http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2012-11-14/uc-irvine-lands-7-foot-5-mamadou-ndiayeUC Irvine lands 7-foot-5 Mamadou Ndiaye
PUBLISHED Wednesday, Nov 14, 2012 at 5:13 pm EST
UC Irvine basketball is going big time. For the second time in as many recruiting classes, the Anteaters landed a 7-footer.
Mamadou Ndiaye -- a native of Senegal who is playing this year for Brethren Christian in Huntington Beach, Calif. -- just big. He’s a big-time recruit. He’s ranked as the No. 14-overall recruit by 24/7 Sports but ranked No. 79 by ESPN and No. 84 by Rivals.com.
Ndiaye (7-5, 320) picked Irvine over offers from Georgetown, Oregon and Pepperdine. He signed with coach Russell Turner’s team on Wednesday, the first day recruits can sign national letters of intent.
“I’ve watched him a lot. He’s a legit prospect,” Turner told ESPN. “A lot of the high school evaluators don’t ever see a guy like this. When you’re in the NBA, you see some talents and projected possibilities.
“I’m really excited for what this kid can be. He’s not there yet, but he’s overwhelmingly big. And, he can guard the rim. There’s a restricted area we’re going to call ‘The Mamadou’ and that’s where he’s going.”
He is a strong offensive rebounder and shot-blocker but is beginning to show good post moves, especially a drop-step, according to Turner. He is a raw giant but with obvious upside.
Ndiaye will be the second legit 7-footer on Irvine’s roster, joining Conor Clifford, who signed last spring. The Anteaters are on an uptick, too. The club beat Nevada by 14 in its season opener Saturday and then took 13th-ranked UCLA into overtime Tuesday before losing by one.