Friars Land Promising Center Christ Essandoko
The France native moved to the United States in the summer of 2020 and saw his stock take off shortly after.
With the addition of 6’11 center Christ Essandoko, Ed Cooley and his staff look to have their best high school recruiting haul since 2018.
Essandoko is an interesting prospect for a variety of reasons. He came to the United States from France in the summer of 2020 to play for a well-regarded coach in Winston Salem Christian’s (NC) Antonio Lowe. Essandoko admitted to knowing little about the American college game when he first moved here, but in under a year he became one of the most sought-after big men in the country.
Teaming with fellow Providence commit Quante Berry and an elite Class of 2023 big man in Brandon White, Winston Salem had what they would likely call a disappointing 2020-21 campaign. Yet, over the course of the past year, Essandoko transformed his body, dropping 30 pounds, and now measures in at 6’11, 260 pounds.
Now, Essandoko and Berry are part of a promising Friar recruiting class that also includes New Jersey point guard Jayden Pierre.
Essandoko played against high level competition while he lived in Europe. He has shared the court with 7’3 French prospect Victor Wembanyama, a 17-year-old who ESPN has labeled “the world’s most intriguing long-term prospect.” Essandoko has known Wembanyama since he was 13 years old.
In Essandoko, Providence adds an intriguing long-term prospect of their own.
Perhaps what stands out most with Essandoko is how so many different reporters and scouts have raved about his passing ability and basketball IQ.
The Phenom Hoop Report, which covers the high school basketball scene in North Carolina extensively, went all-in on Essandoko before most other outlets.
In October 2020, they wrote, “Christ Essandoko (2020) was unbelievable today as he showcased his dominance on the offensive end scoring in a wide variety of ways. His presence in the paint is so overwhelming as he scores at will around the basket and overpowers his defender. He rebounds the ball at a very high level and runs the floor pretty well. He showcased a unique ability to attack from the high post and facing up down low. He also displayed the ability to stretch the floor and knock down open jumpers from three. He has the potential to be a very special player at the next level; he could be one of the next bigs from North Carolina to make it to the league.”
A month later, Phenom Hoops continued to go in on him, “He’s a big, smart, strong, supremely skilled big man with size, soft hands, and incredible offensive polish. Essandoko is a lethal post-up threat with the ability to overwhelm opponents with his deep arsenal of moves, finishing ability, and pristine footwork around the basket. However, he also has the necessary tools to step out and effortlessly assert himself as a floor-spacing presence. Essandoko is an elite two-way rebounder, savvy passer, and quality overall defender with the ability to wall-up and block shots at a solid rate. Next in his development process is working on getting back in peak physical condition, as it’ll likely make him coveted by all types of programs across the country.”
Essandoko visited both Providence and Maryland this summer, and the remainder of his final seven schools included Georgetown, North Carolina State, Illinois, Seton Hall, and Oral Roberts.
There was some speculation he might commit to Providence in June, and now three months later Essandoko is committed to the Friars.
Essandoko started the grassroots season playing with Team Curry, a loaded outfit that included recent Duke point guard commit Caleb Foster, future Virginia Tech shooting guard MJ Rice, and the 6’9 Chauncey Wiggins, who just committed to Clemson.
During his time with Team Curry, Essandoko went up against Quante Berry and Bobby Maze Elite. This was my first time watching Essandoko, who finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks in a 58-57 victory. He shot 4-10 from the field, and 0-2 from deep in that game, while Berry led Bobby Maze with 17 points (Essandoko is #25 in the video below, Berry #3).
Essandoko’s numbers on the Under Armour Association circuit were solid, if not eye popping. During pool play in Indiana in May he averaged 7.2 points and 5.4 rebounds, while shooting .625 from the field. He essentially didn’t miss from inside the arc, shooting 14-18 from two-point range and 1-6 from three. Essandoko didn’t get a ton of touches in Indiana, taking under five field goal attempts a game. There were certainly a lot of mouths to feed on that team.
A little over a month later, Team Curry went to Georgia as part of the next round of UAA pool play. He shot 14-29 from the field (1-5 from 3), while averaging 5.7 points and five rebounds over seven games. Essandoko took just one field goal attempt in each of the last two games of the session — which wound up being his final two appearances with Team Curry.
He spent the rest of the summer playing with Boo Williams on Nike’s EYBL circuit. Essandoko played just over 12 minutes per game with Boo Williams, scoring a personal EYBL high 14 points in his first game with them (6-7 from the field, 1-1 free throw, 1-1 from three). The nine rebounds he grabbed in that game were also a personal best.
He should be asked to play a much bigger role in his final season of high school basketball.
Clearly, Winston Salem Christian will be a team to keep a close eye on this winter for Providence fans. Lowe left a very good Moravian Prep program two years ago to begin rebuilding the Lions. With Berry, Essandoko, and Brandon White as cornerstones, Winston Salem Christian will play a challenging schedule.
A year later, Essandoko will look to get minutes in a Providence frontcourt that will be starting from scratch in many ways, following the departures of Nate Watson and Noah Horchler.
The Providence staff seems high on 6’9 Rafael Castro, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if PC looks to add at least one experienced big man via transfer next fall. As Kevin McNamara noted earlier this week, the coaching staff would like to add a fourth high school player to their class of 2022 group.
With three promising prospects already on board, Ed Cooley and Co. have the luxury of going all-in on their next target. The three early signings also free the coaching staff up even more to pursue class of 2023 players.
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