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South Carolina landed 7-foot, 290-pound center Christ Essandoko of Providence (previously St. Joseph’s) from the NCAA transfer portal over the weekend after the big man took an official visit toward the end of last week.
The Gamecocks, who finished last in the Southeastern Conference in 2024-25 with a 12-20 overall record (2-16 in the SEC), are revamping their roster this offseason under head coach Lamont Paris and his staff. With the departure of forward Nick Pringle, South Carolina needs frontcourt help.
Here is a highlight video of Essandoko courtesy of CBS Sports.
Essandoko is a native of France. He averaged 14.9 minutes per game for the Friars last season, 4.3 points per game, 3.9 rebounds per game and shot 21 percent from 3-point range. His freshman year at St. Joseph’s featured better numbers- 8.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and he shot 36 percent from 3-point range for the Hawks.
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The Gamecocks will continue to work the transfer portal this offseason as the program will attempt to return to the NCAA Tournament in 2025-26. Paris was the SEC Coach of the Year in 2023-24 after guiding Carolina to its first trip to the Big Dance since the Final Four run in 2017 with a 26-8 overall record, including a stellar 13-5 mark in the SEC.
