College – Page 403 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Western goes 1-1 on day one of MIAA softball tournament

Posted on April 30, 2015April 30, 2015

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Missouri Western softball team stayed alive in the MIAA Tournament, splitting on day one with a loss to Northwest Missouri State and a win over Fort Hays State. Missouri Western advances to play Emporia State on Friday at 11 a.m.

GAME 1: Northwest Missouri State 8, Missouri Western 1

The Griffon bats were kept quiet, managing just four hits and none until the sixth inning in an 8-1 loss to Northwest Missouri State.

Missouri Western scored their only run of the game in the sixth when Morgan Rathmann scored on a Sydney Washington triple. Rathmann’s hit was the first off Northwest’s Kendle Schieber. Janie Smith went five innings, allowing 13 hits and seven runs, three of them earned, with three walks and three strikeouts. Taylor Schaben went the final two innings, giving up two hits and one run.

Smith dropped to 16-10 on the year with the loss. Rathmann, Washington, Kailey Green and Katie Klosterman had the Griffons’ hits.

GAME 2: Missouri Western 8, Fort Hays State 0 (5 innings)

Missouri Western’s bats woke up in a big way in the second game. Missouri Western stole five bases and hit five doubles in the game to stay alive in the tournament.

Washington scored the first run in the first inning on a throwing error. Paige Shifflett drove in Gillaspy with a double in the third to put the Griffons up 2-0. Kailey Green made it 4-0 with a two-RBI home run to right in the third and Brooke Schaben’s sacrifice fly in the third made it a 6-0 Griffon lead. MWSU tacked on the final three in the fifth with Shelbie Atwell scoring on an error and Gillaspy driving in two with a single to center.

Janie Smith picked up the shutout, going all five innings and allowing just three hits. She walked one Tiger and did not pick up a strikeout. Gillaspy went 4-4 at the plate with two RBIs and Shifflett was 3-4 with an RBI.

Missouri Western sits 34-18 heading into day two of the tournament.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri’s Shane Ray drafted by Denver at No. 23

Posted on April 30, 2015May 1, 2015

CHICAGO, Ill. – Mizzou junior defensive end and reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year Shane Ray (Kansas City, Mo.) was selected with the No. 23 overall pick in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos on Thursday (April 30).

Ray becomes the seventh Mizzou standout since 2009 to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, joining DL Sheldon Richardson (No. 13 to the New York Jets in 2013), DL Aldon Smith (No. 7 to San Francisco in 2011), QB Blaine Gabbert (No. 10 to Jacksonville in 2011), LB Sean Weatherspoon (No. 19 to Atlanta in 2010), WR Jeremy Maclin (No. 19 to Philadelphia in 2009) and DT Ziggy Hood (No. 32 to Pittsburgh in 2009). Ray continues the trend of defensive lineman taking their careers in the NFL, becoming the sixth defensive lineman under Craig Kuligowski to be drafted since 2009.

Ray is the 19th Tiger in history to be taken in the NFL Draft’s first round. Prior to Thursday’s draft, Mizzou ranked among the top five programs nationally in first round NFL Draft picks since 2009. Mizzou head coach Gary Pinkel has now seen 27 players drafted since taking over the program in 2001. Below is a rundown of Mizzou’s draft picks.

Ray is coming off of a stellar junior season that saw him earn consensus First Team All-America honors after breaking Mizzou’s single-season sacks record with 14.5 on the year. He also added 22.5 tackles-for-loss. He was dubbed the SEC Defensive Player of the Year by both the Associated Press and the league’s 14 coaches, and additionally he was a four-time SEC weekly award winner. Ray was also a finalist for the Hendricks Award, given to the nation’s top DE and was also a semifinalist for the Lombardi and Bednarik Awards. He led the SEC in sacks and tackles-for-loss, ranking in the top five nationally in both categories.

Rounds two and three of the NFL Draft will be held Friday evening, beginning at 6 p.m. (CT) in Chicago on ESPN, as several more Tiger hopefuls will look to hear their names called.

— MU Sports Information —

Five Griffons earn All-MIAA softball honors

Posted on April 30, 2015April 30, 2015

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – After a fourth place finish in the MIAA, the Missouri Western softball team has placed five student-athletes on the All-MIAA team.

