Obi Toppin’s growth spurt

Obi Toppin’s growth spurt is one of the most interesting things that has happened in the NCAA over the last few years. It has transformed a high school basketball prospect with zero offers from Division I schools, to one of the most dominant players in college basketball.

Hailing out of Ossining, New York, Obadiah Richard Toppin has been making a name for himself playing for the University of Dayton. But success at this level was highly unlikely for someone like Obi Toppin. There were many crucial factors that contributed to his success at Dayton and him being a future NBA first-round pick (most would say even a top-10 lottery pick) and that is his growth spurt.

From his junior year in high school to today he has grown an incredible seven inches. Four inches out of those seven came during his post-graduate year at Mt. Zion Preparatory School in Baltimore. What was once a semi usable point guard on an “ok” high school team is now one of the most exciting prospects in the NBA draft.

How tall was Obi Toppin in high school?

His height wasn’t exceptional during all of his high school years. All the way up until his junior year of high school he would be considered too short to even play a traditional point guard. But, during his junior and senior years, he had grown from six feet two inches into the six foot four, six foot five range.

This transformational growth in size and skill set meant that he could finally get some time playing varsity at Ossining High School. Thanks to his new height, combined with his work ethic and athleticism, he led the school to its first conference title in a decade. Toppin’s senior campaign produced averages of 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals per game.

But even that stellar performance didn’t get him any division one offers. So he and his family decided to enroll him in an Mt. Zion Preparatory School in Baltimore, Maryland. During his time there he would grow even more and would eventually reach the height of six feet eight inches.

He had another dominant season, this time averaging 17 points 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Obi Toppin’s position shifted drastically from year to year. He played a point guard, then combo guard, and finally when his growth spurt finalized he started to play a Power Forward or even a Small Ball Center in some lineups.

The NCAA Division I schools could not ignore him any longer. He received numerous offers. In the end, he decided to join the University of Dayton. The names of the schools that he rejected include Georgetown, Rhode Island, and many more.

How tall is Obi Toppin now?

Once he joined Dayton, Obi Toppin’s growth spurt added another inch or so to his height. He was now standing tall at six feet nine inches (also his listed height as of today).

But things didn’t go smoothly for Obi Toppin at Dayton right away. Due to academic issues, he had to sit out his real freshman year. But that didn’t stop Toppin. He decided that he was going to work harder than all the active players on Dayton’s roster together. Not only did he work on his basketball skills, but he was also a very active part of the scouting team for his college.

He knew he had an impressive basketball IQ and he put it to perfect use during the time when he could not play. He impressed many with being humble and extremely hard working. This lead to the college awarding him the Dayton Spirit Award. His coach is sure that this is the first time in history that an inactive player on the basketball team has won such a reward.

His freshman year was a stellar success. Not only did he average 14 points and close to 6 rebounds he was also awarded numerous honors. After being the Atlantic 10 rookie of the week for many times, he earned the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the year award as well. He was also selected to the All-Conference first team. He was the first rookie that managed to combine those two honors in over 20 years. The last person who managed to combine the two honors was none other than Lamar Odom in 1999.

Toppin went into the NBA draft that year but did not hire an agent. He made the smart move and returned to school for another year. Both he and the team improved in his second year.

He averaged 20 points and 7.4 rebounds during his Redshirt Sophomore campaign. He also managed to score at an incredible clip. His field goal percentage was an astounding 63 percent. As his three-point attempts increased, his percentage did decrease in his second year, but it was still a very respectable 39 percent.

He entered the NBA draft for this year and he is expected to be a lottery pick. Some Mock Drafts have him close to the top 5, while others slot him somewhere between 6 and 14.

What is Obi Toppin’s wingspan?

Like everything else about Obi Toppin, his wingspan is above average and impressive. His 6 foot 11 inches wingspan makes a great addition to his already solid package as an NBA prospect. When you look at Toppin’s measurements, they are all off the charts. An athletic 6 foot 9 big man who can play make as well as finish. It’s his 6 foot 11 inches of wingspan that helps him get steals, blocks, and catch lobs as well as rebounds on both sides of the court.

Unranked high school prospect to an exciting NBA prospect

From an unranked high school prospect to one of the best players in the country and an exciting NBA prospect. The life of Obi Toppin has taken many turns. But few things that have always stayed with him are his humbleness and intense work ethic.

When he reaches the next level, people will doubt him once again. Obi Toppin’s age is one thing that people hold against him. Being 22, people think that he does not have a lot more room to grow as a player. But, knowing Obi Toppin and all the tools he possesses both on the court and off the court, he will surely continue to grow and rise to the occasion.