12/18/24
February 02, 2012
High School Player is 7-foot-5: A 250-student high school in Huntington Beach, Calif., has a 7-foot-5 center on its basketball team. Mamadou Ndiaye, an 18-year-old from Senegal, is averaging 23.4 points, 13.6 rebounds and 4.8 blocks a game. He's two inches taller than anyone currently in the NBA. "The minute Mamadou enrolled I became a much better basketball coach," said Brethren head coach Jon Bahnsen.
posted by rcade to basketball at 12:18 PM - 9 comments
I see he's no better at free throw shooting than most centers.
Whenever I hear about guys like this, I wonder like preacher81 "Why only ___ points, ___ rebounds, and ___ blocks?" Just watching him in this video, it's like an adult playing against a bunch of kindergartners; he should be Chamberlaining it up left and right.
posted by hincandenza at 01:19 PM on February 02, 2012
Well, 4.5 blocks per game isn't anything to sneeze at, especially if you consider it requires four and a half players a game to have the balls to try to bring the ball in the paint (it's a shame about that one-balled half kid).
posted by yerfatma at 01:55 PM on February 02, 2012
Just watching him in this video, it's like an adult playing against a bunch of kindergartners
This. It is comical when he gets the ball in the paint, three players surround him with their hands up and have absolutely no effect.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:33 PM on February 02, 2012
I think it's more important that he seems to be able to move without much difficulty. Oden looked 50 years old humping up and down the court.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 06:13 PM on February 02, 2012
Not to be confused with Mamadou N'Diaye. That apostrophe only takes off 5 inches. Are these guys related?
posted by tron7 at 08:40 PM on February 02, 2012
Do you think he moves better than these guys? I don't know, he doesn't seem capable of moving very fast.
I wonder what the competition is like for his small school size. Those guys in the video look tiny even for prep.
posted by tron7 at 08:49 PM on February 02, 2012
Do you think he moves better than these guys?
Yeah - kinda. He's not Yao Ming, but he's still young and his body looks relatively proportional to me. And he doesn't have the exaggerated facial features that I notice in these giants that seem to break down easier than most.
Do I sound like a phrenologist? I feel like I do. Still, It's not as much about current skill level as it is general athleticism. He's Senegalese, so you know there is a "tall-pedigree" there. And he looks okay when he moves; he's back-peddling at one point in the clip above.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:49 PM on February 02, 2012
The low number of blocks doesn't surprise me, who'd drive the lane on him???
The points and rebounds are what seems low to me. 23 points? He is only fed the ball 12 times??? 13.6 rebounds? He ought to get just about every missed shot.
For a tall 18 year old I thought he moved pretty well.
posted by dviking at 02:24 AM on February 03, 2012
I am amazed, not so much at his height, but that he only has 4.5 blocked shots per game. Nice shooting touch from short to mid range, but like typical big man he missed his free throw. Will be a weapon for whatever college picks him up.