Mamadou N'Diaye

Mamadou N'Diaye (born 14 September 1993) is a Senegalese professional basketball player who last played for Correcaminos UAT Victoria of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP).

He played college basketball for UC Irvine, where he was the tallest basketball player at the NCAA Division I level, standing at 7ft 6in.

In 2010, Amadou Koundoul, who was the assistant coach for the UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team at the time, saw N'Diaye participate in a pick-up game in a gymnasium at Dakar.

He asked him to travel to the United States, and N'Diaye accepted the offer.

He arrived in the US without knowing how to speak English.

In the new country, he initially had trouble with speaking English and often needed things to be translated to French.

After experiencing headaches upon his arrival to the U.S., N'Diaye saw a doctor and it was discovered that he was suffering from a golf ball-sized tumor in his pituitary gland, which had caused gigantism and was threatening his vision.

Afterwards, he recalled the moment, "For me, it wasn’t a big deal because I didn’t know what a tumor was. Once I found out, it was tough to hear I had one."

The condition was treated in the Hoag Memorial Hospital following several charitable donations from around the area.

A married couple who lived in Huntington Beach, California, a city close to N'Diaye's future school, offered to become his guardians to ease his commute for medical treatments.

Prior to participating in sports, N'Diaye attended Stoneridge Prep in Simi Valley, California, who steered him through his early years in the United States.

The school had a history of producing high-caliber international basketball players, including Enes Kanter and Nikola Vučević.

However, N'Diaye was not allowed to play the sport during his first year in the high school because of California Interscholastic Federation rules.

As a sophomore, he was officially granted the permission to transfer to another high school.

N'Diaye attended Brethren Christian School in Huntington Beach, California.

He played under head coach Jon Bahnsen.

According to Bahnsen upon arriving at the school, N'Diaye "could barely get up and down the court more than a few times" due to his poor fitness after rehabilitation.

In his high school years, N'Diaye, who stood 7ft 5in at the time, was considered one of the tallest to play at that level.

He was also approached by the Guinness World Records to determine the authenticity of the claims.

Bahnsen said, "Our school wouldn't cooperate with them, but Guinness probably wanted to see if he was the world's tallest high school basketball player."

As a junior at Brethren Christian, N'Diaye finished the season averaging 24 points and 14 rebounds.

CBS News wrote that he was "impossible to defend" because of his height.

At the conclusion of his final, senior season with Brethren Christian, N'Diaye averaged about 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 4.5 blocks.

He officially committed to play with the UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team, following matriculation at the University of California, Irvine, on 14 November 2012.

He also considered Oregon, Georgetown, and Pepperdine.

N'Diaye said that he selected UC Irvine because he "felt very comfortable at the university and with the coaching staff."

Upon joining the UC Irvine basketball program, N'Diaye was instantly recognized as the tallest player in the NCAA Division I.

Russell Turner, the head basketball coach, said, "I'm excited to add a player of Mamadou's quality and character to our program."

N'Diaye, a center, was named Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Year after the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season and earned all-conference honorable mention accolades as well.

He was considered a talented shot-blocker.

N'Diaye was born in Dakar, Senegal.

He had an older brother.

He grew up playing soccer and did not seriously begin playing basketball at a young age.

He partook his highest-scoring game in January 2013 against Oxford Academy, with 45 points and 15 rebounds coming off an illness that kept him out of the initial games.

After the year, N'Diaye earned All-State honors and was named CIF-5AA Player of the Year.

He also earned the 2013 John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year award for CIF Division V. In the same season, N'Diaye garnered National Christian Schools Athletic Association Player of the Year and Far West Super-Region team accolades.

Also, he was named Academy League Most Valuable Player.

According to the ESPN Recruiting Nation, N'Diaye was the 6th most promising high school player in his state.

ESPN analysts commented on N'Diaye's basketball talent by saying, "Ndiaye is a legit 7-foot-5 prospect with extraordinary length and huge hands."

On 2 November 2013, N'Diaye represented UC Irvine for the first time in an exhibition game vs. Chapman.