FSU Basketball Commit set to Play in Nike Hoop Summit

The premier showcase for high school basketball talent in the country is the Nike Hoop Summit event, pitting the USA vs the World Select team. And for the second consecutive year, a Florida State hoops commit will be participating.

Last year it was Jonathan Isaac becoming FSU’s first ever recruit to lace em’ up at the Hoop Summit, playing for Team USA. This year, Ikechukwu “Ikey” Obiagu, a center from Nigeria (he played high school ball in Georgia) will compete for the World team in the 20th edition of this event.

Ikey, who was recently named first-team All State by the AJC for Class A, is a legit seven-footer. In fact, the measurements taken on the first day of the Hoop Summit show that he’s grown even in the last year or so. Previously listed at 7’0 even, Ikey checked in at 7’1.25, 241 pounds, with a wingspan stretching beyond 7’5.

Like many prospects his size, Obiagu is a work in progress on the offensive end. One scout observing practice described him as “stiff and robotic” which is indicative of someone still thinking too much and learning the game. However, his length and athleticism make him a force on the defensive end already and he projects as rim protector at the college and professional level.

The biggest questions for Florida State fans are:

1) How quickly can he pick up Hamilton’s defensive schemes?

2) How long will it take him to be a contributor on offense?

The Nike Hoop Summit is an intriguing chance to see a guy who is typically matched up against much smaller opponents go up against multiple top 10 big men on Team USA, including Duke commit, Wendell Carter, Jr. and UK/Duke target, Mo Bamba.

Also of note, two FSU targets are playing in the game as well—both for Team USA. Kevin Knox II is a 6’9 small forward who represents where the game is headed in terms of style of play and M.J. Walker is a 6’5 scoring guard who was part of USA’s U18 gold medal team at the FIBA Americas Championship last summer.

Knox, an FSU legacy, will likely be wearing a shade of blue for his one year in college (UK, Duke, and UNC all seem to be ahead of FSU at the moment). M.J. Walker is taking his time with the recruitment process and still considering 8 teams, including FSU, UCLA, Maryland, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech.

The game tips at 10:00pm Eastern on Friday night and will be broadcast live on ESPN2. For a full list of both rosters, click here.