ORLANDO -- Solomon Alabi -- an athletic, 14-year-old youngster from a small town in Nigeria -- came to his first basketball camp expecting to play barefoot. He was growing so fast, he didn't have any shoes that fit him. That was only seven years ago.Alabi has shoes now. He also has the Florida State Seminoles feeling good about their chances this season in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference, putting them in the Finals Sunday of the Old Spice Classic against Marquette at Disney's Wide World of Sports.
Alabi, a 7-1, 242-pound sophomore, has become one of the NCAA's leading shot blockers, a raw prospect who anchors a rangy, defensive-minded team. He came to America in high school, developed a love for basketball, and has been intimidating the shooters ever since.
"He's like a security blanket back there for us,'' FSU Coach Leonard Hamilton said after a 60-51 victory over Alabama Friday night. "He's so new to this game that there's so much he doesn't know yet, but you can tell he's going to blossom into a real special player. He hasn't even scratched the surface.''
Alabi led the ACC in blocked shots (2.1 bpg) last season as a freshman, but the rest of his game slowly is developing now, too. He has 17 blocked shots in six games. He is averaging 10.2 points and 6.2 rebounds in only 22 minutes, and the Seminoles have won five of their six.
"I grew up playing soccer, but you didn't need shoes,'' he said after blocking four shots against Alabama on Friday. "I got my first pair of basketball shoes at that camp, and that's when people started telling me I was too tall for soccer, that I needed to try something else. I've worked hard to play this game.''
Alabi has the size, athletic ability and natural shot-blocking skills that are attracting NBA scouts to every game. Yet he still lacks the natural basketball instincts that many American players have who grew up playing the game.
One NBA scout Friday said Alibi reminds him a little of athletic African Saer Sene, the 10th pick of the 2006 Draft by Seattle who already has washed out of the league. Sene was picked on potential that never happened.
Hamilton expects Alibi to develop the instincts he needs, but it won't happen overnight. Alabi has a soft shooting touch. Although his range is limited offensively, and his low-post game is raw, he has hit an astounding 19 of 20 free throws this season.
"He is like a sponge, so eager to learn what you try and teach him,'' Hamilton said. "He has the athletic ability you need. And he'll work to get better. I don't have any doubts.''With a developing offensive game, Alabi is starting to see more double-teams in the post, which he struggles to beat. Although he has good mobility and runs reasonably well, his passing isn't good yet.
He frowned Friday night at the mention of the NBA and the possibility of leaving FSU early to become a professional. Another scout thought he could be a late first-round pick.
"I would love the chance someday to play in the NBA, but I just want to become a better college player now,'' he said. "I'm much better now than I was in high school, and I want to be better each season in college.''
