Florida State CBB Profile: Michael Ojo

Feb 2, 2013; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles center Michael Ojo (50) gets his team fired up before the game against the Duke Blue Devils at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

Name: Michael Ojo

Eligibility: Sophomore

Height: 7’1″

Weight: 292 lbs

Position: Center

Twitter Handle: N/A

2012-13 Season Stats: 0.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 5.0 mpg

Prognostication: Last week we told you about Bojo (or Bobo, depending on how well you know him), this week we’re looking at Ojo, and yes I did strategically choose to highlight these two profiles in back-to-back weeks so that I could use that line. Unlike Bojanovsky, Michael Ojo has a grown man’s body, which on his 7-foot-1 frame, has him looking like a David Robinson type. In all fairness, don’t expect The Admiral’s production, as the most pleasing aspect of Ojo’s game is his appearance. As they say, never judge a book by its cover,  and if you see a seven footer buried on the back of the bench in the ACC, don’t expect for him to see the floor too often. Both Ojo and Leonard Hamilton will be lucky if the big can be as productive his second season, as he was as a freshman.

Strengths: Alright, maybe that was a little too harsh of a prognostication. In limited action as a freshman, Ojo rebounded at a relatively productive rate for Florida State. Ojo was amongst the ‘Noles more physical players last season, which reportedly, has really helped to make the centers ahead of him on the depth chart – Bojanovsky and Kiel Turpin – a bit tougher. Since arriving to Tallahassee, the coaching staff has been working on making Ojo feel more comfortable using his body, which considering he can touch the rim without jumping, could really benefit Hamilton’s defense.

Weaknesses: Ok, the last paragraph was a struggle! It’s borderline impossible to say something good about Ojo without following it with “but…” Obviously a 7-foot, near 300-pound 19 year-0ld isn’t overly athletic, but aside from his freakish length, Ojo really gets minimal from his unique build. If he couldn’t already reach the rim with his 7-foot-8 wingspan, it’s feasible that Ojo wouldn’t be able to dunk, which when combined with his non existent ball skills…you get the point right? Having played double-digit minutes just three times his freshman season, and with a bevy of talented wing options, I just don’t see where Ojo fits into Hamilton’s rotation.

Best Case Scenario: I don’t want to be this negative about one of the hardest working kids on the team. I think from a skills perspective, every single player on the roster above 6-foot-8, from Jarquez Smith to Bojanovsky, Ojo is the least talented of them all. With that said, he’s an emotional leader on this fairly inexperienced team, and if he was needed to play I think you could do worse than throwing Ojo in the middle of your defense for a few minutes here and there. Hopefully the hard work has paid off and Ojo looks more basketball ready than he did last season, but with such little experience playing in the United States, Ojo is a complete project that may not pan out at FSU.

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