St. John’s Transfer Chris Obekpa to UNLV

Former St. John’s big man Chris Obekpa will transfer to UNLV, according to a post on his Instagram page.

The 6-foot-9 Obekpa will sit the upcoming season per NCAA rules and be eligible in 2016-17.

Obekpa posted an image of the Runnin’ Rebel mascot, with the caption “REBIRTH.”

REBIRTH

A photo posted by Chris •E• Obekpa (@hrhewaoche) on Aug 5, 2015 at 11:06am PDT

Obekpa played in 95 games during his career with the Red Storm, averaging 4.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. The center from Makurdi, Nigeria, led the Big East in blocked shots three straight years and holds the program’s career (321), single-season (133) and single-game (11) blocks records.

He missed St. John’s NCAA Tournament appearance after getting suspended for testing positive for marijuana.

Written by Adam Zagoria

[email protected]

Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.