UK in Final 5 for Obinna Ekezie (reclass)
- Thread starter BleedBlue_22
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Seems unlikely given Moreno. Unless Moreno stays in the draft.
unfortunate. this guy eats morenos lunch even though he is two years younger
Could see him reclassing and wanting to develop for a year behind another big depending on his age, but seems unlikely nowadays, could definitely use him and Moreno splitting minutes
My interest was peaked until I saw the other 4 suitors.
I just can't see Moreno staying in the draft when as of now he isn't even listed in 2026
We'll be in the final 3 to drive up the bidding war between the 2 actual schools he is considering.
Rinse, repeat.
Rinse, repeat.
Slim Jesus and this guy will be a huge upgrade from Ewin / Pringle.
But Cal still won't sniff a final 4.
I hope you're right. If he does, the national jokes about UK will just get louder and more frequent.
FWIW, my personal opinion is he hasn't shown any evidence that he will reach that level of success. He knows he can coast of S16s and an EE here and there at Fayetteville and be a god.
I would say Arkansas or BYU lands him.
Young reclassification kid, talented ("talent" meaning upside potential, not current ability to produce), not ready for prime time yet, in a starting role probably significantly hurts his teams chances to be a serious title contender (or even conference title contender) and maybe hurts his own value, BUT . . . a projected draft pick on potential alone and the thought that in 3-4 years from now he could be a productive NBA player. Why hasn't this kid already signed with Arkansas?
On the other hand, maybe he is actually focused on winning, knows he'll be a draft pick regardless, will be at a school for at least two years, and is confident that he can earn his position. In that case, come on down.
On the other hand, maybe he is actually focused on winning, knows he'll be a draft pick regardless, will be at a school for at least two years, and is confident that he can earn his position. In that case, come on down.
I could see us landing this kid if literally no other college was recruiting him, and even them I would give us a 60% chance.
I use https://www.nbadraft.net/nba-mock-drafts/?year-mock=2026. just because ESPN and CBS are delayed in the updates
That was last updated on the 11th. ESPN was updated 2 days ago.
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He would still only be in school for one year.
" Ekezie is old for current grade and turns 18 in May".
He would still only be in school for one year.
2027 is weaker than 2026 - a 5 coming out of that class is not walking in moving the needle. I honestly think Calipari is simply addicted to anything that has a 5* next to it.
I will say this - if the Toure kid becomes something, I would give him his due. He pulled the kid out of UConn's backyard when he was ranked in the 30's and has since gone 5star. Best athlete in the class.
From what I read on Toure it looks like it was more of a UConn pass than an Arkansas steal. Toure wanted UConn but UConn didn't want Toure - at least not enough to take him when he wanted to sign.
I think it was a combo - team that actually threw the most NIL at Toure was Providence. I don't think UConn was ready to pony up what Toure's camp wanted - his game really doesn't match their system (high IQ, shooting).
UofL, BYU, Arkansas on every single list of players we are on. We haven’t won a single one yet.
That would be a stupid *** love because he’s not ready, the draft is super deep, he’s not a first rounder.
It don’t matter because Cal can’t win in this era.
I'm getting the whiff chair ready!
Would think they would have to run out of money sooner or later and someone fall into our laps because of it.
Just an FYI. Ekezie just started following almost all of the players on the Arkansas roster. I wonder what that means?
We definitely need a backup center and he’d be a solid option, also He’s not getting the big time money like the top 20 portal guys so we could afford the add him. Saying that, he’s probably a long shot to come here but he’d help us inside. We need a shooter and a playmaker more probably, but if we could add three he’d sure be a good option. He’ll go to the biggest offer no doubt so we’ll see.
Why would they #2 ranked player and top center come to play back up?
Yeah and will make about 1 to 1.5 million more dollars for a way easier job. No brainer.
He’d be a backup on any top ten team, but as for here, maybe he thinks he can win the job over MM. I don’t think he’d start right away if at all over MM. I get what you’re saying though and agree. Some kids want to win first but very few nowadays.