The NBA Academy Africa program left a monstrous impression this past weekend at the National Prep Invitational in Rhode Island. Few names captivated the nationwide audience more than Center Churchill Abass.
With a significant portion of the high school prospect pool off the market due to college commitments, Head Coach Kenny Payne has had to get creative in scouting talent for his roster next season. He was able to land both Kaleb Glenn and Curtis Williams Jr. out of the high school ranks, but also scoured the JUCO market for commit Koron Davis and scoured the international market for Emmanuel Okorafor.
Now, Okorafor could be joined by his fellow NBA Academy Africa product Churchill Abass. Not only are Abass and Okorafor from the same program in Senegal, but they are also both natives of Nigeria, so their connection goes way deeper than just basketball.
If and when Churchill Abass does decide where he will play collegiate basketball, Louisville has several advantages to land his services. Not only does Kenny Payne have experience in recruiting the NBA Academy Africa program, but Abass would also have a teammate who has been through the same experiences he is going through. Being born in Nigeria, leaving their family to pursue basketball in Senegal, coming to the United States; all of these can be bonding pieces for Okorafor and Abass, if he were to sign here.
From Louisville’s perspective, the Cardinals are in desperate need for talent to fill their roster and like it was mentioned earlier, Abass left an imprint on the watching world at the National Prep Invitational. In a recent article published by Travis Branham of 247 Sports, he notes,
"“He plays for the NBA Africa Academy and kept things very lively on the sidelines as coaches and fans were left in awe of his athleticism for his size and the endless motor he played with.”"
Being physically dominant and difficult to move is certainly an attribute that Louisville would love to add to their team. And it would also be reminiscent of the old Pitino days when we had Mangok Mathiang and Deng Adel, two Sudanese refugees who found their way to Louisville. Abass could mirror that scenario by teaming up with his fellow Nigerian Okorafor.
Travis Branham goes on in that article, clarifying that when Churchill Abass does commit to a university, he will be attributed a four-star rating, which is massive in the recruiting world. Adding him with the other two fellow four-stars coming in would certainly swing the trajectory of our recruiting ranking in the right direction.
The Manifestation of Churchill Abass has Come to Fruition for Louisville fans.
Louisville Twitter’s Mikey Andolini dropped a cryptic bomb on February 3, 2023 and it got the Louisville fans’ collective minds to turn their wheels.
Hearing there will be another NBA Academy Africa player joining the Louisville Basketball team
— Mikey (@m_andolini2) February 4, 2023
Once that was tweeted, then 502 Sportscenter quote tweeted it and said that this has been in the works for much longer than we may have thought.
If you listen to @Jeremy_CSZ and the @CardSportZone this was reported nearly two months ago. #GoCards ⚫️🔴 https://t.co/NP8xqZd5VG
— Louisville Sports Updates (@502Sportscenter) February 4, 2023
After this tweet happened, the buzz surrounding the news began to slow down until Card Chronicle’s Mike Rutherford quote tweeted a highlight from NBA Academy Africa product Churchill Abass from a game in the National Prep Invitational.
All of the speculation surrounding who the mysterious player could be culminated in the one and only Churchill Abass. The only problem now is that everybody knows who he is and what an athletic physical specimen he is. This could mean that the recruiting battle is only heating up for Abass. But, this is where the several key advantages that Louisville has over the other schools comes in handy.