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Rice transfer Sean Obi commits to Duke

Mike Krzyzewski

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski directs his team against Louisville during the first half of the Midwest Regional final in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 31, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

AP

Duke picked up one of the most sought-after transfers on the market on Monday when former Rice big man Sean Obi committed to the Blue Devils, Obi announced on his Instagram.

“Happy to officially announce that I will be attending Duke university for the rest of my college basketball career. Very thankful for all the support and love from my family and friends all over, and also to every college Coach that have called and been in involved with me through out this process. Duke it is!!,” Obi said in the post.

The 6-foot-9, 265-pound Obi had a monster freshman season for the Owls as he averaged 11.4 points and a Conference USA-leading 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 59 percent from the field. NCAA transfer rules dictate that Obi must sit out next season, but he’ll have three seasons of eligibility remaining after that.

This is especially big for Duke because with incoming freshman center Jahlil Okafor being a potential one-and-done big man, the Blue Devils have a backup plan on the interior in case the Chicago-native leaves as anticipated for the 2015 NBA Draft.

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