UConn and the Transfer Portal

[rip7774]

I reached out to my A-10 contacts and here’s what I’ve got on Christ Essandoko so far:

Riley Frain from The Portal Report and Mid-Major Madness:

“At 7-foot, St. Joe’s transfer Christ Essandoko is physical and dominant on the interior, yet fairly nimble and athletic with the ball in his hands. All of which could translate very well to a potential Big East program looking to replace key contributors. He’s certainly got the size to be an asset at the high-major level but does a little bit of everything on the court as well from rebounding, to scoring, to defending. Averaging 8.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 1.1 BKPG in just his first season actually on the court, it’s easy to see how quickly Essandoko has developed his game and why he’s ready to take the next step. He’s quick and active despite his length, has excellent court vision for such a big guy and shoot’s three’s at a fairly high rate (37%) akin to a more modern big man.

I think his development is the obvious part but the major potential downside for Essandoko is his injury troubles. Missed multiple games this past season with toe/foot issues and was frequently on the sidelines in a boot for stretches. He’s got some history in the Big East though having been recruited by Seton Hall and DePaul before initially committing to Providence and later, decomitting to join St. Joe’s. He’s obviously looking to make a jump up to a higher level now and a program in the Big East could definitely be a solid fit for the still developing but highly skilled 7-footer.”

Here’s another report:

“He’s absolutely enormous. Definitely is a little bit injury prone, but his footwork was really improving as he was healthy. Is able to shoot the 3. Presence inside defensively, but can struggle contesting without fouling. Was clear that if he stayed at this level, he would eventually completely dominate.”

Appreciate the intel. Really like the videos I’ve watched at his BB IQ. Def below the rim i dont love but a lot to like. Very comfortable with the ball in his hands.

 

[husky429]

He was in a 50/50 split at St. Joseph's as a freshman.



Big, strong kid. Under the rim player, loves to double pump fake on a post up. He does actually stretch the floor a bit, 37% on 1.5 attempts per game. He shoots a completely standstill 3 like it's a FT, maybe a slight hop. Speaking of which, 65% FT. Pretty decent passer. Okay rim protector. Strong rebounder both sides of the ball. Drew a lot of fouls.

So a lot of interesting stats and parts to his game. But EvanMiya has him as the worst player in their rotation by a significant margin. By RAPM he's also 8th on the team, below average both sides of the ball. Main issue on offense is turnovers. But I guess that's just the freshman big life. I'm not sure we'd be barking up this tree unless there's going to be more front court turnover than expected.

I think he can be dominant if he loses 20lbs.

 

[Fatroony5]

I like the upside of Christ and that he’d probably be a multi year player. But I’m hoping they reach out to Vlad from FAU, seems like a great fit for the teams needs. And Michigan appears to be focused on Wolf so far, a little surprising.

 

[superjohn]

I think he can be dominant if he loses 20lbs.

I remember this kid. He looks highly skilled and extremely nimble for his size. He has some of that ballerina stuff and wiggle Big DJ Burns has, but looks to have no lift at this weight. He had 9 pts and 9 rebounds against Kentucky. It looks like he was having some big games in the middle of the season and then trailed off before having 14 pts and 8 rebs against Seton Hall in their overtime NIT loss.

 

[speckle]

Haven't heard anything but he's pretty high on people's list of transfers. Stats and highlights indicate he's a good passer. Hard to tell how his D is; he's pretty slight.

Thanks for the look, and I agree, might have embellished his size a bit. Still looks big enough to play the 2 though. That aside, seems to play a very nice all around game, especially for a sophomore.

 

[UconnU]

We need like an unselfish 6’5 guard who plays within structure and shoots over 37% from 3.

I saw someone on social media saying Cam Spencer can push his eligibility fight even further by suing the NCAA and they will likely just grant him eligibility?

 

[bigknight3]

I think he can be dominant if he loses 20lbs.

About the same transformation that Clingan needed coming out of high school.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

View attachment 98854

Couldn’t find that on twitter, but im also mo good at twitter

 

[auror]

Couldn’t find that on twitter, but im also mo good at twitter

Presumably it's on his discord, which costs $6 a month.

 

[aceboon]

Couldn’t find that on twitter, but im also mo good at twitter

That looks like Discord but I could be wrong

 

[Huskyforlife]

Completely mystified by this on paper. But like most I’ll trust the staff. Thought we’d aim for a real difference maker at center though.

 

[AntG168]

Completely mystified by this on paper. But like most I’ll trust the staff. Thought we’d aim for a real difference maker at center though.

Who?

 

[Huskyforlife]

Who?

Not the worst rotation player on a team that missed the tournament out of the historically weak A10. But whatever, like I said, if he’s good enough for the staff, I trust they see something that I don’t.

 

[FlexOnEm]

Keep an eye out for the name Cade Tyson.

 

[Mooch82]

Who?

Cliff or Amari Williams I think he’s referring to…but there’s also other names out there.

 

[AntG168]

Not the worst rotation player on a team that missed the tournament out of the historically weak A10. But whatever, like I said, if he’s good enough for the staff, I trust they see something that I don’t.

There’s a lot there. He’ll be a really good college player

 

[Huskyforlife]

Keep an eye out for the name Cade Tyson.

Are we recruiting him?

 

[auror]

Keep an eye out for the name Cade Tyson.

That won't be an easy one. Interesting thing is that Cade Tyson and Christ Essandoko played on the same AAU team. Hopefully Nick Jones is a fan of Hurley.

 

[navery12]

Completely mystified by this on paper. But like most I’ll trust the staff. Thought we’d aim for a real difference maker at center though.

We don't even know if this is the only center we'd be bringing in so pretty hard to make that judgement

 

[Huskyforlife]

We don't even know if this is the only center we'd be bringing in so pretty hard to make that judgement

It’s a much more understandable addition in that case. But this screams a timeshare for him and Samson as of right now.

 

[auror]

Hopefully Nick Jones is a fan of Hurley.

Well good news on that front, he live tweets through games:

 

[Scrutineer]

Haven't heard anything but he's pretty high on people's list of transfers. Stats and highlights indicate he's a good passer. Hard to tell how his D is; he's pretty slight.

The big guard DH loves to have?

 

[Scrutineer]

The dude can ball and love his motor, footwork and energy. And can shoot 3s. Sanogo v2?

Now we're talking.........a bigger AS who already shoots three's!

 

[UCFan1513]

Our own Grimace?

I love that this is catching on

 

[Horatio]

Sky Clark
Otega Oweh
McNeeley
Wolff