Semi Ojeleye, the junior forward for the SMU Mustangs, is listed at 6’7″. He often looks a lot bigger than that. The mature 22-year-old is playing his first season for SMU, after a couple years at Duke where he had trouble getting minutes. Getting to Duke in the first place shows you Ojeleye’s pure basketball pedigree. The way he scored 57 points and grabbed 27 rebounds over the course of three days in the 2017 AAC tournament demonstrates his game.
The Mustangs haven’t lost in two months and Ojeleye is a big reason. He looks unleashed for the Mustangs, after having been under wraps at Duke. Ojeleye has always been famous for his vertical leap, but he’s jumping out of the gym these days — playing a heck of a lot bigger than his listed height. Ojeleye is thick and strong, listed at 235 pounds, and his leaping ability and size invite comparisons to NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. Other comparisons include Pistons great Ben Wallace, though Ojeleye is a bigger offensive threat than Wallace. Ojeleye is a consistent poster of scripture verses on social media, where he favors quotes about endurance — his specialty.
