Moussa Cisse, the 24th prospect in the 2020 ESPN Class, has vowed to play for the Memphis Tigers, he told ESPN on Wednesday.
“Coach Penny Hardaway is a legend and can help me develop my game and take it to the next level,” Cisse told ESPN. “He has a lot of influence in the league. I’ve been in Memphis for a year and everyone tells me to stay. With all of this we faced with the pandemic, I couldn’t visit any other schools except the state of Florida. I get a lot of love from the fans. “
Cisse chose Memphis over scholarship offers from Kentucky, LSU, Florida State, Georgia, and Georgetown. He was originally slated to commit in early June, but decided to delay his decision out of respect for the Black Lives Matter movement.
“They gave me the opportunity to come to this country to improve my education,” said Cisse. “As a person of color, I thought it would have been disrespectful to announce my commitment to the university while everything was going on. This also gave me more time to figure things out.”
Cisse, who was born in the West African Guinea country, moved to the United States in December 2016. She played at St. Benedict’s Prep in New Jersey and Christ the King High School in New York before choosing to move to Memphis in the summer Past to Attend Lausanne Collegiate School. While at San Benito, he played with Precious Achiuwa, who is now a projected lottery pick after a season in Memphis. According to Cisse, the Nigerian Achiuwa’s support was an important factor in his decision.
“Every time I speak to Precious, he was always real to me. He always says how good Penny is. How he trained him to develop his game. That’s why I decided to come to Memphis. Precious says the rest of the coaching staff is really good. Especially Cody Toppert. He always sends me videos detailing the great men in the NBA. “
Having grown up playing soccer for much of his life, Cisse’s basketball skill level is still catching up to his physical ability, but he made breakthroughs last season, averaging 18.4 points, 15.3 rebounds and 9.2 blocks per game while winning a championship. state and was called Tennessee Basketball Mr. DII-A.
Cisse is a candidate to be chosen in the first round of the draft. He is considered one of the best athletes in high school basketball and measured a shadow of less than 7 feet with a span of 7 feet 4 inches and a reach of 9 feet 4 feet in February at the Global Basketball Camp without NBA borders. He led the Nike EYBL on blocked shots last season with 4.5 per game and finished second in rebounds with 11.3 per game.
“I’m going to bring a lot of energy for sure,” said Cisse. “I will always play very hard. I have improved my game and I can play on both sides. It will be a good season for me and my teammates.”
“I am working hard and the ultimate goal is to get to the NBA. I want to get my education at the same time, but I am working to be one and do it. Hard work and prayers, that is what we are counting on.”
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