Michael Ojo adds more size, intrigue to Florida St’s 2012 Recuiting Class

May 16, 2012

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (seminoles.com) – Michael Ojo, who earned All-American honors at the National Association of Christian Athletes Tournament in 2012, has signed to attend Florida State University and play basketball for head coach Leonard Hamilton. The 7-1, 290 pound center averaged 15.0 points, 14.0 rebounds and 5.0 blocked shots as a senior at Tennessee Temple High School in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Ojo (Lagos, Nigeria) is the sixth member of Florida State’s recruiting class that has already addressed its overall team improvement after losing four seniors and two graduate students from the Seminoles’ 2012 ACC Championship and fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament team. Ojo joins Florida State’s nationally ranked recruiting class of guard Devon Bookert (Anchorage, Alaska/West), guard Montay Brandon (High Point, N.C./Wesleyan Academy), forward Robert Gilchrist (London, England/Polk State Junior College), guard Aaron Thomas (Cincinnati, Ohio/Brewster Academy) and center Boris Bojanovsky (Slovak Republic/The Oakley School).

Ojo becomes the third player on Florida State’s roster for the upcoming season that stands at least 6-11. Kiel Turpin, who is in his second year as a Seminole is 6-11, while Ojo is 7-1 and Bojanovsky is 7-3. Florida State was the second tallest team in the nation and, with the addition of two players at 7-1 or taller, the Seminoles will certainly continue to utilize their collective height to their advantage.

"We are excited about this group of players and the opportunity that each one of them will have to help our team continue to build on the foundation we already have in place," said Hamilton. "Michael fits in well with the high-character type of student-athletes already included in this class. We are going to have patience with this group but they will grow as individuals and their progress will be evident quickly."

In addition to earning All-American honors from the NACA, Ojo was named to the All-Tournament team at the NACA Tournament in 2012.

"Michael has been playing basketball for only a few years and is a dedicated, hard-working young man who has a very high basketball ceiling," said Tennessee Temple High school head coach Randy Lee. "While I don’t want to place unrealistic expectations on Michael, he is right now physically talented enough to play in the ACC – he only needs time to develop his understanding of the game of basketball. He has the ability to be a good rebounder and has a very imposing presence in the paint with his 7-foot-8 wingspan. Coach Hamilton and his staff not only have a great history of identifying talented post players but they have the patience to help them develop over time. Florida State and Coach Hamilton’s system are perfect fits for Michael and he will be a great addition to the Seminole program."

http://www.seminoles.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/051612aaa.html

For a second, I thought this was a taller Guerdwich Montimere/Jerry Joseph going on with John Riek/Michael Ojo. I mean, the story sounds eerily similar and when I did some digging, I found out that Riek does indeed go to Tennessee Temple! LOL! But, it appears they are actually, somehow, different people (Plus I guess Riek was technically listed at 7-2). Here is a message board post that was interesting about Michael Ojo:

http://www.volnation.com/forum/tennessee-vols-recruiting/159765-12-tn-c-ojo-olalekan-michael.html

It was by someone who apparently knew him and there is a picture further down. He definitely looks like a pretty rare physical specimen. Unfortunately, have no clue as to anything he does as a basketball player that would separate him from other raw, 7 footers with massive wing spans (you know, block shots, grab boards, give little offensively. Not to mention probably foul, turn it over).

Still, Leonard Hamilton’s FSU class is super intriguing to me. Boris Bojanovsky is listed as 7-3 and played last summer on the Slovak Republic’s in the B division of the European U18’s. Put up 22 and 13, though I am guessing the competition was not exactly top notch:

http://u18men.fibaeurope.com/enDivB/cid_vxfp6gWIJ5oSOkc7ox4BA3.teamID_2611.compID_8aYeHlfuGF-mF5IqO8aFH1.season_2011.roundID_7861.playerID_70698.html

He has been at the Canarias Basketball Academy for a few years and is reportedly a decent prospect who needs to work on his body. Might be a redshirt candidate, but 7 footers who can play a bit are always intriguing.

The thing with Michael Ojo is, how is this the first time I had heard of him yesterday? If there was a 7 footer from Nigerian who is built like a tank, how is this not news in the recruiting world until the end of the spring signing period? It leads me to either believe that he was incredibly well hidden, or maybe not much more than a foot note. Either way, FSU fans might not want to get there hopes up. That way you might at least be pleasantly surprised with the newest 7 footer post Krefty.

Hamilton also signed a JUCO PF originally from London, England by the name of Robert Gilchrist. He is listed as being born in 1990, which is the international automatic eligibility date for this years draft, which does not apply to Gilchrist as he still maintains college eligibility. Seems like a really good athlete, though have no idea what his draft prospects will be due to his age. Not to mention if he can compete against the ACC’s best:

Besides the foreign bigs, they have some solid looking guard prospects. Aaron Thomas played at Brewster Academy, noted as one of the top HS teams in the nation this past season. He was ranked as a top 100 player in the class of 2011 (last year), but I think needed a post grad season to qualify. Should give him a year more of seasoning to make a contribution. Scout currently ranks the 6-5 SG as 11th best at his position in 2012.

Montay Brandon is a wing around the same size who Scout currently ranks as the 11th best SF in 2012. He and Thomas are #54 and 59 in the final 2012 rankings, both are seen as athletes with nice upside who fit into Hamilton’s defensive structure. They also signed a rising PG originally from Anchorage, Alaska in Devon Bookert (http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2011-08-19/florida-state-lands-rising-point-guard-devon-bookert). Bookert spent the past year at Impact Basketball Academy, using it as a post grad as he was also a 2011 HS grad.

Seems like Leonard Hamilton definitely took a pretty global approach to this class. He got a kid from Slovakia, Nigeria, England, Ohio playing prep in New Hampshire, North Carolina and Alaska. That certainly seems like a trek if I have ever heard one, though at the very least 5/6 were playing in the US.

Very interested in seeing how this class pays off for Hamilton. It may not be full of the highest ranked players, but the intrigue factor for me is incredibly high. Seems like Hamilton is taking some chances with some big bodies, which could pay off big time. They have some solid returnees in Mike Snaer coming back for his senior season, plus Okaro White and Aran’s boy Ian Miller adding some experience from last seasons ACC Tournament champion copping squad.

The piece de resistance for FSU could be in the near future, however. Seeing that both of Andrew Wiggins parents are Florida State Alums, the Noles seem to be in the hunt for his services. He definitely mentions them among his favorites, though all of the top schools are also along side them (Kentucky and North Carolina at the very least). If Wiggins decides to re-classify, or even if he stays in the Class of 2014, I am sure Hamilton will be looking for some star power to go along with his prospects. My feeling is with this class, he may not have landed any huge names right now, but he helped his chances with the star player FSU is looking for.