Per UofL Sports Release:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville men’s basketball program and head coach Pat Kelsey announce Friday the signing of Evangelos “Vangelis” Zougris to the 2025-26 roster.
“The picture of Zou in his beloved Greek national team jersey as he screams with blood gushing down his face is a perfect depiction of him as a player,” said Kelsey. “Card Nation will love his grit, relentless motor and the unbridled passion he plays with on every possession. His IQ and skill level are outstanding. He plays very well out of the pick and roll and finishes well around the basket with both power and touch. He provides defensive versatility because of his ability to switch and defend guards off the dribble. He challenges shots at the rim and pursues the ball on the glass. Screening is such an unsung key to modern offense and I believe he does this at an elite level. Playing in one of the best professional leagues in the world for the last several years has prepared him to impact our program immediately.”
Zougris heads to The Ville from the Greek Basketball League where he has played four seasons with Peristeri Athens.
The Athens, Greece, native has competed with the national team multiple times. He competed for Greece on its junior national team for many years before moving to the senior national team in 2023. With the Junior national team, Zougris earned All-Tournament team honors in 2023 & 2024 while competing in European FIBA events.
In the 2024-25 season with Peristeri, Zougris has averaged 6.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game across 27 contests. He shot 65% from the floor while playing an average of 16.1 minutes per appearance.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville men’s basketball program and head coach Pat Kelsey announce Monday the signing of Sananda Fru to the 2025-26 roster.
“Sananda is an impact player for our program from Day 1,” said Kelsey. “At 6-11, 255 with 7-4 wingspan he is an imposing physical presence with athleticism, skill and basketball IQ. He impacts winning on both ends of the floor. He is very good in the pick and roll as a lob threat and finisher, but I believe his game is evolving before our eyes as a viable three-point threat as well. He has very good shooting mechanics and in our system his confidence in that area will skyrocket. He attacks closeouts and is a productive player getting downhill at the rim on drives. Defensively, he blocks shots and his ability to move his feet makes him a very good ‘switch big,’ which is extremely valuable in modern basketball. He has competed against grown men in one of the best professional leagues in Europe over the last three years. Sananda is a terrific person. I am so excited to have him as a part of Louisville Basketball.”
The 6-10 forward/center heads to The Ville from overseas where he played in German BBL for Basketball Loewen Braunschweig for four seasons.
Fru is a four-star recruit according to 247Sports and is in the Top 25 nationally for the 2025 signing class.
In the 2024-25 season, that included the FIBA Europe Cup, Fru started 35 of 39 games for Basketball Loewen Braunschweig posting season averages of 12.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. He also shot 64.5% from the field, netting 189 of 283 attempts.
Led by Fru, Braunschweig had one of its best seasons in the last 15 years winning multiple games in the German BBL playoffs. Fru finished the season strong, averaging 10.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in the five-game quarterfinal playoff, all while shooting 60.7% from the floor.
Fru competed with the German national team in 2022 and 2023 on its FIBA U20 team.
