Syracuse Basketball: Frank Anselem enjoys competitiveness at center spot

Syracuse basketball freshman center Frank Anselem has a terrific attitude and tremendous upside.

Syracuse basketball freshman center Frank Anselem is hailed as a ridiculously talented athlete, although it remains to be seen whether he sees a lot of court time in the 2020-21 campaign.

That’s because the Orange has a fully stocked 13 scholarship players within its line-up in the present term, and that includes four centers. Those centers are the 6-foot-10 Anselem, along with senior and starter Bourama Sidibe, sophomore Jesse Edwards and redshirt freshman John Bol Ajak.

Sidibe, assuming he stays out of foul trouble and continues his strong play from the latter part of 2019-20, will assuredly get the most minutes at center in head coach Jim Boeheim’s rotation. That being said, Sidibe suffered a left-leg injury in the 2020-21 term opener, a one-point victory over Bryant on Friday. He was scheduled to have an MRI on Friday evening.

I’ve gone on record in saying that I believed Edwards will serve as Sidibe’s primary back-up, but who knows exactly how things will eventually pan out. Frankly (no pun intended), I think that Anselem has the most upside out of any of the centers.

In a recent interview posted to cuse.com, Anselem says that he welcomes the battle for minutes at the center spot, given that Syracuse basketball has a quartet of players at this position.

“It’s fun playing with those guys, especially being from different backgrounds. I enjoy the competitiveness every day,” Anselem said.

I really dig that kind of mentality from Anselem. I’ve seen multiple articles where he is described as a hard-working player who knows that he has to earn his minutes, despite coming to the Hill as a highly touted prospect from Prolific Prep in Napa Valley, Calif., which is one of the premier programs around the country in high-school hoops.

Syracuse basketball freshman center Frank Anselem will have a stellar career in Central New York.

Boeheim has said that all of his players, including the freshmen, have improved throughout pre-season practices. But he did add it’s a bit early to tell what the freshmen, other than perhaps combo guard Kadary Richmond, may be able to do for the team in 2020-21.

When Anselem committed to the Orange earlier this year, recruiting analysts and his high-school coaches raved about his athleticism, mobility and shot-blocking. Anselem has a 7-foot-5 wingspan, which is ideal for anchoring the squad’s vaunted 2-3 zone.

Anselem says that he chose the number 5 as his jersey number, because of former NBA star Kevin Garnett, “one of my favorite players of all time.”

When asked about the biggest differences between the level of play in high school versus college practices so far prior to the ‘Cuse first game at home versus Bryant this past Friday afternoon, Anselem said it boils down to “the physicality and skill level.”

"He continued, “In high school I was faster and stronger than everyone but in college I have to adjust to being just as strong as the guy next to me. As for the skill level, guys don’t just miss shots or take bad shots. You also have to play good defense because if your hands are down, just pick the ball out the net and go on offense because nine out of 10 times, the shot is going in.”"