NBA Academy Africa prospect Churchill Abass has been in talks surrounding the University of Louisville basketball program since early February. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound center burst onto the scene after a standout performance at the National Prep School Invitational Tournament in Rhode Island.
247Sports’ analyst Travis Branham documented his performance with these words:
"“…fans were left in awe of his athleticism for his size and the endless motor he played with.”"
A massive frame at almost 7-feet tall and nearly 250 pounds would certainly strike fear into any opposing teams, particularly because that kind of frame is typically found on a football field. But, not in Churchill Abass’ case, he prefers to spend his time on the basketball court. And as for any fans of a Division I basketball program, his size and speed alone leave cause for a jaw-dropping to the floor.
After spending his time in the NBA Academy Africa program, he joined the Basketball Africa League’s Elevate program that initially launched on March 2, 2022. The program was designed to create a seamless route for prospects in the program to gain experience at a professional level.
"“There is a natural synergy between the BAL and NBA Academy Africa, and this program will provide another pathway for elite African prospects to reach their potential as players and people.”"
The 12 teams in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) hosted a draft on Friday, February 24th in which all twelve of the BAL teams’ presidents selected a prospect out of the NBA Academy Africa program. President of the BAL Amadou Gallo Fall details the kind of success this transition has had for all parties:
"“The inaugural group of BAL Elevate players who joined our league from NBA Academy Africa last season not only showcased their talent and potential but also contributed greatly to the improved play in season two…We have received terrific feedback from the teams and coaches who worked with the players, some of whom went on to sign with NBA G League Ignite or commit to NCAA Division I schools in the U.S. We look forward to watching this year’s class contribute to their respective teams and continue their development on a global stage.”"
And PF/C Churchill Abass was one of those prospects who was selected. He was drafted by the 2022 BAL Champions, US Monastir. US Monastir is a professional basketball club located in Monastir, Tunisia. The club has been around since 1959 but became the first Tunisian basketball club to win the BAL tournament last year.
With a resume like that for US Monastir, it seemed like Churchill Abass was heading into a promising situation. But, unfortunately, their season was cut short after losing their final Sahara Conference game to AS Douanes of Senegal.
Being drafted in late February and the season ending for US Monastir in late March, Abass didn’t have a whole lot of opportunities to make an appearance on the court as an 18-year old prospect. In fact, he only appeared in one game in the approximate month he was on the team.
Now, he is expected to be coming back to the United States to join an NCAA Division I basketball program.
According to On3, Churchill Abass is listed as a four-star prospect and only holds one collegiate offer from the Ole Miss Rebels. It appears that the University of Louisville could be in competition again with Chris Beard for a highly-coveted prospect, with the first time being for five-star guard AJ Johnson.
The reason Louisville is in the conversation surrounding Abass is that he has been rumored to come here since early February by Louisville media, and most likely because Louisville already has one NBA Academy Africa product in Emmanuel Okorafor. In addition, Cerebro Sports’ Andrew Slater did confirm in February that Louisville has been recruiting him.
6’8” Churchill Abass’23 🇳🇬, who made the All-BWB team & recorded a 38” vertical, said he’s being recruited by, amongst others, Louisville, Memphis, Nebraska, Ole Miss (visited), Arizona, UCLA & DePaul.
— 𝒜𝓃𝒹𝓇ℯ𝓌 𝒮𝓁𝒶𝓉ℯ𝓇 (@Andrew__Slater) February 19, 2023
7’2” wingspan. pic.twitter.com/3YuFMZpSgg
It has yet to be announced which programs he will visit, but it seems like Louisville could potentially be on the list. Especially with all of the cryptic tweets about him from Louisville media. For example, eight days ago Marques Maybin tweeted this:
Churchill Abass is definitely one to keep an eye on for Louisville fans. He has been rumored here for a long time and Kenny Payne could be using the same strategy he used with Emmanuel Okorafor, which was to keep it under the radar until the news broke. Plus, the staff hasn’t gone out to get a proven big man out of the transfer portal, which could mean that they are saving a scholarship for a guy like Abass.