Crean signs 7-foot center for 2008-09

Tijan Jobe has only been in the United States for four years. The Banjul, Gambia native hasn’t fully mastered the English language and he isn’t always the easiest to understand. But the latest Hoosier commit has made one thing clear: “I’m very excited,” Jobe said in a phone interview Wednesday. “I’m ready to play for IU.”\nJobe, a 7-foot, 255-lb., center from Olney Central Community College in Illinois, came to the United States through the African Hoop Opportunities Providing an Education (A-HOPE) program. The foundation is run by Mark Adams, a Bloomington native, so when Jobe and Olney Central coach Mike Burris visited IU on Tuesday, it wasn’t Jobe’s first time on campus.\nJobe was considering UAB and Auburn, but the 22-year-old said he liked what he saw on his visit with the coaching staff, and thus decided to commit to IU. IU coach Tom Crean expressed his excitement about the latest addition to IU’s 2008-09 squad, in a statement on Wednesday.\n“We are excited to be able to sign a player with the defensive ability and rebounding presence that Tijan has,” Crean said. “We feel he has a lot of room for growth in the sense of improving on both the defensive and offensive end and we love the fact that he plays extremely hard. His height and wingspan (7-5 1/2) is something that our team was in great need of.” \nJobe scored just four points and four rebounds in thirteen minutes per game last year at Olney Central, and also found himself in lots of foul trouble, his coach said. Burris didn’t seem too concerned, however, and expects the 7-footer to do well in Crean’s system.\n“I think he’s got a lot of upside to continue to develop and continue to improve his offensive and defensive abilities, but body-wise I don’t know if there’s going to be a better body in the Big Ten,” Burris said. “He’s cut, he’s ripped (and) he’s very, very physical. A lot of times with foreign kids at the junior college level, for whatever reasons, they seem to be better at the four-year level.”\nJobe won’t be the first African to play under Crean. The past four seasons at Marquette, Crean coached 6-foot-10 Senegal native Ousmane Barro. Barro averaged 2.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10 minutes per game as a freshman, but continued to develop and recorded eight double doubles in his last two seasons with the Golden Eagles. \nJobe, whose father is from Senegal and speaks the same language as Barro, said he doesn’t know the former Marquette big man, but has seen him play on television. \nBurris said that he and Jobe watched a highlight film of Barro and they saw similarities between the two.\n“Ousmane was kind of a screener and rolls to the basket, catches things off penetration, defends really well on the block (and) runs the floor,” Burris said. “I think Tijan’s got some of those same abilities that Ousmane possessed at Marquette that will make him successful at Indiana.”\nJobe, who said he first picked up the game of basketball two or three years prior to coming to the United States, shares one goal with most other college basketball players.\n”My goal is to win a championship at IU before I graduate,” Jobe said.\nWith only two years of eligibility left, he recognizes the hard work that will take, but said he is ready for the challenge. In fact, Burris said he talked to Jobe this morning shortly after the 7-footer had returned from a four-mile run.\n“I know that he’s going to do everything in his power to be ready to step in there and help in Indiana,” Burris said.