On Coker: A dominating big man and an imposing physical specimen, with added quickness from a tremendous offseason conditioning effort ... an intimidating shot-blocker on defense and a powerful rebounder on both ends of the floor ... an improving scorer who can face up or play with his back to the basket on offense. Norm Roberts On Coker: "Dele probably had the best offseason of everyone. As far as getting his body in shape, he's probably shed close to 18 pounds. He is much quicker, and is much more confident in himself as a player, which is something that we needed. He is going to make a major impact for us this year." As a Freshman in 2007-08: Played in 25 games, drawing five starts in the post position, including the last two games of the season ... averaged 9.9 minutes per contest and 11.5 minutes across the last six games ... played a career-high 20 minutes at Georgetown (Feb. 27) and scored four points ... set a career-high with two steals and added a career-high six rebounds and four points at Duke (Feb. 23) ... netted four points and added four boards vs. Marquette at Madison Square Garden (Feb. 20) while making third career start ... earned first career BIG EAST start vs. Pittsburgh (Jan. 23) and grabbed two rebounds ... blocked two shots, scored three points and grabbed four rebounds at Connecticut (Jan. 8) ... played 17 minutes at Syracuse (Jan. 2) and grabbed five rebounds in BIG EAST debut ... grabbed five rebounds as well in the previous game, in seven minutes of action against Virginia Tech (Dec. 29) ... contributed five rebounds against Ohio (Dec. 19) at the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic ... went 2-for-2 from the line and 1-of-2 from the floor to net four points against Niagara (Dec. 15) ... scored four points and grabbed three boards in his first-career road matchup at Miami (Dec. 2) ... made first career start vs. LIU (Nov. 28) and grabbed three boards and scored two points ... grabbed a then career-high five rebounds and added two points and an assist vs. Sacred Heart (Nov. 20) ... totaled a career-high six points with a career-best pair of blocked shots in 10 minutes vs. St. Francis (Nov. 14) in collegiate debut. At South Kent: Played for two seasons at South Kent School in Connecticut ... averaged 7.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks as part of a four-man post player rotation as a senior ... led his squad to a 29-13 record in 2006-07 and an appearance in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class A semifinals ... also participated in the Schoolboy Classic All-Star Game where the top players from the state of Connecticut square off against New Jersey's finest ... was rated among the nation's top 20 center prospects by recruiting services in his final year ... coached at South Kent by Raphael Chillious. Personal: Ayodele Michael Coker ... born in Nigeria ... son of Rose and John Coker ... chose to attend St. John's because it has everything he wants ... enjoys participating in community service activities, such as St. John's Midnight Runs, to help the homeless ... majoring in finance. Coker Up Close...
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