Brian Reddy: Beyond the Box Score – Big East Big Men

As we get closer and closer to the start of the Big East season, I plan on examining different aspects of the teams in the conference. This week, I will look at the Big East big men. Last year, Donovan Clingan was in my opinion the second most important center in the country, and Josh Oduro, Joel Soriano, and Oso Ighodaro were among the other quality big men that have left the college ranks. That does not mean that the center position will be a weakness this year. Three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner will lead a quality group of bigs in the conference.

Here is a team-by-team look at how the conference stacks up at the pivot.

Connecticut – As stated above, losing Donovan Clingan will impact UConn, but it is not like the cupboard is bare. One player who did not get the credit he deserved for their success last season was Samson Johnson. A highly rated recruit who played little in his first two seasons, Johnson filled a strong backup role to Clingan, providing quickness and athleticism while playing 16 minutes per game. He will probably fill a similar role this season, sharing time with Michigan transfer Tarris Reed, who is a much more physical version of Johnson. Neither will dominate the way Clingan did last season, but they will be a quality tandem ensuring quality play in the middle this year. I can see Reed being a double-double machine in this lineup.

Marquette – Last time, I mentioned that Ben Gold is the key player for Marquette’s success this season. A big part of that is that Gold is the only tested big on the Golden Eagle roster. As I stated in comparing the change from Ighodaro, Gold was a superior three-point shooter (Oso only had 2 such attempts all season) but did not contribute much else offensively last season. If Gold cannot handle the added responsibilities of being the primary center, Marquette is left with two raw and untested youngsters or resorting to playing much of their games with a smaller lineup in conference play.

Creighton – The Big East is well aware of Ryan Kalkbrenner, who seems like he’s been in the blue and white since Creighton joined the conference from the MVC. As this is his fifth season, he has a chance to match Patrick Ewing as a four-time Defensive Player of the Year. The other area that I expect to grow is Kalkbrenner’s offensive game. For the past three years, he has played with a number of ball dominant teammates (Nembhard, Kaluma, Scheierman, and Alexander). As I mentioned in discussing Steven Ashworth last time, he seemed to get much more comfortable after the Christmas break, and Kalkbrenner was a prime beneficiary. He averaged 15 points before the holidays, and just under 19 points over the final 21 games. I expect similar or better results this year.

Seton Hall – I assume the Pirates will begin the year with Yacine Toumi, the transfer from Evansville in the middle. The alternatives are playing Gus (Bus) Yalden at center or hoping for rapid development from one of the younger untested players. Godswill Ehreriene is a top 150 recruit and the one that has the best chance of making an impact. I only saw Toumi play a couple of times, and he reminded me of Supreme Cook with less physicality. My guess is that Shaheen Holloway does a lot of mixing and matching at this position and hopes that Ehreriene can eventually earn the job.

St. John’s – St. John’s has had Joel Soriano for each of the last three years. His numbers were solid last year, but he did not appear to fit as well in Rick Pitino’s system as he did under Mike Anderson. This year there are multiple options, including highly rated but underachieving Vince Iwuchukwu, a transfer from USC. The also have raw and talented freshman Khaman Maker to develop. My guess is that Pitino splits between Iwuchukwu and going smaller with Zuby Ejiofor. Pitino has spoken well of both of them and appears to believe Ejiofor will make a significant leap this year.

Villanova – Eric Dixon has been the Wildcats’ best player each of the past two seasons and passed up a chance to enter the portal to remain with his local team. The expectation for the upcoming season is that Fresno State transfer Enoch Boakye will play solid minutes in the middle, allowing Dixon to be more of a stretch four. While Dixon should be able to do that without much difficulty, the question is whether or not Boakye can play at the Big East level. He had a nice year for Fresno State, averaging 8 points and 8 rebounds per game after struggling to get on the floor in the prior two seasons at Arizona State. This roster has some talent, but it is hard to see how it all fits together. If Boakye can contribute at least to the level he did last season, it helps Dixon, and the rest of their roster fits much better. If not, Dixon will have to return to the center position with problems elsewhere.

Butler – Andre Screen was a solid backup for the Bulldogs last season after transferring from Bucknell, with 5 points and nearly 5 rebounds in 12 minutes per game. The question is whether or not he can play double the minutes and still produce at a similar level. He is a strong defender at 7’1” even though he is not a shot blocker. He also had a propensity to get into foul trouble when playing for extended minutes. The problem is that little used Boden Kapke is the only other true big on the roster. Coach Thad Matta did go small at times with his best overall player Jahmyl Telfort guarding the other team’s center. I suspect Mata will do the same thing against some of the smaller opponents this season, primarily out of necessity.

