WS Chronicle

Photo by Craig T. Greenlee

BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE 

FOR THE CHRONICLE

Pape Ndiaye of Quality Education Academy will continue his basketball career at the next level. Ndiaye, a 6-9, 225-pound senior power forward, recently signed a national letter-of-intent with Fordham University (N.Y.). The Rams compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Ndiaye, a four-year varsity performer, returned to the Pharaohs line-up for the 2015-16 campaign after missing all of the previous season with a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) that he suffered a week before the season opener in November 2014.

Over the course this past season, Ndiaye continued to make progress in fully recovering from the knee injury. His inside presence at both ends of the floor was a key factor for QEA, which finished the season at 27-6.

The Pharaohs solidified their reputation as a national-caliber program with a 7-3 record on the ultra-competitive Grind Session circuit, which features teams who are stocked with the top high school basketball talent in the country.

QEA capped a superlative season by advancing to the finals of the Grind Session National Championships played in Kansas two months ago.

The Pharaohs’ title bid fell short in the finals with an 82-74 loss to Victory Rock Prep (Florida).

“Pape Ndiaye has played for one of the most successful high school programs in the country,” said Fordham coach Jeff Neubauer on the school’s website. “He has been very well coached and will continue to improve as he gets healthy.”

During the season prior to his injury, Ndiaye averaged 10 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. In the process, he got serious looks from over 20 colleges, which included Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Washington State and UNC Charlotte.

Once Ndiaye received medical clearance to rejoin the team, he opted to not play AAU basketball this past summer. His sole focus centered on regaining his strength and physical conditioning.

When he’s completely healthy, Ndiaye poses problems because of his versatility. He’s effective when playing with his back to the basket. But he can also face-up and hit the mid-range jumper, plus he’s a skilled enough ball handler to take defenders to the basket off the dribble. Defensively, he’s a rugged rebounder and menacing shot blocker.

“It was hard for me to sit and watch (the season of the injury),” Ndiaye confessed in an early-season interview. “I felt like I let my teammates down. Coach [Isaac Pitts] did a great job in helping me to keep my mind right. All during rehab he kept telling me,‘Don’t give up, don’t give up.’”