Wichita State received Ehimen Orukpe’s letter of intent. Orukpe, from Lagos, Nigeria, signed with WSU in 2007 before starting a long journey that landed him in Poplar Bluff, Mo. He will have three seasons of eligibility at WSU beginning in 2010-2011. Here’s what coach Gregg Marshall said Wednesday about Orukpe, a center from Three Rivers Community College in Missouri:
“We all along felt it was something that would happen. He’s a pretty loyal kid. The reason he was (at Three Rivers Community College) is we knew they wouldn’t play a lot of games with entertaining other schools. (TRCC coach) Gene Bess is not trying to go become an assistant coach at X high-major university by delivering a kid. There were a couple schools we had heard had visited with him up there and other schools that had talked about getting involved. It was never much of an issue.”
Orukpe blocked 14 shots in his first two games. Marshall thinks he is getting a talented athlete who can help WSU quickly on defense. Other parts of his game need polishing.
“He’s all of 7-feet, 250 pounds of raw athleticism. Hopefully we can develop him offensively. He’s a brilliant student and a great kid.”
Marshall also addressed guard Clevin Hannah’s situation. Hannah, a senior, sat out Saturday’s exhibition game because WSU had discovered he was not certified as an amateur with the NCAA during the 2008-09 season, his first at WSU. Marshall again described the issue as a “paperwork” problem neglected by the athletic department. He expects to know something with the next day or two if Hannah will miss games.
“We’re hoping for the best,” Marshall said. “There could possibly be several games missed, but no more than that.”
Starting in 2007, all NCAA athletes in Division I and Division II had to be certified as amateurs. Hannah (and baseball player Taylor Gilmore) were not. You can read more about this requirement here and here.