Class of 2023 PF Ibrahim Souare (Guinea / AZ) TRANSFERRING TO SYRACUSE (4/6/25)

[Orangezoo]

yeah well...they switched out of that quick and for the vast majority of the game ndongo was the center...guarding clemson tallest player...whereas suare was playing as a PF, guarding Clemsons PF (and getting scored on pretty easily)


so i dont know what you all are on about...i literally spent 30 minutes going through the games

ndongo was the center for GT almost the entire game...he played very well.

ndongo and suare can be listed as the same height but ndongo is much bigger and better and plays much bigger out there, imo fwiw

IMO much of suare;s effectiveness that game was due to ndongo being a wrecking ball out there and making his life easy (an advantage he will not have at SU)

so ...to summarize - we are getting GT's PF to play center for Syracuse...it doesnt make him a center, though.

*its also notable (and im sure not coincidental that JB was the announcer for the game) and was giving multiple compliments to suare in the game...he really likes him FWIW

**(also, its very JB of the staff this portal season to go with centers who only play defense, too...makes me wonder how much input/help he is giving behind the scenes on player picks/roster construction)

*** lastly was notable that george literally almost never passed to suare all game long...but suare is apparently cool with following george for more of the same...interesting to me

if the staff intends to use suare similarly to how he was used at GT, it wouldnt make sense to me...why get a guy with offensive skills only to not use him at all on offense, especially when he isnt very good at defending centers...1 on 1, or even PFs from the clemson tape...

i really hope I am dead wrong about all of this...fwiw

For better or worse a guy closer to Lampkin just isn’t likely to be a fit with the roster as constructed and a faster tempo. It’s a 3 forward approach more than a traditional lineup.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

For better or worse a guy closer to Lampkin just isn’t likely to be a fit with the roster as constructed and a faster tempo. It’s a 3 forward approach more than a traditional lineup.

You know whose mom was all about the "3 forward approach?"

 

[RF2044]

You know whose mom was all about the "3 forward approach?"

Yours?




[allegedly]

 

[CardiacCuse]

For better or worse a guy closer to Lampkin just isn’t likely to be a fit with the roster as constructed and a faster tempo. It’s a 3 forward approach more than a traditional lineup.

so the entire roster will be constructed to play only at a fast tempo?

you cannot decide what tempo another team plays on offense...other teams can slow it down, if they want a la UVA

a smarter approach would be to also prepare for the situations when they won;t be able to play up-tempo...and that wil happen, regardless of whatever intentions they have

and no one said we need lampkin redux...just an actual like tall big bruising center that can play that style of game...that can guard similar players well and preferably can score if you pass to him in the post

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

so the entire roster will be constructed to play only at a fast tempo?

you cannot decide what tempo another team plays on offense...other teams can slow it down, if they want a la UVA

a smarter approach would be to also prepare for the situations when they won;t be able to play up-tempo...and that wil happen, regardless of whatever intentions they have

and no one said we need lampkin redux...just an actual like tall big bruising center that can play that style of game...that can guard similar players well and preferably can score if you pass to him in the post

Which player like you describe has SU failed to recruit? Which ones want to attend SU, but were turned away?
You can’t cook filet mignon if you only have chicken available to you.

 

[capeorange]

Yours?




[allegedly]

She hot?

 

[RF2044]

She hot?

 

[Orangezoo]

so the entire roster will be constructed to play only at a fast tempo?

you cannot decide what tempo another team plays on offense...other teams can slow it down, if they want a la UVA

a smarter approach would be to also prepare for the situations when they won;t be able to play up-tempo...and that wil happen, regardless of whatever intentions they have

and no one said we need lampkin redux...just an actual like tall big bruising center that can play that style of game...that can guard similar players well and preferably can score if you pass to him in the post

There isn’t a 5 in the portal that meets all of your expectations just to be clear. Well maybe freeman but that’s it.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Yours?




[allegedly]

 

[ezbeezy214]

Give me an Eastern European brute whose NIL will consist of breaking thumbs while collecting for the mob.

Jokic brothers

 

[CardiacCuse]

There isn’t a 5 in the portal that meets all of your expectations just to be clear. Well maybe freeman but that’s it.

my expectations are not high - i just want a center...that can cover 7 footers, protect the rim and can score at a reasonable clip when fed the ball in the post. ...you know, like the basic requirements of the position

im not even saying they need to be some all-acc or all-american etc avg 20 and 10

just a replacement level center that like every single other team in the NCAA seems to have...heck teams like Colgate and Cornell and va tech and the like seem to have these guys every time we play them...

why are you guys as fans co-signing on accepting very sub-par options as if its all that we can hope for?

this is the 7th winningest program in NCAA history...but you guys are acting like this is Boston College or something

(btw, without checking, BC probably has better centers than us fwiw, they usually do)

Which player like you describe has SU failed to recruit? Which ones want to attend SU, but were turned away?
You can’t cook filet mignon if you only have chicken available to you.

how am i supposed to know ? im not privvy to the private discussions between players and the staff.

i didnt even watch the ncaa bb this year other than some syr games...i dont know specific players...

what i do know is that almost every single team we play has the type of center i would like to have for the orange...sooo many times i have watched games, even against low major teams...and thought why cant SU get a center like that? am I alone?

