Amath M’baye Turns Pro

By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

University of Oklahoma junior Amath M’Baye has announced that he will forgo his senior season men’s basketball and will enter the National Basketball Association Draft. He is graduating early, and he announced plans to hire an agent.

“My time at OU has been great,” said M’Baye, “I’m 23 years old. My goal when I came to the United States was to take care of business in the classroom and by the time I was 23 to have a degree in my pocket. Now that I’m graduating in May, it’s time for me to start taking care of my family the way they’ve taken care of me for so long.

“It’s a tough process of saying goodbye to everybody because I love everyone here,” he added. “The coaches did an amazing job with me and with this team in general. Everyone was great here and I had an amazing time. I want to be able to come back down the road and help the program however I can, because it’s given me a lot.”

In his one season with Oklahoma M’Baye averaged 10.1 points and 5.2 rebounds this season en route to earning third-team All-Big 12 honors. He came into the season as the Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.  M’Baye subsequently helped the Sooners to a 20-12 record and a return to the NCAA Tournament after a three-year hiatus. He ranked second on the team in rebounding and third in scoring, and shot .461 from the field, .279 (12-for-43) from 3-point range and .750 (60-for-80) from the free throw line. He started all 32 contests and was named to the Big 12 All-Rookie Team, as well as to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team.

“Amath has been a terrific ambassador for the University of Oklahoma, both on the court and in the classroom,” said University of Oklahoma men’s basketball head coach Lon Kruger. “We appreciate his many contributions and wish him nothing but great success in the future…Amath’s contributions to this year’s team enhanced the foundation of our program, and we have a great and motivated young group of guys who will look to build on the success of this year’s squad.”

M’Baye stands at 6’9”, 208 pounds. He is originally from Bordeaux, France, but he also spent time in Senegal as a youth. He subsequently came to the United States in 2008 and played one year at Stoneridge Prep in Simi Valley, Calif. He played two seasons at the University of Wyomingbefore transferring to Oklahoma. The NBA Draft will be held on June 27th.

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