By Andy Lohman



The transition to college basketball went smoother than SMU forward Ethan Chargois thought it would.

After averaging 18.5 points and 8.8 rebounds during his senior season at Union High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Chargois was an immediate contributor during his freshman campaign at SMU. The 6-foot-9 big man poured in 9.1 points and grabbed 4.4 boards per game while averaging just 21.3 minutes per contest.

The moment that Chargois knew he belonged at the Division I level came during a scrimmage last season.

"I was like 'man, I can really do this, I can really play with these guys,'" Chargois said.

What was it about that scrimmage that made everything click?

"I actually scored a couple times," Chargois laughed. "So it was more of a confidence thing."

In addition to the confidence that comes with seeing the ball go in the basket, Chargois' freshman-year success can also be attributed to his reshaped physique.

"Oh my body for sure," Chargois said when asked what area he grew the most in. "I lost like 35 or 40 pounds and I can really feel it on the court this year."

A leaner Chargois fit well into head coach Tim Jankovich's system that values versatile players. He's a physical presence down low, but can also be a rim-runner in transition and step out to hit jump shots. The combination of size with shooting ability makes him particularly dangerous out of the pick-and-roll.

"I've always been able to shoot because I wasn't always this tall. I wasn't a big man, I was more of a guard in high school and junior high. I had a lot of guard skills from a young age that just carried over."

Those guard skills carried over to his freshman season, where his versatile play landed him on the American Athletic Conference All-Rookie team.

Now that he's established himself as a bona fide college basketball player, Chargois will have the opportunity to test his mettle against pro-level players. He and teammates William Douglas and Feron Hunt were selected by the Global Sports Academy for the 2018 European Select Team Goodwill Tour Aug. 11-17, where they will play six games in Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.

"I'm excited," Chargois said. "Definitely get to see where I stand talent-wise against pro players overseas."

Looking towards his sophomore year, Chargois aims to get in even better shape, and hone his skills at the center position. Offensively developing his post move and defensively become a better defender against big men.

With a year of college basketball under his belt and the opportunity to play against European pros, the transition from freshman to sophomore year is likely to be even smoother than his transition from high school to college.