In the seventh article of the second wrap-around, we take a look at UNC Asheville’s newest transfer forward, Abou Magassa.
Without further ado, let’s break down the game of UNC Asheville’s new forward, Abou Magassa.
Player Bio:
Before making the move to Asheville, Magassa spent 2 seasons at Wyoming and redshirted for one season at Saint Louis. Alongside those 3 seasons in the NCAA, Magassa also played two seasons at Roanne in France’s LNB Espoirs.
2025-26 (RS Sophomore - Wyoming):
Magassa appeared in 29 games, making 11 starts for the Cowboys. Across those 29 games, Magassa averaged 3.1 PPG and 3 RPG.
2024-25 (RS Freshman - Wyoming):
Magassa appeared in 31 games, making 14 starts. Magassa averaged 3.2 PPG and 3.7 RPG, having his best season to date.
Won Mountain West Freshman of the Week on Jan 13, 2025.
2023-24 (Freshman - Saint Louis):
Redshirted prior to transferring.
Pre NCAA (Roanne ESpoirs):
In 2022-23, Magassa played in 35 games, 5 of which were starts, averaging 10.8 PPG and 5 RPG.
In 2021-22 - Magassa averaged 6.4 PPG and 3 RPG in 19 games.
Film Review:
Rebounding:
One of the things that Abou Magassa does really well, and even better when you consider is 6’ 7” frame, is rebounding. In both seasons at Wyoming, Magassa ranked in the 70th percentile or higher in both Offensive and Defensive Rebound Percentage. That ability has also improved season over season, with Magassa ranking in the 77th percentile for ORB% and 73rd percentile for DRB% during his freshman season. In Magassa’s sophomore season at Wyoming, those percentages rose to elite 94th-percentile ORB% and a still-stellar 86th-percentile DRB%, resulting in +17th- and +13th-percentile ranking bumps. Magassa also used that rebounding ability to provide on the offensive end, with 33.7% of his points coming off 2nd chances, ranking in the 90th percentile.
That rebounding prowess becomes more noticeable. In Magassa’s freshman season at Wyoming, when Magassa was on the floor, Wyoming had an Offensive Rebound Percentage of 32.8%, ranking them in the 74th percentile. When Magassa was off the floor, Wyoming’s Offensive Rebounding Percentage plummeted to 28.3%. That 4.5%+ gain in On/Off ranked Magassa in the 89th percentile. In Defensive Rebound Percentage, much of the same, with a 5.4% On/Off change ranking him in the 94th percentile. In his sophomore season, Wyoming had a 99th percentile Offensive Rebound Percentage at 42.5%; Magassa also had a 99th percentile On/Off with an 11% change in Offensive Rebound Percentage.
Rebounding was also a paramount need for UNC Asheville in the transfer portal. Last season, UNC Asheville ranked in the 42nd percentile in Offensive Rebound Percentage, 37th percentile in % of Points off 2nd Chances, and the 40th percentile in Defensive Rebound Percentage. When Asheville star big man Toyaz Solomon was off the floor, UNC Asheville fell to the 8th percentile of Offensive Rebound Percentage. There was one Asheville player who was elite on the offensive boards: Daniel Thomas, with an 86th percentile Offensive Rebound Percentage. The ability to have two elite big men who rebound provides a massive strength for UNC Asheville.
Defensive Stud:
One of the biggest areas in which Magassa improved from Year 1 to Year 2 at Wyoming was his defense. In Abou Magassa’s freshman season, he showed flashes of his defensive ability, including a game against Texas Tech, where he was credited with 3 defensive stops on 20 eligible defensive possessions. In Magassa’s sophomore season, his stop percentage increased by 0.4%, and he had 6 games with a stop percentage above the 80th percentile, compared to only 4 during his freshman season. Magassa also saw massive changes to Wyoming’s Defensive Rating when he was on the floor. During his freshman season, Wyoming had a 109 Defensive Rating, ranking them in the 47th percentile, with a 57th percentile On/Off, resulting in a -1.5 shift when on the floor. In his sophomore season, Wyoming had a Defensive Rating of 104.9, ranking in the 82nd percentile, and had an 85th percentile On/Off with a -6.9 change when he’s on the floor.
Once again, Abou Magassa is a perfect spot for another that Asheville needed to address this offseason. Last season, Asheville had a Defensive Rating of 111.5, placing them in the 45th percentile. They ranked in the Top 50th percentile only in Block Percentage and Blocks/PF, at the 63rd and 56th percentiles, respectively. Asheville ended up with only two players in the 50th percentile for the position group by DRAPM: Seniors Justin Wright and DJ Patrick. Magassa enters Asheville with two seasons in the 60th percentile, including a 1.6 DRAPM, which ranked him in the 86th percentile.
Shot Diet:
The final reason I love this addition is that Abou Massaga fits right into what Mike Morell had from his big men offensively last season. Last season at Wyoming, Massaga took a total of 57 shots, with all but 1 being “In the Paint” or “At the Rim”. When you move that to his entire career at Wyoming, he took a total of 111 shots, with all but 6 being “In the Paint” or “At the Rim”. Last season, among UNC Asheville forwards not named Toyaz Solomon, those 4 forwards took a total of 152 field-goal attempts, with all but 12 of them “In the Paint” or “At the Rim”.
Positional Sizing:
The biggest question marks for me with Magassa are his positional size and positional history. Magassa is listed as a center by both Hoop Explorer and KenPom, as well as by Real GM, for almost all of his European and NCAA careers. If Magassa plays center in the Big South conference, he will be at a 3-inch disadvantage or more to multiple big men on 6 out of the other 8 Big South rosters. That could really pose an issue if Magassa doesn’t box out early and box out well, along with holding his own down low.
Two things I can look at and see the vision of success are the ability of small big men to succeed in the Big South in the past, and Mike Morell’s own success with a very similar big man. The Big South has had a history of smaller big men succeeding. Since 2008, The Big South has had 4 PF/CF on BartTorvik under 6’7” with seasons above 3 on PRPG! Including High Point Legend John Brown and Winthrop Star Kelton Talford. This also isn’t a new thing for Mike Morell; he has had many big men like Magassa. In fact, Morell has two forwards on this roster very similar to Magassa: Daniel Thomas and Myles Mayfield, all 3 of whom are smaller big men who are really solid rebounders and defensive players.
Final Thoughts:
The comparison for this addition could not be easier; I think he’s comparable to two of his teammates, Daniel Thomas and Myles Mayfield. All 3 players are in the 6’6” to 6’8” height range, with really good overall rebounding and elite rebounding for their size. All 3 forwards take very similar shot types, being almost exclusively “In the Paint” and “At the Rim”. I think the ability to have 3 rotatable forwards who can stretch the 5 and be very playable is a massive plus for a very inexperienced Asheville frontcourt.
I don’t really think Magassa will provide much on the stat sheet for Asheville outside of potentially rebounding. Magassa does a ton of stuff off the ball that doesn’t get accounted for but does impact winning, as seen by his pretty stellar On/Off splits. With 3 very similar players, I also see a pretty even split between those 3 along with Sage Tolentino and maybe others. The lack of offensive upside is really what caps Magassa’s potential. If Coach Morrell and his staff can find a 2nd level to his game, then I think Magassa could be a star for Asheville. Magassa could make a push for Defensive Player of the Year if some of the early-season favorites underperform.