 

[GoCuse14]

There isn’t a 5 in the portal that meets all of your expectations just to be clear. Well maybe freeman but that’s it.

And he was always going to Creighton

 

[Orangezoo]

my expectations are not high - i just want a center...that can cover 7 footers, protect the rim and can score at a reasonable clip when fed the ball in the post. ...you know, like the basic requirements of the position

im not even saying they need to be some all-acc or all-american etc avg 20 and 10

just a replacement level center that like every single other team in the NCAA seems to have...heck teams like Colgate and Cornell and va tech and the like seem to have these guys every time we play them...

why are you guys as fans co-signing on accepting very sub-par options as if its all that we can hope for?

this is the 7th winningest program in NCAA history...but you guys are acting like this is Boston College or something

(btw, without checking, BC probably has better centers than us fwiw, they usually do)

how am i supposed to know ? im not privvy to the private discussions between players and the staff.

i didnt even watch the ncaa bb this year other than some syr games...i dont know specific players...

what i do know is that almost every single team we play has the type of center i would like to have for the orange...sooo many times i have watched games, even against low major teams...and thought why cant SU get a center like that? am I alone?

Appreciate your takes but going from a center who does it all to a replacement center is a big difference and quite honestly not sure how that helps us vs what we have now. A traditional big center who can move a little creates the kind of issues like with McLeod. It’s always a trade off unless you have a bottomless war chest.

Our front court will be long and have a little beef just won’t have your stereotype back of the zone big man or another Lampkin. Kyle is no pushover at 6-9 230 and should hold his own given the size and 7-3 wingspan.

It all will come down to how Red uses the roster he’s put together and makes the most when there are advantages on the court and adjusts when not.

 

[Niastri]

Appreciate your takes but going from a center who does it all to a replacement center is a big difference and quite honestly not sure how that helps us vs what we have now. A traditional big center who can move a little creates the kind of issues like with McLeod. It’s always a trade off unless you have a bottomless war chest.

Our front court will be long and have a little beef just won’t have your stereotype back of the zone big man or another Lampkin. Kyle is no pushover at 6-9 230 and should hold his own given the size and 7-3 wingspan.

It all will come down to how Red uses the roster he’s put together and makes the most when there are advantages on the court and adjusts when not.

If we get pushed around in a few games, we can always have Byron Washington walk on to the basketball team. A couple hard fouls from him could change the tone of a physical game, even if he can’t dribble at all… (neither could Bell, and he was a starter)

 

[RedtheGOB]

my expectations are not high - i just want a center...that can cover 7 footers, protect the rim and can score at a reasonable clip when fed the ball in the post. ...you know, like the basic requirements of the position

im not even saying they need to be some all-acc or all-american etc avg 20 and 10

just a replacement level center that like every single other team in the NCAA seems to have...heck teams like Colgate and Cornell and va tech and the like seem to have these guys every time we play them...

why are you guys as fans co-signing on accepting very sub-par options as if its all that we can hope for?

this is the 7th winningest program in NCAA history...but you guys are acting like this is Boston College or something

(btw, without checking, BC probably has better centers than us fwiw, they usually do)

how am i supposed to know ? im not privvy to the private discussions between players and the staff.

i didnt even watch the ncaa bb this year other than some syr games...i dont know specific players...

what i do know is that almost every single team we play has the type of center i would like to have for the orange...sooo many times i have watched games, even against low major teams...and thought why cant SU get a center like that? am I alone?

You're asking for a 7 footer that can score and defend. There are very few.

Take a look at what's available in the portal and what other ACC teams have already brought in at that position. We need to win in the ACC before we worry about what if we run into elite bigs.

Clemson, Pitt and Miami have brought in high caliber centers at least rating wise from the portal, Take a look at who they got. They are all 6'10.

It's far more likely that we run into a whole bunch of 6'9-6'10 big's that we need to defend. We have 4 guys on our roster that are 6'9 so far.

 

[CuseSaint26]

If you subscribe to the idea that this team will be good enough rebounding (Donnie Freeman is elite and overall the roster seems better on paper), the length and athleticism that Kyle and Souare bring will provide better matchups.

We had bulky centers last year (Lampkin and Nadeem) and often times the other team had the matchup advantage. If you fill the roster with 7ft guys that only play a physical style of basketball, you can’t matchup against certain teams and would be forced to play small ball anyways. The approach for the center position may not be perfect but it’s better than last year and I’d rather have depth at the Wing or Guard position than three centers.

 

[CardiacCuse]

If you subscribe to the idea that this team will be good enough rebounding (Donnie Freeman is elite and overall the roster seems better on paper), the length and athleticism that Kyle and Souare bring will provide better matchups.