Xavier – It is hopefully back to the future in Cincinnati with both Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter expected to be available on opening night after they both missed last season. They have also added Lassina Traore from Long Beach State and John Hugley IV from Oklahoma (and previously Pittsburgh). Traore and Hunter are both strong rebounders and Hugley takes what is given to him on offense. The key for the Musketeers to have a big season though is Freemantle. In some ways it is similar to the Friars with the recuperating Bryce Hopkins. Both teams have enough talent and depth to compete for an NCAA bid regardless, but the need their stars to produce at similar levels to the 2022-23 season to make runs in March.

Georgetown – The question for the Hoyas is whether they will start one of their freshmen, Thomas Sorber or late signee Julius Halaifonua and play sophomore Drew Fielder at the four or go smaller and play Fielder at center. Georgetown is frighteningly young for the Big East, and the question is whether Ed thinks he can compete for a post-season bid with this roster. With only one junior and one grad student in their rotation, they will be the youngest team in the conference. I have no knowledge of Halaifonua’s game, but he was rated fairly highly and has the size to match up opposing centers in the league. I have only seen Sorber on video but think he’s a long-term project and would not expect a big year for him as a freshman. Fielder’s game appears more accustomed to play the stretch four than the middle. Since Micah Peavy is not a shooter, having Fielder in position to hoist a few three pointers will help their offense. The biggest concern regardless of any of the above is that it will be a difficult defensive matchup for whoever ends up in the pivot.

DePaul – DePaul has no true center on the roster, but solid size. David Skogman is 6’11” but is a shooter and not a strong rebounder. N.J. Benson was a very good rebounder for Missouri State last year, but very limited offensively. They also have J. J. Traynor from Louisville, who had a number of good games last year before getting hurt in early December. At this point, it would appear that these three will man most of the four and five minutes this season with young freshman Sekou Konneh grabbing minutes as part of a developmental situation. Similar to Georgetown, defense will be a significant concern, but I think the Blue Demons have more potential upside defensively.

Providence – While it was obvious that Devin Carter upped his game significantly after the season-ending injury to Bryce Hopkins, most people outside of Friartown probably did not notice how much Josh Oduro stepped up. From that Seton Hall game onward, Josh averaged 18 points and 8 rebounds per game, including two 20-point games against UConn and 32 and 17 against Creighton and Ryan Kalkbrenner. Despite that, I am optimistic about the center position this season. I wrote about Christ Essandako as a key for the Friars this season, and I am bullish on his potential. His shoulders are roughly as wide as an average door frame and his height is also the height of an average door frame. There are two things that impress me about him. First is that he has the skills of a wing in terms of ball handling, passing, and shooting. When you watch him doing these things, it is easy to forget the door frame analogies. The other thing I appreciate is that he appears to have a cerebral approach to the game. He has spoken about how Coach English has used Josh Oduro the past two seasons and accurately sees similarities in their games. He also has lost weight over the summer and is healthy. If that holds, I have no doubt that he will be a positive addition to the lineup.

The other reason for the optimism is the depth in the middle. While Rafael Castro worked hard, it was evident that he did not have the physical size and strength to match up in such a physical conference. This year, the Friars have two of the most athletic big men in the league coming off the bench. Oswin Erhunmwunse in particular is as athletic as any big the Friars will see all season. I am confident he will be a contributor all year long. As the legendary Kevin Farrahar wrote in his player preview on Oswin this week, the incredible athleticism on blocks, dunks, hangtime, and how quickly he gets down the court will quickly get your attention. Like Essandako, Oswin is constantly working to improve all aspects of his game. Little things like his footwork belie the fact that he has only played in this country for a couple of years. He will get playing time on defense alone this year, but do not be surprised if his offense develops quickly as well.

The third part of the 21 feet of centers is Anton Bonke, who is even more raw than Oswin. As a competitive rower before turning to basketball, he has the physical tools that blend perfectly with a 7’2”, 290 lb. frame. Bonke, like Essandako, has a nice touch from beyond the three-point line, and is developing quickly. Coach English and the staff, especially Dennis Felton, are working non-stop with these three players and this should bear fruit over the winter. The best part is that Bonke should have the luxury of developing at his own pace without the pressure of having to contribute immediately. Anything the Friars get from him this season will be a pleasant surprise.

I have not even mentioned redshirt freshman Eli DeLaurier, who enrolled a year early and would have been a top 100 level player had he not committed early. At 6’10”, 225 lbs., he has the size to fill in at center if needed, but projects more to be a power forward. He was a bit overmatched in the limited action he saw before being redshirted due to injury, but it’s clear the staff recognizes his potential.