NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing 6 finalists for 2020 Frank Anselem
Syracuse Orange
The loss of leading scorer Elijah Hughes, along with a couple of bench players leaving hurts the Orange but they do have several key pieces returning, including Buddy Boeheim, Joe Girard and forward Marek Dolezaj. What they’re missing is an elite center to anchor the 2-3 zone. Bourama Sidibe was solid overall but Syracuse needs an upgrade that is capable of 30 minutes of solid defense and rebounding.
With the athleticism and 7’5 inch wingspan, Anselem would be an ideal center to plug in and make an impact. And with the three players mentioned, the Orange wouldn’t need much offense from the prospect early on. Of course, not everyone wants to play in a zone all 40 minutes in a game and if Anselem wants to develop and offensive game, the Orange may not be the best place to do that.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Head coach Rick Stansbury looks to get yet another top-100 recruit to join the Hilltoppers, joining 2021 commit Zion Harmon who could also move up a class as well. Anselem would join fellow Nigerian big man Charles Bassey, a former five-star recruit who missed most of this past season with an injury.
It might be an issue playing both of them at the same time but Anselem going to Western Kentucky is going for long-term plans. He’d be the focal frontcourt option for the 2021-22 season and have some productive guard play to work with. And knowing Coach Stansbury, he’d have more top-100 prospects joining Anselem as well in the future. It may not be as high-profile as Kentucky but it offers more security and less pressure.
Next. Early mid-major power rankings for 2020-21 season. dark
This is a unique group of final teams and with Anselem already having picked Kentucky, it’s anyone’s guess as to what Plan B will end up being. He’s said to be making a decision soon, giving one program one more big man to work with for the 2020-21 season.