Frank Anselem-Ibe enters transfer portal, seven Georgia player to do so
Frank Anselem-Ibe’s time in red and black appears to be over. After coming to Georgia from Syracuse as a part of Mike White’s first team in Athens, the big man is exploring other options. On3’s Joe Tipton reports that Anselem-Ibe is entering the transfer portal as of Tuesday afternoon.
Anselem appeared in 31 of 32 games for Georgia during the 2022-23 season, missing only one due to illness. Notching six starts while leading the team in blocks, Anselem averaged 2.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game.
Twice did Anselem record a double-figure scoring performance that season, and recently came his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the NIT quarterfinals against Ohio State. It came as a part of a 2023-24 campaign that saw him take a backseat role among the big men while also playing big minutes for the Bulldogs in some of their most important games.
“Frank has played really well, and in some of our bigger wins this year, he’s been on the court,” White said about Anselem during the NIT when Anselem started three straight contests. “Every Day Frank is what we call him. He had a great practice yesterday, I would bet he has a great practice today, it’s who he is. He works, he’s got great energy, and he really played well the other day. It’s why we continue to call his number, and he’s continued to earn the right to stay on the floor.”
Anselem averaged just 9.1 minutes per game this season but was an effective 62.8% from the field on 27-of-43 shooting. In two fewer games played and a decrease in overall minutes, he came up just one block shy of his total from the previous season. Prior to his time at Georgia, Anselem appeared in 36 games over two seasons at Syracuse including 32 in 2021-22, averaging 14.2 minutes per game and a career-best 3.8 rebounds.
Ansleem will have one year of eligibility remaining at his next school. He is originally from Lagos, Nigeria but played his high school basketball in the state of Georgia.
Georgia Roster Tracker
Anselem is the seventh Georgia player to enter the transfer portal since the end of the season. The Bulldogs lost Jalen DeLoach, Justin Hill, M.A. Moncrieffe, Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Mari Jordan and RJ Melendez previously before picking up portal additions from De’Shayne Montgomery (Mount St. Mary’s), Justin Abson (Appalachian State) and Dakota Leffew (Mount St. Mary’s).
Georgia also added the commitment of 2024 big man Somto Cyril earlier this week, giving the Bulldogs five scholarship spots still to fill. UGA is actively pursuing options out of the portal including Clemson forward RJ Godfrey, among others.
Returnees (3): Blue Cain, Silas Demary, Dylan James
Additions (5): Justin Abson (Appalachian State), Somto Cyril (Class of 2024), Dakota Leffew (Mount St. Mary’s), De’Shayne Montgomery (Mount St. Mary’s), Asa Newell (Class of 2024)
Departures via Portal (7): Frank Anselem-Ibe, Jabri Abdur-Rahim (Providence), Jalen DeLoach (Loyola Chicago), Justin Hill (Wichita State), Mari Jordan, RJ Melendez, M.A. Moncrieffe (Seattle)
Out of Eligibility (3): RJ Sunahara, Russel Tchewa, Noah Thomasson
