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Today we continue along with our preseason player profiles for men’s basketball. See previous profiles be checking the men’s basketball section here.
As you might’ve already acquainted yourself with our preseason player profiles by now, we’re back in form as we gear up for the start of the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball season. Today we take a dive on sophomore center Frank Anselem.
Anselem was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He played high school basketball in the state of Georgia before transferring to Prolific Prep in California for the 2019-20 season. Anselem was a top-100 recruit in the class of 2021 before he reclassified. He moved up a class and enrolled at Syracuse for the fall 2020 semester.
As a freshman at SU, Anselem appeared in four games last season but he didn’t play after the new year. Highlights include a 6 point and 2 rebound outing against Rider. He grabbed 3 rebounds against Boston College.
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Position: Center
Class: Soph.
Vitals: 6-foot-10, 215 lbs.
Stats: 1.5 points, 1.3 rebounds per game
Quote (via Zagsblog): “I know Frank would rebound really well out of the zone,” Prolific Prep coach Joey Fuca said. “He can play the middle or the bottom spot because Jim [Boeheim] really has his guys get out to the corner. He’s not as skilled as a Hakim Warrick obviously but he has that type of build.”
Strengths/Weaknesses: Anselem’s greatest strength is his athleticism. He’s able to finish strong at the rim off of lobs and should be adept at defending from the center spot of the 2-3 zone with his quickness and 7-foot-5 wingspan. His offensive presence outside the paint is limited, however.
Ceiling: Anselem’s minutes this season could depend on the health and productivity of redshirt senior Bourama Sidibe. If Sidibe isn’t healthy, Anselem could see minutes behind Jesse Edwards as backup center. In that scenario, Anselem provides solid play and depth as a mobile center while running the floor and competing on the glass for 15 minutes per game.
Floor: Anselem’s minutes are few and far between as Sidibe is able to finish out a healthy senior season. Still, he earns time behind Edwards as the third center in rotation and shows potential as more playing time opens up the following season.