Chino vs. Doyin.JPG

Syracuse University center Chino Obokoh (right) goes against Doyin Akintobi-Adeyeye during a recent Syracuse practice.

(Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com)

Syracuse, NY - A couple weeks ago, an NBA scout sat courtside at the Melo Center and watched Syracuse's basketball team practice.

Asked to describe the basketball body of one of those participants - sophomore Chino Obokoh - the scout summarized what he saw with one word: "Chiseled."

Obokoh, about to start his first official campaign with the Orange after an NCAA-mandated freshman season of observation, has become more than a mere curiosity for Syracuse. With Dajuan Coleman's playing status dependent upon the healing of his surgically repaired knee, Obokoh could be counted on to provide solid, Baye Moussa Keita-like minutes for the Orange.

The native of Nigeria via nearby Rochester will be asked to supply support for starter Rakeem Christmas.

"He's a very good rim protector. His strength right now is his defense," said SU assistant coach Mike Hopkins, who works with the Orange big men. "He's different from Baye, who was a runner, a gangly Spiderman. Chino is physical and (can provide) shot-blocking and rebounding."

About that body: Obokoh said he weighed about 170 pounds his senior season at Bishop Kearney High School. SU now lists him at 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds. Most of that increased bulk settled on his arms and shoulders. He has spent the past two years working to achieve the kind of frame that can withstand pounding in the paint. Hopkins said the narrowness of Obokoh's hips and backside has allowed him to maintain his speed and athleticism.

"He's very mobile," Hopkins said.

Obokoh attributes much of his upper body mass to the 500 push-ups he does each day and to the series of weight lifting exercises he embarked upon once he reached college. He accomplishes his push-up goals, he said, by spreading the pain throughout the day.

Chinonso Obokoh (23), seen here at the Jordan Brand Classic Regional Game, held at the Barclays Center in April 2013.

Syracuse men's basketball player Chinonso Obokoh practices Tuesday Oct 21, 2014. at the Carmelo K. Anthony Center.

"It wasn't an easy thing. I've been working, I've been doing what I'm supposed to be doing, going to the gym to put me in the position I'm in right now," he said. "Right now, it helps me a lot. I've gotten a little bit stronger. I know that I want to put on more weight, but I don't want to do it so my body can't carry it. But right now, I feel much better going against the bigger guys."

The NCAA last year subtracted a season of college basketball from Obokoh, claiming Bishop Kearney improperly reclassified him once he arrived at the Rochester school from Nigeria. Bishop Kearney officials have disputed that claim and at some point, Syracuse can petition the NCAA to restore Obokoh's season of eligibility.

Obokoh said he used all of last season to build his body and learn how to cover college players in the post. He spent time with Keita, the two sometimes reminiscing about their African roots. Keita also encouraged Obokoh to imagine beyond the initial NCAA hiccup and focus on the future.

"I learned a lot of stuff from him," Obokoh said. "He was a great player, a great competitor. I was really close to him. He told me I should pick my head up and everything would work out."

Obokoh describes himself as a defender, an apt assessment of his game. Hopkins characterized Obokoh is a "great shot-blocker" whose innate sense of timing allows him to block shots at lower angles than most big men. He aggressively hunts offensive rebounds, though once he secures the ball, he struggles to convert inside. His offensive game is shackled at this point by the hesitant, mechanical way he operates with the ball.

"Right now, I'm trying to be great in what I know best to do. Defense, I'm trying to be great at it," Obokoh said. "Offensive-wise, I'm trying to expand a little bit. Maybe right now, it's not going to show. But I still have more years, so that will keep improving."

Hopkins said Obokoh is "finishing better around the rim." He likes the look of Obokoh's shooting stroke and believes, he said, that the big man can develop on the offensive end.

His immediate future has been hampered by an early-season hip injury that kept him out of as many as eight or 10 practices. Obokoh described the injury as a "strain" and said last week he felt incrementally better as treatments continued and days progressed. He has practiced without restrictions this week.

"Chino's getting better," SU coach Jim Boeheim said last week. "He's been hurt. He's missed a week or 10 days of practice, which has hurt him. But I think he's certainly a good enough player to help us. And it's important we get him healthy. We don't have a lot of depth on this team."

His size and his strength will add another interior dimension for the Orange, who without Coleman needs an additional presence in the post. Hopkins praised Obokoh for his work habits and "his amazing mindset." He believes, he said, that the sophomore center can provide valuable minutes for SU this season.

"It was hard coming into a school and knowing that you're not going to play, but you're practicing all the time," Obokoh said. "It wasn't easy. But doing all that stuff, looking up to guys and knowing that I did my best, it's going to be in my hands right now to deliver everything that I want it to be. Everything worked out."