St. John's center Chris Obekpa attempts to block Connecticut guard Ryan Boatright's on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
Kathy Willens | The Associated Press The new King of Queens is actually a prince.
Chris Obekpa, a 6-foot-9 St. John’s freshman, leads the Big East and is second in the nation in blocked shots at 4.5 per game. He has already broken the St. John’s record for blocks in a season. In fact, he needed just 16 games to erase Walter Berry’s 27-year-old record. His 101 blocks are more than 288 Division I teams.
In barely over half a season, his shot-blocking prowess has earned him a new nickname – Oblockpa.
He’s a big reason why St. John’s, which plays No. 9 Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on Sunday, is a surprising 15-8 overall and 7-4 in the Big East Conference. And the center who rules the paint for the Red Storm comes from a ruling family.
Obekpa’s grandfather was king of the Idoma tribe. The Idoma (pronounced Ee-doh-ma) occupy much of Central Nigeria with a population of approximately 3 million. They trace their existence in the region back four to five thousand years.
Obekpa’s father, Gabriel, is a prince, while his uncle, Elias Ikeoyi Obekpa, is the current king. When asked if his uncle lives in an actual palace, Obekpa almost sheepishly replies, “Yes.’’
“I don’t care about all that stuff,’’ Obekpa said. “I’m a regular person.’’
He grew up in Makurdi, which is the capital of the Benue state in Central Nigeria with a population of roughly half a million people. As a kid, Obekpa played both soccer and basketball, but as he grew taller and taller he started taking basketball more seriously.
“When I start playing basketball, I figured that’s what I was good at,’’ Obekpa, who has nine siblings, said. “I just kept working at it.’’
He went to South Africa where he participated in the NBA’s “Basketball Without Borders’’ camp. He was selected to play for Nigeria’s Under-16 national team.
Obekpa came to the United States in 2010. His older brother, Ofu, who is 15 years his senior, had played both basketball and soccer at the University of Maine at Machias.
“It was very hard,’’ Obekpa said. “I wanted to come here, but when I had to think of leaving my family and friends I had to make the choice.’’
Obekpa enrolled at Our Savior New American High School on Long Island. As a junior at OSNA, Obekpa averaged 10.0, 8.0 rebounds and five blocks per game. He earned a spot on the East team at the Nike Global Challenge in Portland, Ore.
Then, as a senior, Obekpa led OSNA to a 25-5 record while averaging 12.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 9.0 blocks.
“He’s the most unique talent that I’ve ever recruited in my 25 years of coaching,’’ St. John’s coach Steve Lavin said. “I saw him at a number of games where he would have between 15 and 20 blocks with no fouls. It was very unusual.’’
Obekpa started blocking shots right from the start of the season. He rejected a school-record eight shots in St. John’s season-opener against Detroit. He later broke his own record with 11 blocks against Fordham on Dec. 8.
“The combination of his physical prowess, his gifts and talents are impressive,’’ Lavin said. “The wingspan (and) the quick, nimble feet. What really distinguishes him is his intellect. His basketball intelligence is as impressive for any freshman in my career.’’
After leaving Nigeria to come all the way to America, Obekpa chose St. John’s because he wanted to avoid another big move.
“As soon as I came to America, I was in New York,’’ Obekpa said. “I didn’t want to go somewhere else and adjust again. I didn’t want to start fresh.’’
Although comfortable in the shadows of Manhattan’s skyline, Obekpa is still getting acclimated to the winters in the Northeast.
“I’m still adjusting the weather,’’ he said. “It’s too cold for me. I hate the cold.’’
So here is Obekpa, a bonafide African prince, making a new start for himself in Jamaica, Queens. Sound familiar? His storyline practically mirrors the Eddie Murphy movie “Coming to America.’’ The movie even contains a scene where Murphy, who plays a prince from a fictitious African nation, attends a St. John’s game at Madison Square Garden.
“I saw the movie before coming here,’’ Obekpa said, happily tolerating the absurdity of having his life compared to a comedy flick. “I didn’t even know where all that was. And I didn’t come here to look for a wife.’’
Obekpa came to America with an eye towards returning to Nigeria.
“I want to go back and help people back home,’’ he said. “The situation there is difficult. There’s a lot to be done.’’
Obekpa sets high goals for himself on and off the court. In the St. John’s media guide, he said he wanted to be the Big East’s Defensive Player of the Year. That’s something only three freshmen have done – Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Allen Iverson.
“I set my goals high enough to inspire me,’’ Obekpa said.
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