Western Kentucky sophomore center Charles Bassey had the opportunity to go pro after his freshman season but decided to come back. We profiled him before the college basketball season so now we can update you with more information from his first collegiate campaign.
The 6-foot-11, 230-pound big man was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year and the Defensive Player of the Year in the conference. He also went on to set a ton of freshman records for the school in the process so clearly he was doing something right as a freshman.
Here are his stats from the 2018-19 season to prove it:
- 14.6 PPG, 10 RPG, 2.4 BPG
- 62.7 FG%, 45 3P% (on 0.6 3PA/game), 76.9 FT%
- 115.2 ORtg, 93.9 DRtg
A lot of what we said last year still holds true: he has an excellent motor, he is a rebounding machine, he is a fluid athlete and still has a few things to work on in his game. He averaged a double-double thanks to his motor and body positioning in the paint as well as pick-and-roll abilities.
Bassey will have to work on his IQ within pick-and-roll concepts, but he already does a fantastic job of getting the defender on his backside and sealing off for an easy entry pass and move to the basket. Even when not involved in the P-and-R, Bassey seals well and anticipates where the ball will end up so he gets great positioning underneath the hoop for a great look.
While Bassey’s shooting percentage seems to be incredibly high, it is mostly because he takes almost all of his shots at the basket. He shoots it in the mid-range every so often and has stepped out to shoot from beyond the arc, but only did so 20 times last season.
That will be a number to keep track of as it should go up if he wants to prove he can play at the next level. His shooting percentages may suffer for it, but he’s working with a field goal percentage of over 60 left over from last season so he should be just fine.
He’s an excellent rim protector and has a good feel for help-side defense. He will have to work on some defensive lapses at times, but should be an exciting prospect to watch this season and is likely a first-round talent that could fall to the Spurs.
