A Sea Of Red

Here's a Shocker for you .... I guess we now know where our 7-foot signee is headed:

Okon Named MBB DOBO at WSU
Courtesy: Wichita State
Release: 05/04/2007

WICHITA, Kan. -- Dominic Okon has been named Director of Basketball Operations (DOBO) at Wichita State, head coach Gregg Marshall announced today.


"Dominic is a wonderful gentleman who has come to this country and found a niche in college basketball,” Marshall said. “He is very well respected and I am looking forward to working with him as a solid and final piece to our coaching staff.


“I got to know him the last year and a half while he was at Liberty, which is in the Big South Conference with Winthrop. He also worked for Coach Gene Bess, who is the winningest college coach in the country, for eight years as an assistant coach at Three Rivers Community College.”

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So Okon finds gainful employment before RD does? Here's to hoping that Randy lands something soon.

Perhaps RD is going to take a break from coaching...nothing wrong with that.

Must be nice.

Must not say anything mean.

Congratulate Okon.

Do not degrade former head coach.



Congrats Okon.

congrats to dominic on his new job

Nice for Dominick. Great guy. I was sorry to see him go and not just because of the Nigerian connection. RD put together a really good staff. I hope Jones and RD find something soon. RD has some options outside of coaching from what I understand. Whatever he does decide to do he will approach it with a great deal of passion and intensity that's for sure. He wouldn't be the 1st former coach at Liberty to decide to pursue other things. Paul Nazigian and me were talking about that very subject yesterday. Naz is Matt Hildo's boss at Rustburg High School. Byron Samuels told Stephon Leary and me at the Final 4 that he won't be coaching anymore but that he is more than ok with his job situation. Didn't go into any details. RD will land on his feet soon. Marshall was smart to hire a guy like Okon though. Randy Peele was his coach with the Nigerian connection at WU so he needed another guy to open that pipeline IMO. I believe Okon knows the mid west and west due to his Juco days as well so he should be able to recruit.

Well good to see he found a place to land. I still have this odd feeling in my gut that questions that this Nigerian 7 footer follows him there. Call me crazy but that's just how I feel

BJ, where do you think he will land then? Liberty has not released him but is not planning on him attending in the fall. They have already given his scholarship away I believe. Okon is as close to the kid as any coach in America. WU was already recruiting him and now Marshall is in a better conference and better program (sorry WU). Why wouldn't he end up there?

BJWilliams wrote:Well good to see he found a place to land. I still have this odd feeling in my gut that questions that this Nigerian 7 footer follows him there. Call me crazy but that's just how I feel

Your gut's wrong.

SCAR wrote:Nice for Dominick. Great guy. I was sorry to see him go and not just because of the Nigerian connection. RD put together a really good staff. I hope Jones and RD find something soon. RD has some options outside of coaching from what I understand. Whatever he does decide to do he will approach it with a great deal of passion and intensity that's for sure. He wouldn't be the 1st former coach at Liberty to decide to pursue other things. Paul Nazigian and me were talking about that very subject yesterday. Naz is Matt Hildo's boss at Rustburg High School. Byron Samuels told Stephon Leary and me at the Final 4 that he won't be coaching anymore but that he is more than ok with his job situation. Didn't go into any details. RD will land on his feet soon. Marshall was smart to hire a guy like Okon though. Randy Peele was his coach with the Nigerian connection at WU so he needed another guy to open that pipeline IMO. I believe Okon knows the mid west and west due to his Juco days as well so he should be able to recruit.

Isn't it true that Okon will not be able to recruit b/c he is going to be the D OP?

Congrats and good luck to him at WSU!!!

SuperJon wrote:

BJWilliams wrote:Well good to see he found a place to land. I still have this odd feeling in my gut that questions that this Nigerian 7 footer follows him there. Call me crazy but that's just how I feel

Your gut's wrong.

Id have no problem with it being wrong. Its been wrong before...many times...

Congratulations to Okon, definitely a good job for him.

The 7 footer might not be alone...word is a few more will go with him as well, maybe a total of 3

Hold My Own wrote:The 7 footer might not be alone...word is a few more will go with him as well, maybe a total of 3

Nice tease.....im sure your laughing in your office right now as we all scratch our heads...

ohh sorry, i didnt mean to tease...i hear Okon has 2 more big guys to add to the 7 footer...so total of 3

word is a few more will go with him as well, maybe a total of 3

I'm guessing that Super is hoping that RD is part of that number.

the WSU website doesn't say anything about Erukpe signing with them.

LU'sbestmanager wrote:the WSU website doesn't say anything about Erukpe signing with them.

I imagine he could not sign until he received his release from LU...or has he already received his release?

From what I understand he has not received his release yet.

but has he asked for it. There's the question. I'd hate to think we wouldnt give it to him. I don't even know if you can withold that if you've already given away his scholly.

The fact that RMK didn't hold a scholly for him indicates that he will release him once he asks. I have not heard of someone not getting their release so I don't know what would happen if hypothetically we decided not to release him. Maybe Lib can shed some light on that sort of thing. I know Wanny at Pitt wouldn't release Rashad Jennings to UVA or anyone else on his schedule saying that he is not going to let Rashad help someone else beat Pitt.

SCAR wrote: I know Wanny at Pitt

Scar...watch your language! For Dolphins fans Wandsteadt is the worst version of curse words there are. He only gives me more reason to hate Pitt.

HenryGale wrote:

SCAR wrote: I know Wanny at Pitt

Scar...watch your language! For Dolphins fans Wandsteadt is the worst version of curse words there are. He only gives me more reason to hate Pitt.

That change to Saban really worked well for the 'fins, too...

WWJFD wrote:

SCAR wrote:Nice for Dominick. Great guy. I was sorry to see him go and not just because of the Nigerian connection. RD put together a really good staff. I hope Jones and RD find something soon. RD has some options outside of coaching from what I understand. Whatever he does decide to do he will approach it with a great deal of passion and intensity that's for sure. He wouldn't be the 1st former coach at Liberty to decide to pursue other things. Paul Nazigian and me were talking about that very subject yesterday. Naz is Matt Hildo's boss at Rustburg High School. Byron Samuels told Stephon Leary and me at the Final 4 that he won't be coaching anymore but that he is more than ok with his job situation. Didn't go into any details. RD will land on his feet soon. Marshall was smart to hire a guy like Okon though. Randy Peele was his coach with the Nigerian connection at WU so he needed another guy to open that pipeline IMO. I believe Okon knows the mid west and west due to his Juco days as well so he should be able to recruit.

Isn't it true that Okon will not be able to recruit b/c he is going to be the D OP?

He can't go out on recruiting visits himself but WSU can still utilize his contacts and relationships to land more players from the great continent of Africa.

Ehimen Orukpe officially signed with the Shox on Monday and is expected to get some decent minutes early as he's the only guy over 6'8" on the team.