Tiffany Gillaspy – First Team, Second Base
It’s the second straight first team selection for Gillaspy and her third appearance on the team after being named honorable mention in 2013. The team’s student-athlete of the year, Gillaspy leads the Griffons in batting average (.376), slugging percentage (.715), runs (46), hits (62), RBIs (46), home runs (14) and total bases (118). Gillaspy also enters postseason play in the top-five of at least six MWSU career offensive categories. She is just three home runs shy of breaking the MWSU career record (39). She has been named the MIAA Hitter of the Week and National Player of the Week this season in addition to being one of 25 finalists for the national player of the year award.

Janie Smith – Second Team, Pitcher
Smith earns her first All-MIAA selection after posting a team-low 2.67 ERA and team highs in strikeouts (111) and innings pitched (136). Smith is 17-9 overall and has posted a 1.94 ERA in MIAA games this season. She was named MIAA Pitcher of the Week earlier this season after helping her team to a 16-game winning streak.

Morgan Rathmann – Second Team, Outfielder
An honorable mention pick last season, Rathmann leads the MIAA and is third in the nation with eight triples this season. The sophomore is batting .364 in her last 10 games and .354 on the season. A threat to steal anytime she reaches base, Rathmann has swiped 27 bags in 30 attempts this season.

Paige Shifflett – Second Team, Designated Player
One of the brightest spots in a promising future for the program, Shifflett hit .356 in her freshman season with eight home runs and 40 RBIs. With an impressive ability to change her approach to match the situation, Shifflett posted a .430 on base percentage and led the team with a .472 average with runners in scoring position, a .696 average with a runner on third with less than two outs and a .600 success rate in advancing runners.

Katie Klosterman – Honorable Mention, Third Base
A member of the Griffons’ super-sophomore class, Klosterman is second on the team with a .358 average at the plate. She leads the team with a .432 on base percentage and 15 walks this season. She has hit safely in 15 of the team’s last 18 games.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Former Jayhawk Wiggins named NBA Rookie of the Year

Posted on April 30, 2015May 1, 2015

LAWRENCE, Kan. – One year removed from rewriting the Kansas men’s basketball freshman records book, former KU guard Andrew Wiggins has been named the 2014-15 NBA Rookie of Year, the league announced Thursday.

Historically, the Toronto native is only the second Jayhawk to ever be named NBA Rookie of the Year as he joins KU legend Wilt Chamberlain who earned the accolade in 1959-60.

Kansas’ second-ever No. 1 overall NBA Draft selection in 2014, with the other being Danny Manning in 1988, Wiggins was originally taken by the Cleveland Cavaliers and prior to the season was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Wiggins averaged 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 39 minutes while playing all 82 games in 2014-15. He won the first four Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards to set the table for his NBA Rookie of the Year honor.

While at Kansas, Wiggins set the KU freshman single-season scoring record with 597 points in 2013-14, making him the second-straight Jayhawk to surpass Manning’s record-setting rookie mark in 1985. Former standout guard Ben McLemore broke Manning’s scoring record with 589 points in 2012-13 before being selected seventh overall in the 2013 NBA Draft, one of 18 draftees in the head coach Bill Self era at Kansas.

The 2014 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Freshman All-America and all-conference first team selection, Wiggins was his own highlight reel as a Jayhawk, including a half-court shot at Baylor (2/4), the game-winning basket at Texas Tech (2/18) and a KU freshman record 41 points at West Virginia (3/8).

On the defensive end, Wiggins led Kansas in steals with 41 and came in second to Joel Embiid on the team with 34 blocked shots. Gifted and athletic, the combo guard pulled down 5.9 rebounds per game as a Jayhawk.

Besides his 597 points, other Kansas freshman season records Wiggins set include: scoring average (17.1), field goals attempted (422), free throws made (176) and free throws attempted (227).

— KU Sports Information —

Three Griffons earn All-MIAA women’s golf honors

Posted on April 30, 2015

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Women’s Golf had three individuals land on the All-MIAA team for the 2014-15 season. Freshman Celine Lim, sophomore Madison Romjue, and freshman Tiffanie Yabut all earn spots for their performance this season.

