Moustapha Ndao appears to be hitting his stride as the new guy on the Buchtel boys basketball team.
Ndao, a 6-foot-2 junior, was born and raised in Qatar and speaks three languages. He looked comfortable in Buchtel's recent wins over City Series rivals Ellet, East, Garfield and Firestone.
Ndao scored 11 points in a 64-27 win over Ellet on Dec. 12 and scored 15 points in a 77-45 win over East on Dec. 15. He also totaled 14 points and five rebounds in a 65-29 victory over Garfield on Dec. 19 and had 15 points, four rebounds, three steals and three assists in a 68-37 triumph over Firestone on Jan. 9.
"It took some time for me to adjust to my teammates, but we have got a great squad here," Ndao said after the win over Firestone. "I have been here for a minute now, and it takes time for me to adjust, but I feel like I have adjusted to the system. They trust me a lot. I can tell they trust me. I love this school, my teammates and my coaches.
"... This team is really special to me. Off the court, even if it is not basketball, we still connect and have fun. I want to see how far we can go together."
Ndao is in his first year living in the United States after he moved with family members to Akron, where he has a cousin who he regularly sees.
Ndao is fluent in English and French, and dabbles in Arabic.
Buchtel coach Rayshon Dent first met Ndao late in the summer when the current school year started.
"Mous, he fits right in," Dent said after the win over Firestone. "The one thing about Mous is he has a lot of things he still has to work on, but he does have a want to. He wants to get better and he works at his game. He is a great teammate and has been a joy to coach."
Buchtel (6-2, 6-0) is the reigning Division II state champion, finishing last season with a 23-6 record.
The Griffins graduated four senior starters — Khoi Thurmon, Amire Robinson, Marcel Boyce Jr. and Jayden Maxwell — off last season's team.
Junior Stevie Diamond is a returning starter and has been joined by different teammates on the court for tip-offs this season. Ndao and senior Diaire Pride Jr. are regular starters along with senior Zevin Gadson, who transferred back to Buchtel after one season at Firestone.
Seniors Qi'Marreon Marks and Dakota Taylor and junior Demetrice Coates also have starting experience.
"It has been fun trying to get him into what we have been doing for the last three years," Marks said of Ndao. "The four of us [Pride, Diamond, Taylor and Marks], we have been playing with each other since freshman and sophomore year, so we kind of know what we are going to do skill-wise, shooting-wise and stuff like that. Just trying to incorporate his skill into our team is pretty fun."
Ndao grew up playing basketball, soccer and cricket in Qatar.
"Mous gets better and better each day," Pride said of Ndao. "When he first came in, he was a little hesitant. He didn't know what to do, but he continues to learn, and that is good for our whole team. He plays his role well."
Marks, Pride, Taylor, Coates, senior Damien Johnson and junior Arman Gable were reserves on Buchtel's state title team last season, and are happy to play with Ndao this season.
"He can get to his spot, score the ball, pass and rebound," Diamond said of Ndao. "He can do whatever."
Ndao can make shots from the perimeter and drive to the basket and finish at the rim with layups and dunks. He also provides leadership on the court and in huddles during timeouts.
"We lost a lot of seniors from last year to graduation," Taylor said. "We picked up a couple of guys. Mous is adjusting. We are getting together as a team and playing together as a team."
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: From Qatar to Akron: Moustapha Ndao contributes to Buchtel basketball
