With just four regular-season games remaining for the University of Denver, freshman Chris Udofia continues to learn more about himself as a basketball player.
This week, for example, a member of DU’s athletic training staff was asked to measure Udofia’s wingspan. A stretch of a tape measure from fingertip to fingertip registered 7 feet across.
Udofia put the information into the file where he has stored the intelligence from the rest of his first year of college basketball.
“I didn’t realize how much I’d be pushing my body to keep up with the competition,” the 6-foot-6 Udofia said. “I’m pleased with what I’ve done and learned, but I can’t say I’m satisfied. There’s room for improvement.”
While Udofia is reserved in rating his play as a freshman, others see a basketball force in the making.
“He’s a bona fide Division I basketball player,” said Guy Gibbs, a former Regis Jesuit High School basketball coach who is an adviser for officials in the Sun Belt Conference. “He does things sometimes in rebounding that are unbelievable.”
Udofia has made an impact coming off the bench. He leads the Pioneers (12-13, 8-4 Sun Belt) in blocked shots with 31 in 25 games and in rebounding (averaging 4.5 per game) heading into tonight’s game against Louisiana-Monroe (6-21, 1-12) at Magness Arena. DU is tied with Arkansas State for first place in the West Division.
“The energy he brings to the game is rare,” said Northern Colorado coach B.J. Hill, who watched Udofia score 14 points in 29 minutes against the Bears on Dec. 18. “Maybe people thought he was undersized, but obviously after playing him, his heart and level of competition aren’t undersized.”
Udofia committed to DU early. The only other offer he had came from New Jersey Tech.
“He may have been looked at as a player out of position,” DU coach Joe Scott said of his reserve baseline player. “We don’t get hung up on that stuff. He’s 6-foot-6, but he plays as if he’s 6-9.”
Udofia came out of an all-boys high school in Dallas. His parents came from Nigeria for college in the U.S. and stayed.
“The only question of him fitting in was adapting to college basketball,” said DU teammate Travis Hallam. “It’s a faster and more physical game.”
Udofia played against Chase Hallam, Travis’ brother, during high school in Texas. The connection has cemented some team chemistry.
“I have some newspaper clippings from our games that I can paste on Chase’s wall,” Udofia said. “I was a little concerned about fitting in at the beginning. You hear a lot of freshman stories. But I was more concerned about learning the offense. I’m not the greatest one-on-one player, and being part of a system helps to highlight my strengths.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