Freshman Celine Lim finished the season as the Griffons top golfer and earned herself a spot on the All-MIAA second team. She fired a low-round of 75 with one top-five finish, six top-10 finishes and six top-20 finishes. She averaged a 79.2 this season. Her best finish came early this spring when she tied for fifth at the MWSU/Holiday Inn Express Classic at the St. Joseph Country Club. Lim is one of two individuals to qualify for regional play from the MIAA along with three teams.

Tiffanie Yabut and Madison Romjue each earned a spot on the All-MIAA Honorable Mention list. Yabut and Romjue each played in 21 rounds this season. Yabut finished the season with a low-round of 79 and finished in the top-5 in one tournament. Romjue tallied a low-score of 73 and earned two top-10 finishes along with five top-20 finishes.

First Team All-MIAA
Marla Souvannasing, Central Oklahoma **Golfer of the Year & Freshman of the Year
Lindsey Bensch, Central Oklahoma
Baylee Price, Northeastern State
Bethany Darrough, Central Oklahoma
Daniela Martinez, Central Oklahoma

Second Team All-MIAA
Katie Bensch, Central Oklahoma
Ana Summers, Nebraska-Kearney
Charter Lawson, Northeastern State
Celine Lim, Missouri Western
Kayla Schroeder, Northeastern State

Honorable Mention: Kelly Welker, Central Missouri; Yolanda Rotzinger, Lindenwood; Sydney Hawley, LIndenwood; Alanna Haynes, Lindenwood; Tiffanie Yabut, Missouri Western; Madison Romjue, Missouri Western; Lexi Amon, Northeastern State; Ashley Powers, Nortwhest Missouri; Taylor Gard, Northwest Missouri.

— MWSU Sports Information —

MIAA Coach of the Year: Michael Bond, Central Oklahoma

Northwest Missouri State tennis teams each ranked in the top 50

Posted on April 30, 2015April 30, 2015

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State University men’s and women’s tennis teams were each ranked in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national and regional rankings. The Northwest men remained the nation’s No. 19 ranked team while the women entered the polls at No. 49. MIAA Player of the Year Romain Boissinot was ranked No. 33 nationally while senior and second-team All-MIAA performer Camila Quesada was ranked No. 35.

In the regional polls, the Northwest men were ranked No. 2. Boissinot earned the No. 2 singles ranking while Mauro Tete was No. 14 and Alvaro Riveros was No. 19. The doubles team of Tete and Aymeric Autones was ranked No. 9 in the Central Region.

On the women’s side, the Bearcats were ranked No. 3 in the Central Region. Queseada earned the No. 2 rank in singles and was ranked No. 7 in doubles with Lorena Rivas Jarolim.

For the 13th time under MIAA Coach of the Year Mark Rosewell, both men’s and women’s teams qualified for the NCAA Regional round. The women will face Nebraska-Kearney at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 3, in Tahlequah, Okla. The winner of that match will face the winner of Northeastern State and Augustana at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 4. The Northwest men will host Nebraska-Kearney on Tuesday in Maryville, Mo., at 1 p.m.

National Rankings
No. 19 – Northwest Missouri State Men
No. 33 Singles – Romain Boissinot
No. 35 Singles – Camila Quesada
No. 49 – Northwest Missouri State Women

Central Regional Rankings
No. 2 – Northwest Missouri State Men
No. 2 Singles – Romain Boissinot
No. 2 Singles – Camila Quesada
No. 7 Doubles – Camila Quesada & Lorena Rivas Jarolim
No. 9 Doubles – Mauro Tete & Aymeric Autones
No. 14 Singles – Mauro Tete
No. 19 Singles – Alvaro Riveros

— Northwest Sports Information —

MWSU’s Meara Smith named honorable mention All-MIAA

Posted on April 29, 2015April 30, 2015

ST. JOSEPH – A remarkable turnaround season by the Missouri Western women’s tennis team has been capped by the program’s first All-MIAA selection in more than 10 years.

Meara Smith has been named All-MIAA honorable mention at the No. 6 singles position. The junior from Kansas City, Kansas, helped her team to its best finish in recent memory.

