Player profile
Well, there's the old saying you can't teach height and at 7-3 Assane Mbaye just might be the tallest player in school history.
Let see what our good friend Jerry C had to say....
1. He’s a shot-blocker
The Patrick School’s national team went 27-4 this past winter. Mbaye appeared in about half the games, averaging 2.2 points, 6.4 boards and 3.4 blocks. New Jersey’s top talent evaluator Jay Gomes, publisher of the authoritative NJHoops.com, ranked Mbaye as the state’s No. 18 senior in the Class of 2024.“He’s very intriguing," Gomes said by phone Friday. "He’s definitely raw, but you don’t find many 7-foot-3 kids who are that long and that agile walking around. He’s long as can be and he runs the floor pretty well. So I was a little surprised he wasn’t getting that much recruiting interest."
Gomes said Mbaye was part of the Patrick School's rotation this past season and got noticeably better from his junior year, which was his first at the school.
"I like his upside a lot," Gomes said. "He’s not a finished product by any means, but there’s something there to work with for sure. Seton Hall’s had luck with (finding and developing) rim protectors before – big guys who don’t have to score much, so I think he’s got a chance to help them out.”
2. He’s had a multinational journey
Mbaye, who is 19 and will turn 20 in December, hails from the Canary Islands. He played on the under-18 club circuit in Spain in 2021-22, winning a title with the City of Badajoz Academy. He arrived in the U.S. two years ago after a stop in Senegal."His dedication and work ethic are throwbacks, and it's clear that he has a bright future ahead in basketball," Patrick School coach Chris Chavannes said. "It's wonderful to see how far he has come since arrival from the Canary Islands."
3. The Patrick School pipeline continues
In addition to Holloway, the long list of St. Pat’s/Patrick School alums to play for the Hall include Sam Dalembert, Grant Billmeier, Jeff Robinson, Angel Delgado, Jordan Walker, Bryce Aiken, Jamir Harris, and Al-Amir Dawes. Holloway remains close to Chavannes, a longtime mentor.Chavannes said Mbaye's recent workout with Holloway, his assistants, and outgoing postgrads Dawes and Jaden Bediako left a strong impression as they went over skill development, team strategies and offensive and defensive concepts.
"Assane and I discussed the potential for him to further his game at Seton Hall, emphasizing the importance of ongoing skill enhancement and physical strength in determining his contribution timeline," Chavannes said. "Overall, the pro-level workout showcased Assane's capabilities and highlighted his potential for growth and success at Seton Hall."
The Patrick School product (NJ) recorded 41 blocks in just 12 in-state games last season as The Patrick School went onto a 27-4 national record and 12-0 in those games.
Shaheen Holloway continues to reconstruct a Pirate roster that lost nine players to the Transfer Portal this offseason, including leading scorer Kadary Richmond.
Mbaye is the third class of 2024 signee, joining Jahseem Felton and Godswell Erheriene. But unlike his fellow future teammates there are little expectations that the 7-3 big man will see any quality time and in truth he was only recruited because of his enormous size and potential. Not many Big East teams are signing the 16th best senior in the state of NJ.
Credit the following to Adam Zagoria.....
Mbaye, who was born in Senegal and then moved to the Canary Islands, is fluent in Spanish and French. He is The Hall’s third class of 2024 signee, joining Jahseem Felton and Godswill Erheriene.
He played sparingly his junior season, but Patrick School coach Chris Chavannes said “he has since shown incredible growth and potential. His dedication and work ethic are throwbacks, and it’s clear that he has a bright future ahead in basketball. It’s wonderful to see how far he has come since arrival from the Canary Islands.”
Chavannes added: “Assane Mbaye has emerged as a standout player following a successful season and played a key role in the Patrick School’s season.
“Since the season concluded, Assane has been actively exploring opportunities with various local and national schools and has received multiple offers, with increased interest in recent times.
“Notably, his most recent workout was with Seton University under the guidance of Coach Holloway and his coaching staff, including graduating big man Jaden Bediako. Al Dawes also assisted after his workout. The intense session focused on skill development, team strategies, and both offensive and defensive concepts. Assane’s performance during the workout left a lasting, with Coach Holloway providing valuable guidance through a professional workout.
“Assane and I discussed the potential for him to further his game at Seton Hall, emphasizing the importance of ongoing skill enhancement and physical strength in determining his contribution timeline. Overall, the pro-level workout showcased Assane’s capabilities and highlighted his potential for growth and success at Seton Hall.”
Asked if he could contribute in a college game right now, Chavannes said: “I think the development of his body will dictate his timeline to contribute. Defensively he did give us an edge in many games this year.
“It’s very hard for freshmen to play in college in today’s game. I didn’t expect Assane to play last year. He not only contributed but he was a major factor in our success. With Assane’s work ethic I think you can’t count him out.”
Below is a short mixtape which highlights Assane's mobility but it also shows the needed work the 20 year old will have to put in at SHU to enhance his future capabilities.
Clearly this is a throwaway commitment with the hope that down the road maybe it pays dividends. If not at least the Pirates have a practice player who can challenge the offense in the paint.
For that reason I cannot give this commitment more than a D.
