago, when you mention he is not going to crack the lineup and at best mid major? Can a player really change that much in 2 months when he goes from you not wanting him to a prospect that fits our mold?

If you had read posts after my first initial post on Balamou, I had seen him again.  I said that he does fit our style of play.  Initial impressions aren't everything.  I had seen him more after that and came away impressed with his lateral quickness and his ability to get to the basket.   I don't think he'll crack the (starting) lineup and never did, especially not as a freshman.  A few months back we didn't need as many bodies as we do now.  At this point, we do have plentyof room for him and he piqued my interest and seems a kid that has more upside than I originally thought.  I stated as such even before he committed to SJU, and believe I was the one that originally likened his defense to CJac.  I think he can be an excellent defender, and our disruptive defense is definitive of our style of play.  We need depth with guys just like Felix to utilize our strength, which is conditioning, fast-paced play and high intensity.

From the other few games ive seen of him as well as watching SJU compete with some good teams down the stretch, I realize that the staff can ally mold a kid like this, and he can help us in some places that are not all measurables, much like Sir'Dom. 

Obekpa tweeted it. What insight does it provide?

I responded on the Obekpa thread.

Quote from: Mike on March 12, 2012, 09:44:23 PM

Quote from: MCNPA on March 12, 2012, 04:43:41 PM

Very good pickup for us for a few reasons:

1) fantastic athlete.  Elite, which is the style of team we're building.

2) we need capable bodies badly, and he is capable and not a reach.

3) he's good buddies with Obekpa

4). Fantastic lateral quickness.  Better anybody we currently have and has means to be excellent defender.

5) capable slasher and scorer

6) Academically qualified.

Nice looking prospect that fits our mold.  Wil be used to press and disrupt
on the court.  Main negative is thathe needs to get a lot more comfortable with his offense on the perimeter.  Overall a kid who is probably better than he gets credit for and has quIte a bit of upside. Good pickup both for depth athleticism and hopefully Obekpa as well which I think is a mere formality at this point now.

Just wondering what changed your mind from 2 months ago, when you mention he is not going to crack the lineup and at best mid major? Can a player really change that much in 2 months when he goes from you not wanting him to a prospect that fits our mold?

If you had read posts after my first initial post on Balamou, I had seen him again.  I said that he does fit our style of play.  Initial impressions aren't everything.  I had seen him more after that and came away impressed with his lateral quickness and his ability to get to the basket.   I don't think he'll crack the (starting) lineup and never did, especially not as a freshman.  A few months back we didn't need as many bodies as we do now.  At this point, we do have plentyof room for him and he piqued my interest and seems a kid that has more upside than I originally thought.  I stated as such even before he committed to SJU, and believe I was the one that originally likened his defense to CJac.  I think he can be an excellent defender, and our disruptive defense is definitive of our style of play.  We need depth with guys just like Felix to utilize our strength, which is conditioning, fast-paced play and high intensity.

From the other few games ive seen of him as well as watching SJU compete with some good teams down the stretch, I realize that the staff can ally mold a kid like this, and he can help us in some places that are not all measurables, much like Sir'Dom. 

Thanks for your explanation

Went to ESPN to look him up. How come he is not rated?

Every program needs quality 4 year players. By the time they become juniors and seniors you have a Chudney Gray or a Tyrone Grant. And those guys killed it for us as upperclassmen.

Went to ESPN to look him up. How come he is not rated?

I'm going to venture a guess and say it is because he is not good enough to be rated.  Espn doesn't rate every HS bball player in the country and from what I can tell no one was interested in him until recently.

Every program needs quality 4 year players. By the time they become juniors and seniors you have a Chudney Gray or a Tyrone Grant. And those guys killed it for us as upperclassmen.

Exactly.  He's an extremely good athlete and capable kid who will help the most right now on defense and in transition game.  Hopefully he develops his game even more.  Need kids on our bench in the 8-13th spots who can contribute and not all will be top 100 guys.

Felix is extremely underrated, i was watching some video last night and he matched up with Amir last year at is8 and def got the better end of it. He's super athletic, jumps out the gym , plays excellent defense has about a 6'6 reach, I'm liking this pick up the more and more I think about. OSNA plays a national schedule and aside from obekpa Felix is there main scoring option and best wing scorer and defender. So not only does he guard the best of the country he was giving them about 17 per on the offensive end as well.