FARMVILLE, Va. – Former Saint Joseph's forward Obi Romeo has transferred to the Longwood men's basketball program, fourth-year head coach Jayson Gee announced Monday.
 
A 6-10, 245-pound native of White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., and a former three-star high school recruit by ESPN.com, Romeo played his freshman season for the Hawks before transferring to Pensacola State College for the 2015-16 season. Originally from Anambra, Nigeria, Romeo was ESPN.com's No. 3 recruit in West Virginia as a high school senior at Greenbrier East in 2014.
 
"Obi is a welcome and timely addition to the Lancer family," said Gee, who expanded his 2015-16 signing class to seven newcomers with Romeo. "Three years ago, we recruited Obi as hard as we have recruited anybody during our tenure here and unfortunately lost out to Saint Joe's. Today we're ecstatic at his decision to join us and be a part of the direction we're heading as we continue to climb the Big South standings."
 
As a true freshman at Saint Joe's, Romeo played in four games and averaged 1.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks across 6.5 minutes per game. He comes to Longwood as a junior with two years of eligibility remaining after a sophomore season at Pensacola State in which he averaged 2.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game.
 
Romeo immediately becomes one of the biggest players in the Big South, rivaled only by 6-10, 240-pound Gardner-Webb forward L'Hassane Niangane. He bolsters a Longwood frontcourt that already includes returning redshirt junior forwards Damarion Geter and Khris Lane, and 6-8, 215-pound sophomore newcomer Jahleem Montague.
 
"At 6-10 and 245 pounds, Obi gives us a true center with a knack for blocking shots and the ability to rebound at a high level," Gee said. "Most importantly, Obi is a first-class young man who is a very determined person, both in the classroom and on the court. He gives us even more credibility in recruiting and coaching circles and is literally a 'big get' for Longwood."
 
Romeo joins a Longwood program coming off an eighth-place Big South finish in 2015-16, the program's highest finish since joining the conference in 2012-13. He is one of six eligible newcomers to Longwood's roster this season and joins a rotation that returns starters Lane and guard Darrion Allen.
 
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