St. Joseph High School senior Elihu Cobb says he could hang on the rim since he started playing basketball in sixth grade. By seventh grade, he could dunk at ease.
“I’ve always been the tallest guy on my team—tall and lanky,” Cobb said.
Now some six years later, the Knights’ 6-foot-7-inch center can be seen dunking over helpless Central Coast defenders on a weekly basis. In one recent game against Paso Robles on Jan. 3, Cobb slammed home multiple highlight-reel dunks as the Knights rolled to a 104-65 win.
Cobb acknowledged that for him, dunking is one of the most thrilling aspects of playing basketball.
“I love dunking. It’s my favorite part honestly,” he said. “Once I get my first dunk in a game, that’s usually when I start to get more in a groove. I get more hyped. It brings energy to the whole team and brings energy to me.”
And it’s becoming a more common occurrence of late as St. Joe’s has shaken off a 2-6 start to the season to win seven games in a row. Since Dec. 28, Cobb is averaging 19.6 points per game and shooting close to 75 percent.
Cobb said the key to the Knights’ recent success is in pushing the ball in transition for easy baskets. He added that the chemistry between himself and the younger St. Joe’s guards is improving.
“They’re starting to get how I play, and I’m starting to learn how they play. We’re starting to connect better as teammates,” Cobb said. “If my guards are getting out and running, then I can run with them. When the game gets slowed down, that’s when things don’t go our way.”
Far from a one-dimensional player, Cobb has also averaged 10 rebounds over the last five games as well as 5.4 blocks. In the Knights’ win against Pioneer Valley on Jan. 5, Cobb notched 22 points, 13 rebounds, and eight blocks.
But Cobb said he’s working on becoming even more multi-dimensional. With hopes to play basketball in college, he’s developing an outside game that will be necessary to thrive at the next level.
“I have lots to work on,” he said. “I have an opportunity to get a lot better.”
This article appears in Jan 11-18, 2018.