As a team, the Griffons went 11-10 overall and 4-6 in the MIAA. That overall record was a 10-game improvement over the 2014 win total and more wins than the previous three seasons combined. Smith was a big part of that success. She went 9-3 in singles action, including winning eight of her last nine singles matches. She was also 2-0 at No. 3 doubles with Ceara Boldridge and Lindsay Beger. Those nine wins gave Smith 12 for her career, tied for the fourth most in the program since 2008.

2015 ALL-MIAA WOMEN’S TENNIS TEAM

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Fanni Varga, Southwest Baptist

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Maria Josie Zehnder, Southwest Baptist

Co-COACH OF THE YEAR
Amanda Stone, Northeastern State & John Bryant, Southwest Baptist

Co-SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Alina Gorina, Central Oklahoma & Tawni Griffey, Emporia State

FIRST TEAM
1S: Fanni Varga, Southwest Baptist
2S: Patricia Husakova, Northeastern State
3S: Molly Worden, Northeastern State
4S: Valeriia Efimenko, Northeastern State
5S: Barbora Jirickova, Northeastern State
6S: Kari Emery, Nebraska-Kearney
1D: Kristina Savchenkov/Patricia Husakova, Northeastern State
2D: Maria Josie Zehnder/Lani Tuemmers, Southwest Baptist
3D: Kari Emery/Emma Neil, Nebraska-Kearney

SECOND TEAM
1S: Camila Quesada, Northwest Missouri
2S: Maria Josie Zehnder, Southwest Baptist
3S: Paula Jimenez, Nebraska-Kearney
4S: Aniek Kolen, Northwest Missouri
5S: Emily Semo, Central Oklahoma
6S: Marianne Hull, Northwest Missouri
1D: Fanni Varga/Christina Zentai, Southwest Baptist
2D: Molly Worden/Valeriia Efimenko, Northeastern State
3D: Barbora Jirickova/Easton Parker, Northeastern State

Honorable Mention
#1S: Kristina Savchenkov, NSU; Alina Gorina, UCO
#2S: Christina Zentai, SBU; Lorena Rivas Jarolim, NWMSU; Brittney Ricci, FHSU
#3S: Lani Tuemmers, SBU; Margaux Jaquet, NWMSU
#4S: Kaley Clark, ESU; Emma Neil, UNK
#5S: Stephanie Mannix, NWMSU; Amy Fugit, ESU; Zorana Jovanovic, SBU
#6S: Lucia Cerchlanova, NSU; Meara Smith, MWSU; Daria Panferova, NSU
#1D: Camila Quesada/Lorena Rivas Jarolim, NWMSU; Casyn Buchman/Jodie Blackim, WU
#2D: Paula Jimenez/Kristin Weems, UNK
#3D: Stephanie Mannix/Aniek Kolen, NWMSU; Beatrix Federer/Zorana Jovanovic, SBU; Natasa Brnovic/Olya Burak, UCO

— MWSU Sports Information —

Northwest Missouri State tennis earns multiple MIAA honors

Posted on April 29, 2015April 30, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State men’s and women’s tennis teams were each well represented in the MIAA postseason awards which were released by the league office on Wednesday. Northwest sophomore Romain Boissinot was the MIAA Men’s Player of the Year and head coach Mark Rosewell was named MIAA Coach of the Year for the 25th time.

Boissinot, last season’s MIAA Freshman of the Year, was one of three first team All-MIAA selections for the Bearcats. Josef Altmann earned first team honors at No. 5 singles and Fin Glowick was first team at No. 6 singles. Glowick and Altmann were also awareded first team honors at No. 3 doubles. Hicham Azzaoui earned second team honors at No. 4 singles while Mauro Tete and Aymeric Autones earned second team honors at No. 2 doubles. Earning honorable mention accolades were Tete (No. 2 singles) and Alvaro Riveros (No. 3 singles). Riveros and Boissinot were honorable mention at No. 1 doubles.

Camila Quesada earned second team honors at No. 1 singles, as did Aniek Kolen at No. 4 singles and Marianne Hull at No. 6 singles. Earning honorable mention for Northwest were Lorena Rivas Jarolim (No. 2 singles), Margaux Jaquet (No. 3 singles) and Stephanie Mannix (No. 5 singles). Quesada and Rivas Jarolim earned honorable mention honors at No. 1 doubles, as did Mannix and Kolen at No. 3 doubles.

