By Keenan Cumming
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia men’s basketball program filled its final remaining scholarship.
Seny Ndiaye, a 6-foot-11 and 225-pound big man, has signed with the Mountaineers after considering other options, as well as the possibility of attending prep school for a season. Ndiaye isn’t a new name on the recruiting board after receiving an offer last summer, but things came together rather quickly for him to fill the final 2020 slot.
“Seny has impressed us with his work ethic,” WVU coach Bob Huggins said. “Coach (Erik) Martin and I saw him in Atlanta two years ago. We were really impressed with how hard he played and how hard he competed. We watched him this past year at Huntington Prep. He’s gotten better and better. We think he could have a really good career for us at West Virginia.”
Ndiaye had already resigned himself to spending a season at prep school when the WVU coaches offered him the opportunity to sign and join the team immediately.
He didn’t have to be told twice.
“I was surprised because I wasn’t ready for it,” Ndiaye said. “They sent me the papers and I signed. It all went so fast.”
Ndiaye spent last season at Huntington Prep alongside fellow WVU signee Isaiah Cottrell and is best described as an athletic big-man who excels at running the floor, rebounding and shot blocking. He fully understands with the cupboard stocked with bigs on the roster heading into the 2020 season, he is likely going to spend his first year focusing on getting stronger and improving his game.
“I have to improve my offensive game. I need to at least have a go-to-move. It’s good blocking shots, getting rebounds and running the floor, but you’ve got to score, too,” he said.
The time he spent in West Virginia endeared him to the basketball program and made the prospect of going to WVU worth while.
A native of Senegal, Ndiaye has only been in the states for less than two years and has only been playing basketball for a few years longer than that. Originally a soccer player, he quickly found that at his size he would make a better prospect on the hardwood than the pitch.
Ndiaye gives the Mountaineers the full allotment of 13 scholarship players for the 2020 season and he is set to arrive on campus in the near future to start his career.
“When I get there all I care about is to get better because I know I have to get better and stronger. I’m going to work for it and I’m going to do all I can to make the people of West Virginia proud,” he said.
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