We had bulky centers last year (Lampkin and Nadeem) and often times the other team had the matchup advantage. If you fill the roster with 7ft guys that only play a physical style of basketball, you can’t matchup against certain teams and would be forced to play small ball anyways. The approach for the center position may not be perfect but it’s better than last year and I’d rather have depth at the Wing or Guard position than three centers.

theres like 5 open roster spots and who said they all have to be 7footer...at least get one traditional big center on the roster a la jesse edwards

You're asking for a 7 footer that can score and defend. There are very few.

Take a look at what's available in the portal and what other ACC teams have already brought in at that position. We need to win in the ACC before we worry about what if we run into elite bigs.

Clemson, Pitt and Miami have brought in high caliber centers at least rating wise from the portal, Take a look at who they got. They are all 6'10.

It's far more likely that we run into a whole bunch of 6'9-6'10 big's that we need to defend. We have 4 guys on our roster that are 6'9 so far.

i mean getting a 6 10 or 6 11 would also be fine...6 9 is just short. yeah i prefer a 7 footer type but just not a PF

and i dont subscribe to just focus on the acc and then see what happens...i want to prepare for nationa comp not just acc. this type of thinking is mid

i havent scouted the entire player pool in ncaa so i cannot speak definitively but every time i watch a game there is usually at least 1 big with post moves who can defend...idk most of you guys are pretending this is some kind of rare diamond player who can do the basic requirements of the position

 

[CuseSaint26]

theres like 5 open roster spots and who said they all have to be 7footer...at least get one traditional big center on the roster a la jesse edwards

i mean getting a 6 10 or 6 11 would also be fine...6 9 is just short. yeah i prefer a 7 footer type but just not a PF

and i dont subscribe to just focus on the acc and then see what happens...i want to prepare for nationa comp not just acc. this type of thinking is mid

i havent scouted the entire player pool in ncaa so i cannot speak definitively but every time i watch a game there is usually at least 1 big with post moves who can defend...idk most of you guys are pretending this is some kind of rare diamond player who can do the basic requirements of the position

In today’s game especially, the value is in the wingspan and athleticism. Height isn’t valuable without the first two.

William Kyle - 7’3 wingspan
Ibrahim Souare - 7’2-3’ wingspan

Rebounding will be about positioning. We’ll see about their physicality but assuming they hold up, their wingspans will allow them to defend bigger centers

 

[CardiacCuse]

In today’s game especially, the value is in the wingspan and athleticism. Height isn’t valuable without the first two.

William Kyle - 7’3 wingspan
Ibrahim Souare - 7’2-3’ wingspan

Rebounding will be about positioning. We’ll see about their physicality but assuming they hold up, their wingspans will allow them to defend bigger centers

lol the other two arent valuable without height, either

from the tape, i dont see it, but hopefully im wrong

 

[Digger]

May have been posted already, but I read George and Souare were high school teammates in Arizona and lived with the same host family (it was possibly George’s family. Read mixed info on that)

 

[Orangezoo]

lol the other two arent valuable without height, either

from the tape, i dont see it, but hopefully im wrong

If you are saying a 5-10 kid with a long wingspan than sure. Otherwise 6-6 and up kids who can play bigger because of being longer is absolutely a factor especially on defense and there isn’t really a counter argument to that unless they simply can’t play. We have seen it many times on JBs good zone teams and it’s very prevalent today in that it makes a difference.

Rim protection, getting into passing lanes and close outs all are impacted by physical factors like wingspan even more than very marginal height figures.

6-9 vs 6-11 can be quickly nullified by such factors as length and athleticism.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

You know whose mom was all about the "3 forward approach?"

 

[orangefog]

Who cares where the top of your head is? It’s about standing reach and then vertical jump.

 

[Niastri]

If you are saying a 5-10 kid with a long wingspan than sure. Otherwise 6-6 and up kids who can play bigger because of being longer is absolutely a factor especially on defense and there isn’t really a counter argument to that unless they simply can’t play. We have seen it many times on JBs good zone teams and it’s very prevalent today in that it makes a difference.

Rim protection, getting into passing lanes and close outs all are impacted by physical factors like wingspan even more than very marginal height figures.

6-9 vs 6-11 can be quickly nullified by such factors as length and athleticism.

I would point out that when watching Kyle play, at no point do you question if he’s tall enough or big enough. He looked like the biggest guy on the court in a lot of his highlights, even listed at 6’9” and only 220. I think he plays way bigger, and might have put a bunch of muscle as well. He got a lot bigger from his transfer highlights the year before. (We need to poach the UCLA S&C guy.)

 

[CardiacCuse]

If you are saying a 5-10 kid with a long wingspan than sure. Otherwise 6-6 and up kids who can play bigger because of being longer is absolutely a factor especially on defense and there isn’t really a counter argument to that unless they simply can’t play. We have seen it many times on JBs good zone teams and it’s very prevalent today in that it makes a difference.

Rim protection, getting into passing lanes and close outs all are impacted by physical factors like wingspan even more than very marginal height figures.

6-9 vs 6-11 can be quickly nullified by such factors as length and athleticism.

they can be good defenders generally

but how many 66 or 69 are shutting down a decently offensive 7 footer? very few