BOOM!
By Michael Beniash
Date: Jul 2, 2004
Thanks to Lobo Sports Magazine for allowing us to print this story about Bombale "Boom" Osby.This story was originally printed in the June 2004 issue of Lobo Sports Magazine.
The Lobos’ cathartic new basketball recruit has a secret to unveil- he ain’t nothing but a junkyard dog.
Freshman-to-be Bombale Osby (pronounced “Bom-Bah-Lay”) Osby a steadfast collector of vintage “fixer-upper” Cadillacs/low-riders is quick to dapple comparisons of his physical attributes to those of a 1969 Cadillac, fresh off a salvage yard’s showroom. Exuding a blithe charm in his voice, Osby describes the vivid affiliation.
“Right now, my body is an old-school Caddy straight from the junkyard,” he says. “I’m big, strong, long, and dependable. I’m naturally athletic but just lacking the skills. I’ve just been sitting, without really being driven. I’ve got rust, but all I need is someone to sand me down and paint me up. Meaning, I need to work on my ball handling skill and perfect my jump shot. I just need to get my motor running, which is getting my legs in shape. With that tune-up, I’ll be ready to rock n’ roll.”
By the simple numbers, this Cadillac of a man sprouts to 6’7”, and weighs in at a svelte 240 pounds. But don’t be alarmed; Osby’s sheer tenacity and toughness make him an absolute warrior. For a forward, Osby has an undersized frame but that won’t avert him from shining at the Division I level.
“This kid is the toughest on-court presence I’ve ever had the privilege to coach,” says individual coach Ken Greenway. “He refuses to quit.”
According to Greenway, Osby compares to a great player in the NBA; “His quickness and his reckless abandon to the hoop, along with his undeveloped jump-shot makes Osby look like a young Kenyon Martin.”
In essence Osby, nicknamed “BOOM,” is the prototype of the postmodern big man. While his 6’7” frame may indicate he is too small to play the post in a big time college environment, he has the athletic ability to play bigger and quicker than opponents. Speaking on the potential of the undersized Osby, Greenway says with electricity in his voice:
“We have taught him to think on the court. It’s a mental game and he has to outsmart the opponent. He uses his strengths against the opponents’ weaknesses. If a bigger, stronger defender is guarding him, Osby will bring him out five more feet from the basket and beat him to the hole with this quickness. If the defender is the same size, he will back him down and pound him with his toughness.”
Raw talent and desire alone have lead Osby to the D-I level. But the next step in his development is now in the hands of the Lobos. They will need to cradle and hone this untapped baby of a basketball player and cultivate him into the monster that he can be.
“Osby has never lifted weight,” says Greenway. “Get him in the weight room this summer and watch him bulk up 15 pounds of muscle in a blink of an eye. He is a beast. He will be unstoppable in college when he attacks the basket.”
In high school, without the benefit of a weight-training program and relying solely on natural ability, Osby obtained the nickname “Boom,” stemming from his first name. “Boom,” is a perfect name because of Osby’s brutal hardwood character and his precocity to finish with authority around the basket.
The malady of this young beast is simple, yet simply alleviated. For one, his jumper needs some touch-up work.
“I know I don’t have a jumper now, but give me a year or two of repetition and I will knock down the 15 footer,” he says.
In high school, Osby was instructed by coach Bruce Croxton to keep his back to the basket and not even think about the jumpshot. Croxton wanted Osby exclusively on the block. The strategy worked well at Benedictine High- he was robot-like, practically scoring at will. Osby responded to his coach’s orders like a military cadet, “Yes, coach!” and for that reason, he did not practice the jumper and did not become a deft shooter. But all that changed this offseason with the help of Greenway.
“Before these past few month, Osby was 50,000 shots behind where he should be, but as of right now, he’s only 15,000 behind,” Greenways says.
Second to his jumper is his defense, or lack there of.
“He’s never played defense,” jokes Greenway.
In high school, he did not have to. He was the biggest guy on the floor, boasting a soaring 88-inch wingspan. No matter what the critics say, Osby is still absolute mayhem in the paint. He has desire and an ingrained knack to block shots, rebound and dive for loose balls. For an 18-year old, that’s not all that bad.
“I’m taking care of Osby’s offensive development,” Greenway says. I’ll leave his defense up to Coach (Duane) Broussard and the Lobos.”
With UNM’s signing of Osby, a native of Richmond, VA, head coach Ritchie McKay may have unlocked a new pipeline of talent and some East Coast recruiting. Although “Boom,” is McKay’s first Lobo recruit from east of the Mississippi, Osby seems content on being anywhere in the vicinity of the Rio Grande.
