Louisville basketball tabs experienced replacement for James Scott.
Indicative of the volatility and unpredictability of the modern college basketball landscape, Louisville basketball coaches and staffers alike were stunned by the eleventh hour departure of starting center James Scott.
The College of Charleston transfer was a seemingly perfect cultural fit in head coach Pat Kelsey’s system.
In James’ absence, Louisville had legitimate size and depth concerns up front.
Now, in a move further indicative of the times, Louisville basketball has signed its third pro-level big to the 2025-26 roster.
Vangelis Zougris is one of the rising stars in Greek basketball.
After watching his tape, I would have wanted to bestow him the “Greek Freak” moniker had that name not already been taken.
The official Fiba basketball website may have nailed it though. Zougris is most certainly the Greek Warrior.
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What the “Greek Warrior” brings to Louisville basketball
At 6’8 and (guessing here) 230-240 pounds, Zougris is a throwback if we’ve ever seen one.
In a modern era, especially one where Europe is producing prospects at an all-time high, it seems an immediate requirement for a burly 6’8 forward to be a floor stretching shooter.
Zougris, however, is cut from the Chane Behanan cloth. An “undersized” big in height only, Zougris is a polished post player with the ability to dice up larger big men and run the offense from the high and low block.
He is a menace in the pick and roll offense, setting bruising screens and rolling to the basket like a bat out of hell.
At the basket, he doesn’t possess unheard of explosiveness, but he gets what he wants when he wants it. He has an arsenal of moves turning over both shoulders and finishes strong through contact.
Perhaps most importantly, Zougris is sure-handed and snags rebounds on both ends at an extremely high clip. He feels like the sort of player who you may look up midway through the second half and he quietly has 2 points and 13 boards. Just a menace around the rim.
Louisville basketball’s final front court
Zougris joins a front court of foreign born players that have unique skill sets for the college game.
Aly Khalifa, an Egyptian born forward, is an elite level passer and above average shooter for his size. German big Sananda Fru possesses an arsenal of offensive weapons and a robust overall skill set. Louisville also recently added Mouhamed Camara, another international front court player who will probably play more on the wing. We are also obviously waiting to see what comes of Khalifa’s eligibility, but regardless of whether he’s on the roster Zougris is a much needed addition.
The Greek big adds a new dimension as a hyper aggressive multifaceted big who plays larger than his frame.
Sprinkle positionless forward Kasean Pryor into the mix and you now have a front court possessing requisite size, speed, athleticism, and versatile skill sets.
Perhaps most importantly, Louisville basketball has added aggression on the boards and a group of guys who can go back to the basket in the low post.
The Louisville coaching staff has assembled a top 10 level roster, and has done so by finding pieces that should fit well together.
Adding another professional European big should bode well for the future of the program.
