Sean Obi makes long-awaited debut for Duke basketball

Last year, Sean Obi garnered plenty of attention for the Blue Devils without seeing a single minute of game action, thanks to his fashion flair and penchant for wearing particularly sharp outfits to games.

With his redshirt season in the books, Obi can now trade in his suits and tuxedos for an actual Duke jersey. He looked spry in warm-ups and was enthusiastic on the bench as his teammates jumped out to a big lead against Siena Friday night. 

But Blue Devil fans finally got their first look at the bruising 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward in action at the end of the second half—something a long time coming for Obi.

“It’s been forever. I feel like I haven’t played basketball in ages, I mean out on the court," Obi said. "It’s just amazing playing in front of the Cameron Crazies—they’re always amazing. It’s a big relief to actually finally be playing college basketball again, after like close to two years.”

Although he played just three minutes after the game's outcome had already been decided, Obi's excitement was evident from the instant he stepped onto the court. On his first defensive possession, he got a little too physical down in the post and committed a foul to send Saints guard Lavon Long to the free throw line for a pair of freebies.

But Obi bounced back from his initial misstep to notch the first point of his Duke career, the front end of two free throws after Marquis Wright fouled out for Siena. 

Considering it was his first game action in 19 months, the Kaduna, Nigeria, native didn't look terribly out of place on the court. The Saints did outscore the Blue Devils 12-4 during his brief stint, but Obi said he was pleased just to get back to playing against an actual opponent, and not just his own teammates.

“I don’t get nervous, but just knowing after two years ago, when you’re accustomed to playing, you’re very involved," Obi said. "Now all of a sudden you’re there, you have the ball about to lay-up, it flashes to you."