Know Your Team: Obinna Oleka & Isaiah Tate
It's a case of better late than never for the St. John's Edge, as they welcomed two impact players to their ranks mid-way through the season.
Obinna Oleka
6'8
Forward
From Washington DC
After averaging 24 points and 11 rebounds as a senior at the Florida Christian Institute in Cape Coral, Oleka bettered that in first year with the SCF Manatees, putting up 25.6 points and 13.6 rebounds in five games.
He was then recruited to play his last two college years with the Arizona Sun Devils in the NCAA, where he set a record for most rebounds in two seasons in the team's history. As a senior he made sixteen double-doubles, the most of anyone on the team, finishing his tenure with 11.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
Oleka made his professional debut in Italy with Brindisi, for whom he averaged 2.4 points and 2.8 rebounds on the season. He then signed for the St. John's Edge in 2018, and it did not take him long to make an impression on both his new team and the entire league.
After 19 games for the Edge, his 10.9 total rebounds per game is the best in all of the NBL Canada, quickly making him a key component in the Edge's defensive game plan in the latter part of the season.
Isaiah Tate
6'4
Guard
From Marlboro, Maryland
An All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Team selectee and All-American Honourable Mention playing for DeMatha Catholic High School, Tate went on to play four seasons for the George Mason Patriots in Fairfax, Virginia.
He started in 23 out of 30 games as a junior and had a career-best scoring season as a senior with 6.2 points per game, in a season where he also reached the third round of the NCAA Division 1 tournament - George Mason defeated Villanova 61-57 in round two, then lost to top-seed Ohio State.
Tate made twelve starts for Surrey United in the 2013-14 British Basketball League season, where he averaged 21.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. It would be some time before he would next be seen in action, signing for the Moncton Magic in 2018. After 20 games and an average 10.5 points, he left the Magic for the St. John's Edge.
Pictures: Joe Camporealae, Jacinthe LeBlanc
