This is the seventh installment of our summer "Getting to know" series on IU's 10 new players. Today, we focus on Tijan Jobe, a 7-foot 255-pound center from Banjul, The Gambia.
Behind Tijan Jobe Tijan Jobe's measurements are almost as staggering as his statistics. On one side, you have a 7-foot tall center who can run the floor and is packing 255 pounds to bang on the boards. On the other side, you have an extremely raw incoming junior who barely drew anyone's attention at the junior college level last season averaging four points per game.
His potential can only be speculated at this point, but Tijan Jobe (pronounced Tee-zhan Joab) will play a big role in Tom Crean's Hoosiers this fall.
Shortly after Crean was hired, IU assistant coach Tim Buckley contacted Olney Central coach Mike Burris about a raw center with a lot of potential. Burris sent Buckley and Crean a video, Jobe came to campus, and quickly signed with the Hoosiers over UAB, Auburn and Nebraska.
Jobe's recruiting visit to Bloomington wasn't his first time in Monroe County. Jobe came to the United States through the African Hoop Opportunities Providing an Education program run by Mark Adams, also the coach of the Indiana Elite AAU team. He attended Laurinburng Prep in high school before choosing Butler County (Kan.) Community College. He transferred to Olney Central after a year and averaged about four points and four rebounds per game last season in limited playing time.
On the floor Both Crean and Burris have said that Jobe will contribute more defensively and on the boards than he will on offense. Despite his inexperience, Jobe's size makes him an asset to the Hoosiers. Currently, Tom Pritchard and Jobe are the only two legitimate healthy post players on the roster. I've been unable to find any video of Jobe, but his coaches say he is pretty athletic and can play above the rim. As far as observations go, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg was in Bloomington earlier this month and saw "Tijan Jobe rock the rim during an individual workout." So he's got that going for him...
How Jobe fits in with the Hoosiers You can expect Jobe and recently-hired assistant coach Roshown McLeod to become quick friends. McLeod was hired in large part to work with IU's big men and will work to help Jobe develop. Jobe is IU's biggest body and best center by default, so he should see the floor plenty if he can stay out of foul trouble. His junior college coach said the JUCO level was sometimes too slow for Jobe and that he was so physically intimidating he was often whistled for quick fouls and found himself riding the bench. He said Jobe is more well-suited for the up-and-down style that Crean runs.
Jobe has been heavily compared to former Marquette center Ousmane Barro, a 6-foot-10 center who played for Crean. Like Jobe, Barro was fairly raw and new to the United States after coming over from Senegal. Barro thrived in Crean's system as a defender, rebounder and screener. He worked his way up the depth chart and played 27 minutes per game his senior season. Jobe comes to Crean with two more years of experience than Barro, and would be a major asset if he could match Barro's production.
People who know more than me on Jobe
"We are excited to be able to sign a player with the defensive ability and rebounding presence that Tijan has. 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." - Tom Crean
"Coach Crean's not going to take a guy who can't come in a help. He fills the need for a front-court player who can come in and be a defensive presence and help out on offense." - Olney Central coach Mike Burris via Herald-Times
"He is seven foot, 255-pounds and has a 7-foot-5 1/2-inch wingspan," said Burris. "The numbers there aren't great and I am sure Indiana fans are going to be concerned about signing a kid that averaged four points and four rebounds. But that was about 13 minutes per game and I really feel he his game and body are better suited for the four year level. At the JC level sometimes when you are 7-foot, 260 you are going against 6-foot-5 guys that are out on the perimeter and you get into foul trouble and that type of thing. It is also more run and gun than sets." - Olney Central coach Mike Burris via Rivals
The numbers don't lie... '07-'08: 4.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 1.5 bpg
A little bit more on Jobe * A Q&A from IUPlanet with Olney Central coach Mike Burris. * I bet Jobe remembers that Kelvin Sampson guy. He told the Indianapolis Star "I've followed IU basketball for four years." * Jobe is not from Gambia - he is from "The Gambia." * A little bit on The Gambia: it is the smallest country on the African mainland and is bordered by the north, east and south by Senegal. The country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1965 and the official language is English, followed by Mandinka and Wolof.
Check back for our next featured Hoosier, Kory Barnett.
