7-footer from Providence is South Carolina MBB’s first transfer commitment this cycle
Lamont Paris and the South Carolina men’s basketball team landed its first transfer portal commitment on Saturday.
Providence 7-footer Christ Essandoko announced his commitment to the Gamecocks on social media. He visited USC with his family over the weekend.
The Gamecocks will be Essandoko’s third college stop. He started his career at St. Joseph’s before transferring to Providence.
Essandoko, a France native, will have two years of eligibility left. He appeared in 22 games this season, seven starts, for the Friars and averaged 4.3 points and 3.9 rebounds.
Essandoko played high school basketball in United States his final two years at Winston-Salem Christian Academy in North Carolina. He averaged 15 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks as a senior in high school.
Essandoko was one of four transfers that visited USC this weekend. Towson’s Christian May posted pics on Instagram from his visit. North Dakota star guard Treysen Eaglestaff and South Florida’s Kobe Knox also are expected to visit, according to GamecockCentral and TheBigSpur.
Eaglestaff is one of the most sought-after guards in the transfer portal. He was an all-Summit league selection after averaging 18.3 points a game. He scored a career-high 51 points against South Dakota State in the Summit League tournament earlier this month.
The Gamecocks have lost four players to the transfer portal already and will lose four more to graduation. The transfer portal for men’s basketball opened on March 24 and will run through April 22.
South Carolina basketball 2025-26 roster outlook
Among scholarship players
- Out of eligibility (4): G Jacobi Wright, G Jamarii Thomas, F Myles Stute (pursuing a waiver to be eligible for next year), F Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk
- Transferring (4): G Austin Herro, G Zach Davis, G Arden Conyers, F Nick Pringle
- Incoming transfers (1): Christ Essandoko
- NBA Draft decision (1): F Collin Murray-Boyles
- Returning (4): G Morris Ugusuk, G Cam Scott, C Jordan Butler, F Okku Federiko
- Incoming freshmen (4): G Eli Ellis, G Grant Polk, F EJ Walker, F Hayden Assemian
This story was originally published March 29, 2025 at 5:57 PM.
