City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Obi Romeo, who played sparingly as a freshman at Saint Joseph's this past season, will transfer, the school announced Thursday afternoon.

The 6-foot-10 forward/center played in four games in his only year at the City Avenue school, scoring a total of four points and grabbing eight rebounds in 26 total minutes. 

“You can’t find a better human being, better teammate or harder working student than Obi,” SJU coach Phil Martelli said in a release. “He is seeking to gain a greater balance between academic success and basketball success. I support his decision to pursue his lifelong dreams and thank him for his efforts and commitment here at Saint Joseph’s.”

A native of Nigeria, Romeo drew the attention of a number of mid-to-high major coaches on the AAU circuit thanks to his enormous wingspan, which approached eight feet. He averaged 13.0 ppg and 14.0 rpg for Greenbriar East HS (W. Va.) but his offensive game was not developed enough for him to earn minutes over current rising senior Isaiah Miles and rising junior Javon Baumann.

His departure leaves the Hawks' staff with one open scholarship remaining. SJU is bringing in three freshman this fall, including Philadelphia natives Lamarr Kimble (Neumann-Goretti) and Chris Clover (St. Joseph's Prep), plus Bergen Catholic (N.J.) forward Pierfranceso Oliva.