When you're 7-foot-6, you're used to catching the attention of just about everyone.
UC Irvine center Mamdou Ndiaye might soon start catching the attention of NBA scouts, too. A center that big is surely on every general manager's radar, but at just 20 years old and still fairly raw, it's unclear when we may start hearing Ndiaye's name in draft talk.
He's presently ranked as the 68th best draft prospect by ESPN and DraftExpress only has him 71st among freshman, but he'd almost certainly be selected as a speculative second round pick if he entered the draft.
There's no indication that the Senegal export will do that, but his 8-foot-1 wingspan and 300-pound frame are enticing to dream on long-term. In the meantime, it's worth keeping an eye on him as he swats away shots for the 7-7 Anteaters in the Big West.
Ndiaye is averaging 9.1 points on 73.2 percent shooting (almost entirely dunks and put-backs) along with 5.9 rebounds in just 19.9 minutes. Most impressively, he's averaging 3.5 blocks, more than one every six minutes, though he also picks up a foul every seven minutes.
Again, he's still raw, but as a freshman he has a couple of years to refine his game.
At worst, perhaps he could be the second 7-foot Mamdou Ndiaye from Senegal in the NBA - from 2000-01 to 2004-05, another player by the same name appeared in 69 NBA games for four teams, averaging 3.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.9 blocks.
