Aug. 7, 2015
UNLV Men's Basketball Ticket Information
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV men's basketball program has received a signed financial aid agreement from Chris Obekpa, head coach Dave Rice announced Friday. He will enroll at UNLV this fall.
Obekpa, a 6-foot-10-inch, 240-pound forward, is originally from Nigera and is transferring to UNLV from St. John's where he spent three years in the Red Storm's men's basketball program. He attended high school in New York at Our Savior New American.
"We are excited to have Chris join our program," Rice said. "At St. John's he was one of the best defensive players in the country. He has articulated his commitment to team and working hard during his upcoming redshirt season and his senior year."
Obekpa played all three seasons he was at St. John's, appearing in a total of 95 games with 52 starts. Last season he was the nation's fifth-leading shot blocker with an average of 3.1 per game. He also averaged 5.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest, playing an average of 27.3 minutes per outing (30 total games, 24 starts).
He has led the Big East Conference in blocks three years in a row, recording as many as 133 blocks in a season and 11 blocks in a game, both school records. He also has a St. John's record of 321 blocks in his career. As a freshman he led the country in blocks with 4.0 per game.
Obekpa will sit out the 2015-16 season as a redshirt and will be a senior for the 2016-17 season.
A limited number of season tickets in the lower bowl of the Thomas & Mack Center for the 2015-16 UNLV men's basketball season are on sale now. They may be purchased online at UNLVtickets.com, by calling 702-739-FANS (3267) or in person at the Thomas & Mack Center box office.
Rice is entering his fifth season as head coach of the Runnin' Rebel program. UNLV returns seven scholarship players from last year's roster with six newcomers making up another highly regarded recruiting class. After a top-five class in 2014, Rivals has this year's Runnin' Rebel class ranked No. 11 in the country.
