Christ Essandoko has taken the road less traveled to get back to Friartown…and it should make all the difference. Christ has returned home to Providence.
Christ Essandoko, the France native, was originally committed to Providence under Ed Cooley, but decommitted in his senior year of high school and ended up enrolling at St. Joe’s in Philadelphia. It was a feeling of opportunity lost amongst the Friar faithful, as he was painted as the natural successor to Nate Watson and Ed Croswell. Essandoko possesses the prototypical size for a Big East 5 man at 7 foot and 290 pounds, and it is a shame Providence didn’t have him from his freshman year on. Regardless, he’s a Friar now, and Providence has a huge ball of clay to develop in the frontcourt over his next 3 years of eligibility.
After a redshirt year in the 2022-2023 season, Essandoko burst onto the scene last year, averaging 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block in 21 minutes per game. Essandoko started 15 games for the Hawks and had flashes of brilliance throughout the season when he was healthy enough to play (more on that later in the article). He had 21 and 12 against Duquesne and 16 and 9 against LaSalle, but the game that should bring Friar fans some optimism is the NIT loss against Seton Hall. There is always the question of if a player from a lower level conference can compete at a higher level once he transfers up. Against The Hall, Christ went for 14 points and 8 rebounds. Consider that box initially checked. Based off who else was pursuing Essandoko in the portal, specifically a Hall of Fame coach in Rick Pitino and future Hall of Fame coach in Dan Hurley, there is the consensus belief amongst elite coaches that Essandoko can be a Day 1 Big East contributor.
For Kim English, the sales pitch to centers in the transfer portal must have been relatively easy and straightforward. Departing was All-Conference big Josh Oduro and his 30 minutes of playing time. On top of that, back-up big Rafael Castro, who played sparingly at 9 minutes a game, transferred. The five spot in the starting line-up was wide open for whomever wanted to try and take it. This person could essentially waltz into 25-30 minutes of playing time a night.
Additionally, Oduro’s game tape from last year showed that English wants to run the offense through his bigs. Oduro was the second leading scorer behind All-American and lottery draft pick Devin Carter. Oduro averaged 16 and 8 in 30 minutes on his way to All-Conference honors in the Big East. English sold the vision to Essandoko of an A-10 big transferring to Providence and having success because it already transpired with Oduro when he came from George Mason. The blueprint is there for Essandoko, and he just has to follow the direction of the staff and strength and conditioning coaches.
Currently, the competition for the five spot is between Christ, Anton Bonke, and Oswin Erhumwunse. Essandoko is likely the early leader in the club house due to his collegiate playing experience in the A-10 and this being his third year in college. Bonke and Oswin are no slouches by any means (I have high expectations for both), but only one has played one semester of JuCo ball, while the other should technically be in his senior year of high school. There is a lot of positive momentum for Essandoko, but the refreshing thing about this roster is no starting spots will be gifted to any one player. Due to the depth of scholarship players 1-13 on the roster, every starting spot will be earned.
The question I have for Essandoko is staying healthy and being in shape enough to hold down the starting center spot for 25 minutes in the Big East. It is a physical, gritty league, and Essandoko has to get his conditioning in a place where he can be effective for 25 minutes a game. English won’t have to lean so heavily on Essandoko like he did Oduro last year due to the additions of Bonke and Oswin, which is a fantastic development and best for all 3 frontcourt players.
While Essandoko was a threat from the perimeter last year for St. Joe’s (37% on 38 attempts), I’d like to see him stay closer to the paint and use his size and advanced foot work. I think playing from the foul-line in is where he is most effective and having him on the perimeter is trying to get too cute. Providence seemingly has enough perimeter shooters at the 1-3 spot, and I’d like to see Essandoko play a bit of bully ball with Anton Bonke being the relief pitcher at the 5. Both of them have plus size (even at the Big East level), and I think it would personally be a disservice to their skillset if they hung around the perimeter too frequently.
A good example would be UConn last year. Donovan Clingan apparently can knock down the deep ball according to reports, but Hurley saw his value in playing him in the post. There aren’t many collegiate players who are 7 foot, 275lb plus. English should use that as a schematic advantage and get the opposing 5 man in foul trouble. Not many Big East squads have the depth in the frontcourt that Providence currently does (oh how times have changed!). If we can roll out Essandoko, Bonke, and Oswin in waves at an opposing frontcourt, it has the potential to change the entire dynamics of a game.
Layer on Bryce Hopkins playing bully-ball at the 4 against whomever is guarding him, and the groundwork is being laid for Providence to get the opposition to wilt by the second half due to foul trouble and physicality over the course of 40 minutes. English may tell his quartet of Essandoko, Bonke, Oswin, and Hopkins to use their size and strength in the paint/low post and see if the team they are playing can hold up for the entirety of the game.
In short, Essandoko may have been the biggest land of the portal season for Providence due to his ability to be a plug and play starting five man, along with the fact that he has 3 more years of eligibility. Mike and I have discussed the “best” type of portal lands are players with multiple years of eligibility. Essandoko could potentially be the starting five man for Providence for the next three years, and that should make all Friar fans very happy. No longer will Providence be undersized and undermanned in the frontcourt. A new era is upon us.
Here is my stat line prediction for Christ Essandoko in 2024-2025: Essandoko averages 24 minutes a game and puts up 10 points and 6 rebounds a game. While the stat line doesn’t pop off the page, it is due to English liberally subbing in Bonke and Oswin to keep Essandoko fresh and out of foul trouble.
Providence Crier Player Preview Articles
Jayden Pierre – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/09/25/providence-crier-player-preview-jayden-pierre-all-conference-season-upcoming/
Corey Floyd Jr. – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/09/19/corey-floyd-jr-player-preview-trust-the-process/
Anton Bonke – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/09/10/anton-bonke-international-man-of-mystery/
Justyn Fernandez – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2024/09/09/providence-crier-player-preview-is-the-hype-too-early-for-justyn-fernandez/