Christopher Ewaoche "Chris" Obekpa is a Nigerian basketball player who last played for Saint John"s University in Jamaica, New New York
Background
Chris Obekpa was born in Makurdi, Nigeria to parents Elizabeth O. Ameh, his mother, and Gabriel Obekpa. His grandfather used to be the king of the Idoma tribe, his father is a prince, and his uncle Elias Ikeoyi Obekpa is the current king. Obekpa"s grew up around soccer fans, but his interest in basketball was stronger.
Career
As a freshman in 2012-2013 he led National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I in blocks per game with a 4.03 average. Word of his talents spread and he eventually was selected to play for the Nigerian under-16 national team In 2010 he moved to the United States to attend his final two years of high school in hopes of being noticed by college programs (Chris" older brother, Ofu, played one year of basketball at the University of Maine at Machias).
He moved to New York City and enrolled at Our Savior New American School (OSNA) in Centereach.
As a junior in 2010-2011 he helped the school finish with a 17–10 record behind averages of 10 points, eight rebounds and five blocks per game. In three separate tournaments he was named the Most Valuable Player.
The following season, Obekpa"s senior year in 2011-2012, he led OSNA to a 25–5 overall record as well as a final national top-10 ranking by MaxPreps.com. He nearly averaged a triple-double: 12 points, 13 rebounds and nine blocks per game.
The National Association of Christian Athletes named him a first team All-American, and national recruiting services listed him as a top-100 overall recruit (top-20 for centres).
Colleges that expressed interest in him were University of California, Los Angeles, Connecticut, DePaul, Cincinnati, Oregon, and Saint John"s, among others Obekpa ultimately chose Saint John"s because it was in his adopted home city and he did not want to have to re-adjust to another city"s culture so quickly. He felt comfortable in New New York
Obekpa quickly established himself as a premier shot blocker during his freshman campaign in 2012-2013.
In his first collegiate game, he set a Saint John"s record with eight blocks. Less than one month later, on 8 December 2012, he recorded a new school record 11 blocks in a game against Fordham.
This total was one shy of the Big East Conference record. Obekpa finished his first year as the top shot blocker in the nation with a 4.03 per game average after recording 133 blocks in 33 games.
Saint John"s earned a berth into the 2013 National Invitation Tournament where they lost to Virginia in the second round.
On August 4, 2015 he announced he was transferring to University of Nevada, Las Vegas.