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Men's Basketball

Syracuse basketball transfer Chinonso Obokoh visiting St. Bonaventure and Rutgers, per source

James McCann | Contributing Photographer

Chinonso Obokoh had his career-best game on Dec. 22 against Montana State.

Syracuse transfer center Chinonso Obokoh visited St. Bonaventure on Saturday and will visit Rutgers on Tuesday, a source with knowledge of the situation said Saturday afternoon.

On April 6, Syracuse.com reported the center’s intent to transfer. The Rochester, New York product will have one year left of eligibility after graduating from SU in May, one year ahead of his class.

Obokoh wants to find a school where he will start right away, the source said, and that he’s garnered interest from schools in conferences like the Big Ten, Southeastern and Atlantic 10.

Last season, St. Bonaventure, which is in the Atlantic 10 and finished the season 22-9, barely missed out on the NCAA Tournament. Rutgers finished 7-25, getting one win in 18 Big Ten games.

As a graduate transfer, Obokoh will not have to sit out a year. He’s played sparingly over the past two seasons, scoring 91.7 percent of his total points this season in one game, on Dec. 22 against Montana State. That game was the best of his career as he scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in 12 minutes of play.



Obokoh, who arrived at Bishop Kearney (New York) High School from Nigeria, lost a year of eligibility despite redshirting his freshman season because the NCAA ruled Bishop Kearney incorrectly classified Obokoh on his arrival in America.

Obokoh is the third player to transfer from Syracuse but the last to find a new home. Guard Kaleb Joseph will move to Creighton and walk-on guard, fellow graduate transfer Christian White, will transfer to Pace.

The scholarship-holding Obokoh’s transfer gives the Orange another scholarship to use while navigating through the NCAA sanctions. See the updated scholarship situation.

Entering the 2016-17 season, SU returns centers Dajuan Coleman, a senior, and sophomore transfer Paschal Chukwu.

Early Saturday, Syracuse lost out on one of its center targets in the Class of 2016, Cheickna Dembele.





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