Highlights & Evaluation: Louisville F/C Commit Vangelis Zougris

Frame: Even as someone who will turn 21-years-old this October and already has a fair amount of professional experience, Zougris' frame is incredibly well developed. He has a lot of muscle and weight overall on his densely packed frame, and just might be Louisville's most muscular player heading into next season. Although in terms of height and length, he is a tad undersized for the position he plays.

Athleticism: As you can probably guess, Zougris is very athletic. Namely, he moves incredibly well for a post player, and has some phenomenal footwork. He's also got a good vertical and has shown at times ability to play above the rim. His actual strength is likely top notch, although his play strength doesn't shine through as much as you'd think.

Instincts: While Zougris is incredibly muscular and athletic overall, his overall game is actually built on finesse. His go-to move on the majority of his field goal attempts is the jump hook, and it's one that's got a good amount of touch and accuracy to it. Zougris is also extremely adept at taking advantage of his upper tier footwork, which is backed up by a very high motor overall. He's excellent at using his pivot foot to gain leverage for an open shot around the paint, has a good turnaround move when receiving entry passes, does a good job at timing cuts to the rim when defense sags off of him, and also excels at rolling to the paint/rim off of the pick-and-roll. Another big aspect of his game is rebounding - specifically on the offensive end. He does a good job of cleaning up the glass for offensive boards, mainly due to how well he times his jump at the ball to grab it or for put backs.

Polish: On one hand, Zougris' finesse play style does suit him well. On the other, he's not nearly enough of a bruiser as you would like him to be given his natural strength and athletic capabilities - especially as a scorer. He does a solid job boxing out on rebounds and is a violent finisher in open space, but that's really it. That being said, Zougris' biggest overall detriment is that he has no outside game whatsoever. Additionally, while he's a good roller on pick-and-roll actions, the actual screens themselves that he sets could use some work. Zougris is also a decent ball handler that can hold his own in this department, and has flashed some playmaking potential as a passer. On the other end of the court, while he is a tick undersized for a post player, his interior presence on defense is still pretty good. He can stay in front of his man, and does well with timing his blocks.

Bottom Line: Overall, this is an intriguing pickup for Louisville. While his game might not be suited for the NBA and you'd like to see him take more advantage of his chiseled frame, Zougris is very good at what he does. Like with Sananda Fru and Mouhamed Camara, time will tell how well he adjusts from overseas basketball to college, but there is some decent potential with Zougris given how well he moves around the basket on both ends.

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