Moses Abraham arrived in Tennessee Friday night for his official visit with the men's basketball team this weekend.
Joseph Boncore, Abraham's guardian, said the 6-foot-9, 235-pound native of Nigeria has been looking forward to seeing the Big Orange culture in action at today's noon game against Kentucky.
"Moses wants to see how the people in the area are so fanatical about their basketball,'' said Boncore, who Abraham has lived with since arriving in the United States in November. "Tennessee always seems to get the crowd support and people who care about the athletes.''
The Vols also care about landing a post player for the 2010 signing class, which is already ranked in the top five by recruiting services.
Abraham, who plays at the Progressive Christian Academy in Temple Hills, Md., is rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com and a three-star by Scout.com.
He has received offers from Georgetown, Maryland, Florida, Arizona State and Miami after averaging 16 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocked shots per game this past high school season. Abraham has a 40-inch vertical leap and a 7-3 wingspan.
"Moses likes the way Tennessee plays, and what they expect from their big man,'' Boncore said. "They aren't just standing still; they aren't one dimensional. They have to pop out, put the ball on the court, and that system develops players for the next level.''
Abraham will spend the night with Emmanuel Negedu, who is from Nigeria and has not played for the Vols since his cardiac incident in September but has remained a member of the team.
Abraham has visited Maryland and Georgetown, and Boncore said he might also visit Florida, Seton Hall and Indiana.
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Comments » 30
MTSUVOL writes:
Great to be a TN Vol!! Come on down Moses.
tennrich1 writes:
We probably need to land this one....his upside is hugh...a big man who can shoot from the outside as well as "jump out of the gym"...
rclarkvols#224537 writes:
I consider this a lock. Being from a foreign country I'm sure meeting someone who is from your homeland with a shared experience is hugh. We couldn't ask for a better ambaassador for UT than Negadu.
It looks like this next class will be one to remember for all the right reasons. Quality guys who can hoop.
cdonsbach writes:
Don't forget the eleventh commandment, "Thou shalt be a Vol", Moses!
Seriouslyorange writes:
Come here and lead others across the 'Tenne Sea' to the promised land. I promise you will be well received and treated very well.
volonthehill writes:
> his upside is hugh
Who is hugh?
Anyway, we'd love to have you in vol land.
whippersnapper writes:
6'9"...40"vertical...7'3" wing span...WOW ! ! !
rockytopatl writes:
Speaking of Negadu, has anyone heard whether there's any chance he can play again? His upside was higher than Mt. Leconte.
walt23tn writes:
I heard KY is thinking about offering him a scholarship too. It'd be nice to see him see KY get their a**es handed to them by the Orange tomorrow. Go Vols!
vols1987 writes:
Doubt he plays again. Too much risk to threaten his life with for a game. I think Moses has a similar playing style as Eman. Def glad Moses is staying with him too, seeing how the program has literally been a life-saver for Eman.
shoelessvol#236864 writes:
Moses comes to see the Vols part the big blue sea on Saturday. Next year he can help us do the same again and again! THE CHOSEN ONE!! GO VOLS!!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Sounds like someone we could really use! I'm happy about the guys we already have coming in, but I'm a little concerned about our post players going forward, especially with regard to depth. I would hope Williams and Hall develop into reliable starters, and I still harbor outside hopes about Negedu playing again, but we could really use another "space-eater" to come off the bench.
allvol32 writes:
Moses Abraham...could be the second coming of Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon!
UT fans would love to see you playing for the Vols Mr. Abraham.
murrayvol writes:
Amen.
illinoisvolfan writes:
Maybe it would be worth a flood of points?
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Hope the big guy got an eyeful today! Hope the extraordinarily loud and supportive home crowd made an impression on the visiting football prospects as well!
westknoxvol24 writes:
i think he meant huge...funny
osbymartin#581730 writes:
Yeah it was a great atmosphere at TBA today and a big win over a quality opponent should have impressed all visiting recruits football and basketball alike. Awesome that we have someone from his native land here to help the cause!
pomp_and_circumstance writes:
Well, Moses saw what the rest of us saw. Now, will there be a follow up interview to get his impressions? Mike? Mike?
jhayes0926#638474 writes:
How would this lineup work:
Scotty
Goins
Tobias
Moses
Golden/McRae
AlpharettaVol writes:
We couldn't have asked for a better scenario on Saturday. One of the top prospects in the nation courtside watching the Orange take down the Wildcats. A wild crowd, a great game. What else could he ask for?
Colliervol writes:
What was it that Nefertiri said to Charlton Heston in the movie? "Oh, Moses, Moses, Moses!"
VOLsince68 writes:
Well, it looks like 2 people know him............Ha
John_Galt writes:
I'm all for a Vengeful, Old-Testament basketball program.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
That could be the line-up by the end of the season. Yours has THREE freshmen, of whom only Harris is expected to be in the Wall-Cousins category. Moses will most likely be another Negedu--great body and athleticism, lots of raw talent, but not that great in fundamentals and low in experience. I look for Hall and Williams to rotate at the low post. If Moses surprises me--and we don't have him YET--he could maybe push Harris to small forward. Scotty should be good at shooting guard, but he may have to fight off Golden or McRae if THEY turn out to be "all that".
Even without Abraham, CBP has lots of intriguing parts to put together for next year. He will have to put in some off-season overtime to figure out just what he does have and what they can do so he can come up with a winning style for them BEFORE the season starts, but be flexible enough to adjust as the freshmen develop.
bakezilla writes:
Don't forget about Jeronne Maymon, 6-6 250 transfer from Marquette, he'll be eligible after the fall semester and could factor in at the 4 spot.
http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/j...
kti5783 writes:
Biblically, Moses only saw The Promise Land. He actually died before reaching it. . .
Cute comparison but not thought out well. Basically the equivalent of making the tournament and then winning a National Championship the year after he graduates.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
I would take a national championship any time under any circumstances! I would hope the Vols could reach a Final Four before Abraham graduates, but that is still a long way off, realistically.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
I hope Maymon can be a factor, but I am not happy with what I hear about the influence of his father. Maymon left Marquette because he wasn't happy about how he was being used. Specifically, he objected to playing in the post, which I take as a bad sign given his apparently strong and sturdy build.
MidTennVol writes:
Yeah, that's a red flag for me too. I have a feeling BP won't put up with any of that nonsense. "You play where, when and how I tell you to play or you sit. And if you don't like sitting, then find another program. Maybe your Dad can help you."
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