NBA Academy Africa: The Returners
Meet the returning class of prospects gearing up for this season at NBA Academy Africa
During the final season that will feature all NBA Academies, NBA Academy Africa continues to reload.
This season doesn’t feature any surefire NBA Draft picks like Ulrich Chomche and Khaman Maluach, but it does include several Division I prospects; a few of them already committed to join NCAA programs next season.
The beauty of NBA Academy Africa is that it provides a platform on the continent for these elite prospects to duel against the best of the best, hone their skills, and develop into well-rounded men on and off the court. Let’s dive into what we will look forward to this year.
Modou Fall Thiam — 6’5” G, class of 2025
Thiam has been on the radar for a few years now and had generated substantial buzz prior to injury. At 6’5”, Thiam is a smooth lefty who overwhelms in transition and uses his athletic pop to create scoring opportunities for himself and others.
Playing along side the likes of Khaman Maluach and Ulrich Chomche allowed Thiam to play off of the attention they attracted. Now as the focal point of defenses it will be interesting to see how diverse his offensive skillset is and how well he leads this next iteration of NBA Academy Africa. Showing great decision making as a downhill initiator, forcing closeouts via catch and shoot opportunities and using his quick twitch ability to overwhelm teams defensively will be the Senegalese guard’s path to success.
Ali Assran — 6’9” F, class of 2025
Young in age but an elder when it comes to production, Assran is another product of the Egyptian youth system. He participated in three marquee international events just this past summer in the FIBA U17 World Cup a few months before U18 AfroBasket, with Basketball Without Borders taking place the month in between. Such experiences highlighted his ability to ease into different roles depending on circumstances.
Assran is tough and embraces contact using it to his advantage with pump fakes and solid footwork. A double-double