The Scout: Gardner Webb - Ginuwine Tropnas
Breaking down the game of Gardner Webb's newest big man, Ginuwine Tropnas
In the second article of the second wrap-around, we take a look at Gardner Webb’s newest Canadian transfer big man.
Without further ado, let’s break down the game of Gardner-Webb’s new transfer center, Ginuwine Tropnas.
Player Bio:
Before making the move to Boiling Springs, Tropnas spent 3 seasons in college basketball. He spent two seasons at Lake Region State College before transferring to Lincoln (PA) for his Junior Season.
2023-24 (Lake Region State - JUCO - Freshman Season)
Across 31 games, Tropnas nearly averaged a double-double with 9.9 PPG and 8.5 RPG.
Ranked 3rd in Region 13 for Blocks with 59.
Finished 1st in Region 13 in Defensive Rebounds (193) and 2nd in Total Rebounds (265)
2024-25 (Lake Region State - Sophomore Season)
In his second season at Lake Region State, Tropnas saw his stats increase to 13.8 PPG and 8.8 RPG, along with a 10% increase in Field Goal Percentage.
Finished 4th in Blocks with 46, also set the Lake Region State Record with 105 total blocks.
Earned 2nd Team All-Mon-Dak Honors
2025-26 (Lincoln PA - D2 - Junior Season)
In 30 games at Lincoln, 15 of which were starts, Tropnas averaged 6.1 PPG and 5.1 RPG in just over 22 MPG.
Tropnas finished 2nd in Blocks (45) and Rebounds (154).
Film Review:
Highlights from Sophomore JUCO Season, Video from Ginuwine Tropnas on X:
Rebound Monster:
The first thing that becomes evident when watching Tropnas’ game is he’s a very specialized player. One of the things Tropnas can do is rebound at an elite level. In both seasons at Lake Region State, Tropnas averaged 8.5 RPG and 8.8 RPG on 24.6 MPG and 26.7 MPG. When you put those numbers into per-40-minute numbers, it’s 13.9 Reb/Per 40 and 13.2 Reb/Per 40 Minutes. During his lone season at the D2 level, Tropnas averaged 5.1 RPG in over 22 MPG, for per-40 stats, 9.2 Reb/Per 40 Minutes. If Tropnas can keep similar per-40 numbers to his past 3 seasons, he will be in the Top 1/3rd of Rebounders in D1 basketball and considered elite at the Big South level.
Rebounding was probably the biggest area Gardner Webb needed to address in the portal this season. Last season, Gardner Webb ranked in the 8th percentile for Offensive Rebounds and the 10th percentile for Defensive Rebounds. Those issues compounded into even larger issues; Gardner Webb ranked in the 6th percentile for 2nd Chance PPG and ranked in the 4th percentile for 2nd Chance PPG Against. When Tropnas was on the court at Lincoln, Lincoln ranked in the 97th percentile in ORB Percentage and the 53rd percentile in On/Off DRB Percentage, contributing +0.3 % when on the floor.
Paint Protector:
The second glaring strength for Tropnas comes from his ability to just stop teams from scoring in the paint. During his 3 seasons of basketball at both the JUCO and D2 levels, Tropnas has combined for 150 blocks, including a Lake Region State career record of 105. That ability to swat shots comes through in so many other facets of analytics too. Tropnas has a Block Percentage of 7.1%, placing him in the 93rd percentile, and a Hakeem Percentage of 9.1%, placing him in the 94th percentile.
Last season in D1 basketball, the middle-of-the-pack 2PT Percentage was 51.7%. Ginuwine Tropnas held his D2 competition to 46.7% from inside the arc when he was on the floor. That 46.7% ballooned to 51.9% when Tropnas was off the floor, resulting in Tropnas being a Top 90th percentile On/Off 2PT FG Defender. That ability to affect shooting was even larger in the paint, where teams shot 33.2% when Tropnas was on the floor, which was in the 97th percentile.
Specialized:
The abilities to rebound and disrupt shots are undeniable for Tropnas. The one thing that limits Tropnas is the thing that makes him SO GOOD. Tropnas is very specialized; in every “Shooting” stat on CBB Analytics, Tropnas ranks in the bottom 25th percentile. One of those stats includes Free Throw Percentage, which Tropnas finished shooting 55.7%. That shooting percentage alone wouldn’t be bad, if not for his Free Throw Rate being a sky-high 70.8%, ranking in the 95th percentile of D2 last season.
The same reason he has these issues is why you feel fine with these issues if you are Gardner Webb. During this offseason, Gardner Webb has added two elite but specialized centers with Brave Rutsindura and Ginuwine Tropnas. Tropnas is probably Top 5 in the Big South in his ability to rebound and block shots, and if you are Gardner Webb, that’s what you need. Gardner Webb had a 15th-percentile BPG, with sub-10th-percentile Offensive and Defensive Rebounds Per 40 Minutes. Tropnas will surely improve those numbers alongside Rutsindura.
Final Thoughts:
For the basis alone of filling a much-needed hole in Gardner Webb’s roster and providing a boost to last year’s roster level. The fit is what really sells this addition to me; Tropnas joins another very similar big man, Brave Rutsindura, in that frontcourt. Both are very experienced big men with similar profiles, ages, and playing styles. I think both players will truly thrive from each other’s ability to just swap into the game and have little to no changes needed.
Tropnas is a very hard player to compare to because he’s so specialized, but overall he does remind me a bit of Lase Olalare during his SO and Early JR seasons. Very solid defense big men that were limited on the offensive end. Lase saw a massive breakout as a Junior during conference play; Tropnas has shown offensive potential at the JUCO level. Whether the offense improves or stays where it was last season, Tropnas makes a massive impact on this Gardner Webb team.