Both men’s and women’s teams earned NCAA Tournament bids. The Bearcat men will host Nebraska-Kearney on Tuesday, May 5, at 1 p.m. The Northwest women will travel to Tahlequah, Okla., to face Nebraska-Kearney on Sunday, May 3 at 2 p.m.

2015 ALL-MIAA MEN’S TENNIS TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR Romain Boissinot, Nothwest Missouri
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Sherif Abohabaga, Southwest Baptist
COACH OF THE YEAR Mark Rosewell, Northwest Missouri
Co-SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD Andrew Davids, Emporia State,
Chris Blodig, Southwest Baptist & Matthew Barlow, Washburn

FIRST TEAM
1S: Romain Boissinot, Northwest Missouri
2S: Yoshi Ysa, Lindenwood
3S: Matthew Barlow, Washburn
4S: Mohab El Zanaty, Nebraska-Kearney
5S: Josef Altmann, Northwest Missouri
6S: Fin Glowick, Northwest Missouri
1D: Georges Wakim/Lucas Garces, Nebraska-Kearney
2D: Mohab El Zanaty/Joey Richards, Nebraska-Kearney
3D: Fin Glowick/Josef Altmann, Northwest Missouri

SECOND TEAM
1S: Martin Wieand, Washburn
2S: Sherif Abohabaga, Southwest Baptist
3S: Chris Blodig, Southwest Baptist
4S: Hicham Azzaoui, Northwest Missouri
5S: Yannick Doering, Southwest Baptist
6S: Jack Nicholson, Nebraska-Kearney
1D: Kristof Kinal, Sherif Abohabaga, Southwest Baptist
2D: Mauro Tete/Aymeric Autones, Northwest Missouri
3D: Jack Nicholson/Justin Nguyen, Nebraska-Kearney

Honorable Mention
#1S: Kristof Kinal, SBU
#2S: Blake Hunter, WU; Mauro Tete, NW
#3S: Lucas Garces, UNK; Alvaro Riveros, NW
#4S: Johannes Rabenhorst, LWU; Torben Semrau, SBU
#5S: Dario Munoz-Poletti, WU; Patrick Cameron, ESU; Aaron Reekie, UNK
#6S: Payton Hays, ESU; Ale Belote, SBU
#1D: Andrew Davids/Gerard Pont, ESU; Alvaro Riveros/Romain Boissinot, NW
#2D: Patrick Cameron/Keenan Smith, ESU; Chris Blodig/Torben Semrau, SBU
#3D: Yannick Doering/Alex Belote, SBU

2015 ALL-MIAA WOMEN’S TENNIS TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Fanni Varga, Southwest Baptist
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Maria Josie Zehnder, Southwest Baptist
Co-COACH OF THE YEAR: Amanda Stone, Northeastern State & John Bryant, Southwest Baptist
Co-SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD: Alina Gorina, Central Oklahoma & Tawni Griffey, Emporia State

Honorable Mention
#1S: Kristina Savchenkov, NSU; Alina Gorina, UCO
#2S: Christina Zentai, SBU; Lorena Rivas Jarolim, NW; Brittney Ricci, FHSU
#3S: Lani Tuemmers, SBU; Margaux Jaquet, NW
#4S: Kaley Clark, ESU; Emma Neil, UNK
#5S: Stephanie Mannix, NWMSU; Amy Fugit, ESU; Zorana Jovanovic, SBU
#6S: Lucia Cerchlanova, NSU; Meara Smith, MWSU; Daria Panferova, NSU
#1D: Camila Quesada/Lorena Rivas Jarolim, NW; Casyn Buchman/Jodie Blackim, WU
#2D: Paula Jimenez/Kristin Weems, UNK
#3D: Stephanie Mannix/Aniek Kolen, NW; Beatrix Federer/Zorana Jovanovic, SBU; Natasa Brnovic/Olya Burak, UCO

— Northwest Sports Information —

Northwest Missouri State tennis teams earn NCAA Tournament bids

Posted on April 28, 2015April 28, 2015

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State University men’s and women’s tennis teams each earned bids to the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday night. It marks the 33rd and 34th times a Bearcat team has qualified under head coach Mark Rosewell, who has now earned 1,012 career victories in 33 years as a head coach.

