Westchester's best player you've never heard of
DOBBS FERRY - During his six months in this country, Abdou Ndiaye's American education has never stopped — from learning the language to learning our country's basketball intricacies. Just consider that one fall league game at Greenburgh's Theodore D. Young Community Center when the 16-year-old prodigy and his teammates had been warned by officials to not say another word.
After being whistled for a foul, the Masters sophomore committed what was in the moment a cardinal sin: He was too nice.
Ndiaye committed a foul and handed the official the ball. "Sure enough, Abdou said thank you," Masters coach Matt Kammrath said. "And he got a T."
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"I think it's building now, but there hasn't been a frenzy yet," said Adam Berkowitz, the associate executive director of New Heights, Ndiaye's AAU program. "I think it's coming."
Ndiaye arrived in the U.S. in June from Senegal's SEEDS Academy, which was launched in 2002 as the first student-athlete basketball academy in Africa. It identifies talented young players and funds their development.
Ndiaye, who picked up the sport just three years ago, earned an invitation to join the program after just one year of playing in his hometown of Louga. He tutored under former Senegalese NBA players Mouhamed Sene, who played for the Seattle/Oklahoma City franchise and one game for the Knicks, and Gorgui Dieng, who won a National Championship at Louisville and still plays for the Timberwolves.
"That's why I went to SEED, to help me get a scholarship and maybe make the NBA," Ndiaye said. "I had an opportunity to go to Europe, but in Europe you don't go to study. You just play basketball only. My coach sent me to the U.S. to study and to play basketball."
New Heights' association with the SEED program led to Ndiaye's arrival. He landed at Masters, a private boarding school in Dobbs Ferry, because it had a network to further Ndiaye's development. In addition to housing and academic support, Kammrath's team has offered Ndiaye an opportunity to expand his game and train under assistant coach Lou DeMello, who was the head coach at Rice when it was a national power.
"I think he certainly has high-major potential," Berkowitz said. "The fact that Lou is over there is great for him."
The Masters coaches had never seen Ndiaye play prior to his arrival, but they were immediately impressed, and for good reason. Despite his lack of experience, Ndiaye already has a developing shot and a soft touch and he can handle and pass the ball exceptionally well for a player his size.
"Most of his baskets are coming off of fast-break dunks, but he’s able to pull the ball back and make 3-pointers. From a versatility standpoint, it’s been amazing. He’ll do something else and you’ll snap your head, like, ‘Oh, that’s in your repertoire?’ '' Kammrath said.
Ndiaye posted a triple-double in his first game, a 46-28 win over Hopkins. He had 21 points, 14 rebounds and 12 blocks, and has averaged 23.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in the three games since.
Ndiaye said that he wants to one day play like NBA star Anthony Davis, who has the skills to play any position on the floor.
"I'm tall and I have ball handling," he said. "I think I have a good shot and I can play inside and outside."
Ndiaye's best attribute might be the ease with which he can run and jump. Like most young African athletes who develop into basketball players, Ndiaye grew up playing soccer. He was played forward until a 6-inch growth spurt led his older brother to suggest switching to basketball.
That decision has proven to be beneficial. Ndiaye played in his first and only tournament with New Heights late last summer in Atlanta. He competed in the Pangos Camp in Philadelphia this fall and was named one of the top prospects by observers in attendance.
The only school that has visited Ndiaye so far is DePaul, but the doors at Masters' new $30 million Fonseca Center will be busy soon.
"It’s good that he’s only a sophomore," Berkowitz said. "This year is going to be an adjustment for him in a lot of respects, but I think he has a high ceiling. He’s a great kid. He likes to work. He loves to play. He’s working hard in school. Masters has been very supportive of him. They’re glad to have him."
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