FloHoops: Daniel Oturu & Jarvis Omersa: Rivals Now, A Dynamic Combo To Come
That’s what was on display Saturday at the Breakdown USA Tip Off Classic when Cretin-Derham Hall’s Daniel Oturu and Orono’s Jarvis Omersa squared off as adversaries a few months before becoming teammates at the University of Minnesota.
It was one Oturu’s Raiders ultimately prevailed in, toppling the Spartans, 77-76, in a closely contested tilt among two of the state’s best teams and certainly two of its best big men inside the Lindbergh Center.
“I think it was probably one of the best games anyone will see all year in the state of Minnesota,” Omersa said.
Oturu, the 2018 Flo40 No. 25 prospect, and Omersa, who was previously known as Jarvis Thomas, guarded each other for nearly the entire night, going back and forth with each notching wins and losses against the other.
“I just kept playing,” Oturu said, “thinking about my team and not really necessarily about the matchup, but getting the W.”
Still, the tête-à-tête provided some riveting basketball and a glimpse into the home-grown future of coach Richard Pitino’s program in Dinkeytown.
Oturu and Cretin Derham-Hall got the better of the matchup early with the 6-foot-9 Oturu posting 10 points, five rebounds and three blocks, as the No. 16 Raiders built a lead that reach as many as 10 points.
In the second half, though, Omersa really came alive, exerting his will by getting to the rim and suddenly taking the mantle from Oturu as the best player on the floor.
“I kind of spread it out a little bit more, started taking (Oturu) off the dribble,” Omersa said. “Obviously, I’m a little quicker with the first step than he is, and he’s a little longer than me.
“I was just like, ‘let’s spread it out and go to work.’”
https://www.flohoops.com/articles/6...vis-omersa-rivals-now-a-dynamic-force-to-come
Go Gophers!!
