FAIRFIELD, Conn. - An all-time high 19 African born players competed in the National Basketball Association this winter, and it's clear there will be a steady progression. There have been 67 players from the continent in league history, including most valuable players Hakeem Olajuwan and Joel Embiid.

The college game has also been impacted by the world's second largest and second most populous continent. Africa's representation in Division I men's basketball has grown from 69 players in 2009-10 to 174 in 2024-25. More coaches and agents are farming one of the poorest continents in the world to fuel the economically driven increase.

Sacred Heart University is becoming a productive men's basketball destination for athletes from Africa. In fact, there will be three players from that continent on the SHU men's roster in 2025-26.

Fallou Gueye, a guard who came to the U.S. three years ago from Senegal in West Africa, played his freshman season for the Pioneers last winter. Abdou Yadd, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward also from Senegal with a three-star rating from 247Sports, joins the Pioneers as a freshman after winning a prep school national championship at Putnam Science Academy in Putnam, Conn. Finally, Yann Farell (a.k.a. Assa Essamyous), who is from Gabon in Africa and has played forward for both East Carolina and St. Bonaventure, has transferred to SHU for his senior season.

It's been a decade since SHU assistant coach Jeremy Kipness was living in Senegal as a player development intern at Sports for Education and Economic Development (SEED). He had just graduated from the University of Louisville, where he worked with Rick Pitino's staff as a student manager. Kipness was in a strange land mentoring young players and growing the game.

His time in Africa helped in the recruiting of Yadd and Farell and has made Gueye, who preceded Kipness at Sacred Heart, more comfortable living in Connecticut. You might be wondering why Kipness went halfway across the globe to further his coaching resume. While in college, he became friends with a Louisville player and former SEED member from Senegal, Gorgui Dieng, who played 10 years in the NBA.

"Gorgui and I spent many nights in our dorm (at Louisville) talking about Senegal, his childhood, and the SEED program that gave him his start. It was then that I had the vision of going over to do my part to help grow the game of basketball and help to make a difference, coaching and mentoring the future Gorgui's of the world."

Kipness spent a little less than three months in Africa before returning to the states to start a prep program with his father called Aspire Academy, which partnered with a private catholic school and provided college-level basketball coaching and high-level competition. They helped 41 kids to matriculate to college programs, including 25 Division I players and one NBA draft pick. Among the 41 were 14 from West Africa and eight from Senegal.

"Our first recruit happened to be a Senegalese native who I worked with during my time over there," said Kipness about University of Alabama at Birmingham player Makhtar Gueye, who went on to play professionally in Europe.

The pandemic put an end to Aspire Academy and Kipness moved on to a graduate assistant position under former NBA star Penny Hardaway at The University of Memphis. He then served as the Tigers' Director of Recruiting for three years.

There's a reason Kipness and other college coaches were prospecting and developing talent in West Africa.  The Senegal national basketball team is a five-time a gold medalist, a six-time silver recipient, and a four-time bronze finisher at the FIBA Africa Championship. In fact, Senegal was the first Sub-Saharan African team to qualify for the Summer Olympics.
Success and big-time prospects are not the only benefits to recruiting kids from Africa.

"Every player I've come across has been a good kid who was raised the right way," said Jermaine Ukaegbu, a University of Louisville assistant coach and former SHU player whose parents are from Africa. "They have traditional values embedded in them, and that includes honor and respect."

Gueye was recruited by SHU out of Putnam Science, a factory for Division I hoopsters located in the Northeast Corner of Connecticut. The returning Pio played in 29 games with four starts last season. According to his coaches, Gueye can play both on and off the ball, is a high-level athlete and has an excellent feel for the game and passing ability.

Yadd is a skilled forward who can play both the four and five spots. He has good shooting range and excellent hands and touch around the rim. He also has great footwork and lateral quickness for his size and plays with great enthusiasm. 

Farell, the new SHU transfer, is very versatile and can play the three and four positions. The Pio coaches rate him as a "big-time" shooter with "really good length." Called "Assa Essamyous" back in his country, Farrell has plenty of Division I experience to help elevate the Pios this season. He averaged a few buckets per game in 32 appearances for ECU last winter after playing 65 games combined over two seasons for St. Bonaventure. As a teenager from Gabon, Africa, Farrell was in Senegal attending the NBA Academy, which is partnered with SEED Academy.

Sacred Heart has had its share of international players, though these are the first two from West Africa. The Pioneers have had many international players, including guys from Cameroon and Sudan, since legendary former head coach Dave Bike led the program to a 1986 Division II national championship 40 seasons ago.
Current SHU Head Coach Anthony Latina, who served as Bike's assistant, says players from Africa impact his entire roster in a positive way.

"We have had multiple student-athletes from different countries throughout Africa," said Latina. "We obviously recruited them because they were talented basketball players, but they also brought a much different perspective that benefitted our program in so many ways. The level of gratitude and humility they showed for the opportunity they were given at Sacred Heart University was such a good influence for our players born and raised in the United States. They have truly been a source of positive energy for our program."

The African athletes certainly appreciate the difference in the amount of food they see compared to home, though it is likely to be less clean and healthy. They also relish the style of living, and that – along with the language difference – is why most Americans can't imagine what it would be like to live in any part of Africa. 

"I was living in a third-world country in a clay hut in Senegal," said Kipness about his internship. "I remember walking into the SEED Academy gym after spending 14 hours traveling and their head coach asked me to speak to the team. Within five seconds I realized not one of them understood a word I was saying. I went back to my hut, and it hit me that I was way over my head. I also realized basketball has a universal language. I was able to connect with them through the game and the transition was a lot easier and more seamless than I initially thought it would be."

The trio of African Pios can speak the native language of Senegal, Walof, as well as French and English. Latina and Kipness hope that the roster is collectively speaking the same language during a run to the MAAC Tournament next season.
 
SHU's African Influence
Name, Class, Pos., Home, Previous Team   
Fallou Gueye, So., G, Senegal, Putnam Science (Connecticut)
Abdou Yadd, Fr., F, Senegal, Putnam Science (Connecticut)
Yann Farrel/Assa Essamvous, Sr., F, Gabon, East Carolina University