Georgia Basketball: Exclusive interview with Top-100 Center, Frank Anselem

Frank Anselem is one of the nation's top post prospects. Today, we break down his recruitment and how Georgia has ramped up the effort to land him.

It's a common theme in Athens, Georgia now with the Georgia basketball program going after blue-chip prospects, like Frank Anselem.

With the talents and the 6'10 220-pound frame Anselem has, it's no wonder why he's the 76th rated player in the 2021 247sports composite. Even with his decision to reclassify to the current recruiting cycle, Anselem will still most likely remain in the Top-100.  Teams from all over the country are in the mix for his talents. But even with Anselem spending time at Prolific Prep in Napa, California, the Georgia-native is still considering the Bulldogs heavily.

"Georgia has been interested in me since I was a freshman, so the love is there."

 In addition to having an interest in Georgia, "LSU and Alabama are the other schools."

Georgia was the 4th leading rebounding team in the SEC in 2020 with 37.8 RPG as a team. That was just behind LSU (39.7 RPG) and Alabama (39.4) with only Auburn having more. But the Bulldogs produced those stats without a true center most of the time. Adding a guy like Anselem to the mix could increase Georgia's totals, and add rim protection for the Bulldogs.

Anselem wants to be an instant impact player, like most players. However, he has the ability to do so, which not every recruit can say. Better yet, Anselem has taken notice of how Crean has allowed freshmen to make impacts early on in their career, specifically through the potential #1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Anthony Edwards. 

"Ant-Man was dominant at UGA, and Coach Crean contributed a lot to his development, so I want to be able to produce as he did."

Edwards averaged 19.1 PPG and 5.2 RPG per game in 32 starts at Georgia. Though these are two players at completely different positions, if Anselem could contribute numbers anywhere near these in the post, he'd find himself in the one-and-done category.

Just like a lot of recruits during this off-season, Anselem had visits planned only to be canceled due to the coronavirus.

"I could have taken at least two more visits, but I can't. I'm just here staying safe."

The NCAA has extended the recruiting dead period through May 31st as of now. This has caused many recruits, like Anselem to resort to over-the-phone communication for their recruitment.  

Even without the visits, Anselem is still planning on making a commitment by the end of April.

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