Florida State Basketball: Analysis of Canadian transfer pickup Tanor Ngom

How does Tanor Ngom’s move to high-major Division 1 help his future?

From the moment Tanor Ngom stepped on Ryerson’s campus in the Fall of 2017, it was evident that he was like no other college player in Canada. His massive, yet skinny frame was unmatched by his competition, and his raw ability had the makings of being molded into a special player. While his beyond skinny frame limited his production as a freshman, and a hand injury cut his junior season in half, Ngom’s professional basketball potential was certainly evident in his time with Ryerson. To begin his sophomore season, Ryerson played an exhibition game against Zion Williamson and Duke, and after a highlight dunk, commentators Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas echoed this point.

However, two main factors had to have loomed down on Ngom this offseason. For one, Ngom tested the NBA draft waters last season, and it was clear that he had room to grow before having a real chance at the next level. Shortly after, Ryerson coach Roy Rana took a job with the Sacramento Kings, leaving Ngom without his main recruiter and developer. Second, USPORTS has already canceled all sports for the Fall semester, leaving Ngom’s final season with Ryerson in doubt.

With these things in mind, it was clear that given the opportunity, Ngom moving south of the border would greatly improve his chance of not only making it to the next level but even playing a basketball season in any capacity this year. With him picking Florida State, he is trusting Leonard Hamilton and his coaching staff to develop him as they’ve done with many other tall, long big men over the past decade.

While Ngom’s NBA future remains in his ability to continue putting on size and developing his jumper, it is no secret that few D-1 players possess his size and ability. It’s up to him to show that he’s able to guard pick-and-rolls and fit into the modern NBA of spacing and position-less basketball despite his large frame.

Playing alongside NBA-level athletes at Florida State may allow him to show scouts his strong athletic ability for his size. If so, then his unprecedented move from Canadian to American university athletics could be the springboard to catapult Ngom to the upper echelon of bigs in the nation.