NCAA Basketball: Breakdown of 5-star C Moussa Cisse’s top 6 programs
By Ian Mumm
NCAA Basketball finalist for Moussa Cisse – Kentucky Wildcats
The only blue blood program on Cisse’s list already has the nation’s #1 class signed for next season, highlighted by electric guards BJ Boston and Terrence Clarke. Adding the athletic big man would be the cherry on top of a perfect crop of recruits, however, Kentucky is in deep need of true frontcourt players on their roster. EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards declared for the NBA Draft and graduate transfer Nate Sestina has run out of eligibility exhausting all available centers on the roster.
Coach Calipari dug into the transfer portal for a second-straight year snagging proven Wake Forest center Olivier Sarr. However, Sarr’s transfer was not as a graduate transfer and it is precarious for Kentucky to rely on the NCAA to grant him immediate eligibility without picking up a second option. Even if he is cleared, Cisse has already stated he is not scared to fight for minutes or a starting spot and is looking for the best situation to get him to the NBA.
Like Florida State, joining the Wildcats would make for a formidable team defensively. The presence of BJ Boston, Terrence Clarke and the rest of the incoming class means the offense will not be coming through Cisse very often. Last season the top-2 centers on the team, Richards, and Montgomery, combined for ~13 field goal attempts per game, and Sarr would undoubtedly take a significant portion away from Cisse in that scenario.
He is unlikely to see the kind of development and offensive looks he desires from next season’s team to make the NBA leap smoothly. If they’re not preseason title favorites for everyone in the country, they certainly will be if Cisse signs on the dotted line.