Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
This morning, Wake Forest center Olivier Sarr announced he is entering the transfer portal. Would he be a good fit at Kentucky? We asked Les Johns, who covered Sarr at Wake the past three seasons and also covered Kentucky Basketball before moving to Winston-Salem.
“From a pure basketball perspective, it honestly seems like a perfect fit,” Johns, the publisher of Demon Deacon Digest said.
Sarr, a 7’0″ 255 lbs. native of France, averaged 13.7 points and 9.0 rebounds last season, earning third-team All-ACC honors. He is currently a junior, but told ESPN he will apply for a waiver for immediate eligibility, which could be granted considering Danny Manning’s departure. If so, he seems to be the best answer to Kentucky’s biggest roster need next season.
Johns gave us the lowdown on Sarr’s development since arriving on Wake’s campus in 2017. Prior to his freshman season, Sarr played for the French national team, so he wasn’t on campus for strength and conditioning training and didn’t have the opportunity to bulk up until his sophomore or junior seasons.
“He arrived at Wake Forest as a thin, kind of standard Euro-style face-up big,” Johns said. “He was close to a stretch four; inconsistent from three-point range but solid from 12-15 feet.”
Although Manning’s tenure in Winston-Salem was not successful, Johns said he was good at developing big men, which showed as Sarr’s career as a Demon Deacon went on. As a junior, he totaled 11 double-doubles, seven in ACC play, and 33 blocks. He scored 25 points in Wake’s win vs. Duke and had 30 points and 17 rebounds against Notre Dame the next game out.
“Sarr has gained about 35 pounds since his arrival at Wake, and is much bigger and stronger down on the block,” Johns said. “He’s an excellent low post player. I can see him wearing Kentucky blue.”
When it comes to basketball, Sarr may be a great fit; however, is he ready for the spotlight that comes with wearing Kentucky blue?
“That’s a valid question,” Johns said. “He’s more reserved, for sure. And he liked the small campus and small media environment here at Wake.”
In his interview with ESPN, Sarr admitted that the attention from the Big Blue Nation has already been a bit overwhelming.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that; it was crazy. It was funny and all that, but it got to a point where it was a little bit too much. Some Wake fans replied. I loved the loyalty from the Deacon fans. I love them, I appreciate what they did for me for three years. But Kentucky fans are really eager and thirsty for players.”
“From what I know, it’s a historical program,” Sarr added about Kentucky. “It’s one of the best programs in the country.”
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May 01, 2020 at 09:40PM
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