Mamadou Ndiaye, UC Irvine’s 7-6 center, will forgo NBA draft
UC Irvine center Mamadou Ndiaye runs up the court during a loss to Louisville in the NCAA tournament on March 20.
Mamadou Ndiaye, UC Irvine’s 7-6 center, announced he will not declare for the NBA draft, school officials announced.
Ndiaye, the tallest player in college basketball, help push the Anteaters to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. Irvine lost to Louisville, 57-55, in the first round. Ndiaye had 12 points, making six of nine shots, five rebounds and one blocked shot in that game.
“This is great news for Mamadou and for our program,” Irvine Coach Russell Turner said in a statement released by the school. “He is staying here because he is happy, he’s committed to his education and he is thriving. I feel really good about those things.
“We have a lot of people at UCI working hard to provide the highest-level environment for a student-athlete. Mamadou will keep improving as a player, and I am pleased to have him be such a great representative of UC Irvine and of our team.”
Ndiaye, who will be a junior, averaged 10.5 points and 5.1 rebounds last season. He missed two months with a foot injury.
Twitter: @cfosterlatimes
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