With no seniors on the roster last season, Joe Jones brought in just two freshmen this fall. Four of his five recruits the previous year were guards, so Jones went with a pair of frontcourt players in Zack Crimmins of Bishop O’Connell High School in Virginia and Asenso Ampim of The Groton School in Massachusetts. Both freshmen have very impressive physical stats, with Crimmins a true seven-footer and Ampim built like a linebacker at 240 pounds, but only time will tell whether their basketball ability is similarly impressive.

F Asenso Ampim – 6-6, 240 lbs. (Accra, Ghana – The Groton School)
Ampim committed to Columbia in the spring after receiving interest from Brown and Penn early on. The 6-6 Ghanaian wowed scouts with his athleticism and muscular physique while dominating the Independent School League. He missed nine games last year due to injury, but Ampim averaged over 20 points per game when he was able to play as a senior. He is still raw basketball-wise, having played only since eighth grade, and there is some question as to his natural position, but Jones has indicated Ampim could find his way into the rotation this season.

C Zack Crimmins – 7-0, 220 lbs. (Falls Church, VA – Bishop O’Connell HS)
Crimmins’s commitment to Columbia made a splash last fall when he chose the Lions over scholarship offers from Bucknell and Lafayette and late interest from some major programs. Most big men are recruited a level or two above their ability, but those who have seen Crimmins insist he has what it takes to excel at the Ivy League level. His star dimmed when Crimmins lost his starting job to Frank Ben-Eze and found himself coming off the bench last winter, but the Lions still are hopeful he can take over the center position eventually after a year as Ben Nwachukwu’s understudy.