When the opportunity arose for Osby to follow his hoop dreams away from Virginia and into the heart of the Southwest, his firm response to the Lobos offer was a simple, “sign now!” it was an effortless decision for a man who was not recruited by any schools west of Ohio. And for the schools in the East and Midwest that recruited him; Boston University, Western Kentucky, and Georgia to name a few, they could not have been thrilled with Osby’s quick decision.
“I’m in love with the west coach,” says the boyish Osby. “I’ll soon be a Lobo.”
He fell in love with the west coast’s culture, environment, and climate at a young 12 years old. Now, Osby is getting his chance to live out every boy’s childhood dream; to move away from home and experience a whole new breed of life, responsibility, and culture.
“I’m just tired of the east coast lifestyle,” Osby says. “It’s been the same for 18 years. All I know is there ain’t a cloud in the sky in New Mexico.”
Although he is leaving his roots, his family, and his vintage car collection in Virginia, Osby won’t overlook what the Lobos came to capture, the attitude and physicality of east coast basketball, not to mention the talent.
In his senior year at Benedictine in Richmond, Osby, averaged 17 points and 17 rebounds a game, while leading his school to the state title and being named to the Richmond Area All-Metro squad. Osby led his school to their first VISBA D-I Championship, ending the season with a valiant 24-5 record.
Not only has Osby sparkled at the high school level, he has taken his game across the country to face the best talent in his age group. He has played for the high profile Richmond Squires AAU and coach Antone Exum, since he was twelve. The Squire’s roster is filled with high profile names and a hodgepodge of aptitude. Osby is no stranger to competition. He played with Glen Dandridge who now plays at Missouri and Albert Weber, currently at Alabama. While playing with the Squires at a tournament in Las Vegas, Osby battled Dwight Howard this year’s #1 NBA draft pick, and held his own ground. This competition has prepared Osby for the road ahead. So what will Osby bring from the east to the west?
“I’m bringin a physical style and a straight desire and hunger to win,” he says.
That physicality will surely be held in high regard for a Lobo squad sorely lacking in a dominating, intimidating presence.
Boom, born and raised in Richmond has a built-in toughness that bleeds onto the court. He was raised in the heart of a tough neighborhood and he has had to make tough decision early and often in his life. Stay on the streets and slang or turn away and succeed in life? Osby chose the latter, and has made the most of his surrounding and now has a bright future ahead.
“I can’t wait to get away from this violence; it’s rough man,” says a peeved Osby.
According to Greenway, Osby knows six people who have been shot in the past two months.
“It hasn’t been easy for Osby growing up,” Greenway explains. “He has seen the bad and the ugly and chose not to be a part of it. That is why he is so damn tough.”
The son of doting parent, Komba and William, Osby took to the hardwood to stay off the street. But tragedy still managed to strike the Osby’s. His father passed away in 2001 from a heart attack. Bombale uses the memory of his father as motivation to succeed. After his father died, he became much closer to his family while his AAU coach, Exum, took the role of mentor.
In Osby’s freshman year, he enrolled at Benedictine High School, an all boys military school. There, he learned discipline and multi-tasking. He learned how to juggle the rigor of a full time school load and full time basketball; qualities he says will make the transition into college smooth sailing.
“I’ve been busy full time with school work and basketball,” Osby says. “I have no time to horse around. I’ve learned how to manage the full schedule. At first, I was disappointed about attending the school, but as I matured, I grew into the system.”
So why does Boom compare himself to a vintage Cadillac and New Mexico? Well, the land of enchantment is the land of low riders and Osby owns three of them.
“It’s all about classic Cadillacs, you know, low riders. I love them. My whole wall is full of low rider pictures,” says an ecstatic Osby. “That’s another reason why I’m diggin’ New Mexico, I heard they love low riders.”
In his spare time, Osby is a mechanic. He owns a 1959 Cadillac, a 1968 Cadillac, and a 1972 Ford pickup and he will soon get his hands on a 1970 Cadillac and a 1953 Buick Special- not a bad car collection. While they aren’t all in driving condition, Osby uses his spare time to fix them up and get them rolling.
But don’t expect Osby to be rolling into town in a classic Cadillac and parking his collection at the student dormitories. He’ll leave that for two years down the road.
“New Mexico is way too far for these cars, they would never make it.” He says. “When I’m a junior and I can get my own place, then I will think about bringing a couple out there. I’ll definitely have to get a convertible.
The highly motivated Osby anticipates earning a degree in business management so he can one day own his own Cadillac dealership.
For now, Osby is content on basketball. He could be the meat and the potatoes to thicken up a thin, watery recipe called Lobo Soup. The first glimpse of the future of the program will be on June 6th, when Osby rolls into town. And hoops mavens, don’t expect to see Boom cruising around town in a Caddy, rather anticipate watching the Cadillac in Osby tearing up the Pit floor in the cherry and silver.
newmexico.scout.com/2/271977.html