The Northwest women earned the No. 3 seed in the Central Region and will face No. 6 seed Nebraska Kearney on Monday, May 4, in Tahlequah, Okla. No. 2 seed Northeastern State will play No. 7 seeded Augustana in the first round with the winners to meet on Tuesday, May 5. The women hold a 19-15 record in the tournament all time, last qualifying in 2009. This season, the Lopers and the Bearcats met twice, with Northwest claiming a 5-4 victory on April 17 in Maryville and a 5-3 win in the consolation final of the MIAA Tournament in Springfield, Mo., on April 26.

The Bearcat men earned the team’s 18th NCAA Tournament bid as the Central Region’s No. 2 seed and MIAA automatic bids. All time, Northwest is 14-17 in the tournament, and has qualified each year since 2006. The men will host No. 3 seed Nebraska-Kearney in the first round in Maryville, Mo., with the winner advancing to the next round in Surprise, Ariz., starting on May 13. The Bearcats and the Lopers have met twice this year, both resulting in Northwest victories. The teams met in Maryville on April 17, a 6-3 Northwest win. The two teams also met in the MIAA Championship match on April 26 in Springfield, Mo., with the Bearcats winning, 5-0.

This marks the 12th time coach Rosewell has sent both teams to the NCAA Tournament in the same season. Match times for the women along with match date and time for the men will be released at a later date.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Kansas signs McDonald’s All-American game MVP Cheick Diallo

Posted on April 28, 2015April 28, 2015

LAWRENCE, Kan. – McDonald’s All-Star Game and Jordan Brand Classic MVP Cheick Diallo has signed at Kansas and will be a Jayhawk next season, KU head coach Bill Self announced Tuesday.

Originally from Mali, Africa, Diallo comes to Lawrence from Centereach, New York. He is a five-star player and recently jumped up from No. 11 to No. 7 on the ESPN100. Those who didn’t already know him became quickly familiar after Diallo tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds to claim MVP honors at the McDonald’s All-American Game. Still rolling, Diallo put on a clinic at the Jordan Brand Classic with 26 points and 11 rebounds, picking up another MVP title.

“Today is a huge day for our Kansas basketball program,” Self said. “It has been our focus and our top recruiting priority to try to sign an inside presence and a rim protector to go along with our returning players. We feel like we’ve been able to sign a premier big man that has as much upside any big we’ve recruited in recent memory. Cheick reminds me so much of Thomas Robinson, late in Thomas’ college career. Cheick has a great motor. He runs as well as any big guy that we’ve had and certainly has a knack for finding the ball. He’ll bring a toughness and aggressiveness to our program. “

Diallo joins Carlton Bragg in KU’s incoming class of 2015. Both are McDonald’s All-Americans, with Diallo becoming the 38th in KU basketball history. Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden, Jr., are current McDonald’s All-Americans on the Jayhawk roster.

“With the addition of Cheick and Carlton and with what we have coming back, I think this puts us in a great position to be a much improved team next year,” Self continued. “We are still actively recruiting a few more players, but this could not have turned out any better for us with the two that we’ve signed.”

Diallo is widely known for his defense and length and, at 6-9, has the ability to step into a rim protector role for the Jayhawks. In high school, Diallo played at Our Savior New American in Centereach, averaging 19 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks per game during his senior campaign. The 2014 and 2015 New York Gatorade Player of the Year, Diallo also chalked up 18.5 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks per game as a junior.

“Cheick comes from a high school program that has won big at Our Savior and certainly has been well drilled there,” Self said. “Moving to the (United) States from another continent would be an adjustment for anybody but because of people in his life that are close to him, primarily Tidiane Drame, he’s been able to make the transition quite well. We anticipate his transition to college to be very seamless also.”

Much like Cameroon native, Joel Embiid, Diallo started his basketball career much later in life as he grew up playing soccer. Embiid played for Kansas in 2013-14, earned the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors and went on to be selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

“Personality-wise, I would compare him much closer to Joel (Embiid) but from a playing standpoint, I think he’s much closer to Thomas, the same size, same body, same type motor,” Self said.

— KU Sports Information —