Asrangue Souleymane

10/31/03: "You're supposed to do it in 1:11," the University of Cincinnati head coach says, slowly, in a normal tone, explaining the time limit for baseline-to-baseline wind sprints. "You're going to have to do it again, because you didn't do that. Got it."
The wide-eyed kid nods his head in agreement. Huggins smiles, warmly. He extends his right hand. The kid slaps high-five with his new coach, then lines up, determined to make those sprints in 1:11.

Asrangue Souleymane (pronounced aus-RANG-ee SUE-lee-mon) is not quite ready for Huggins' trademark tough love approach. It's not that Souleymane isn't tough enough to handle a Huggins outburst. It's just that the guy known to his coaches and teammates as Souley will not understand. (That's not such a bad thing, is it?)

Souleymane, a native of the Central African Republic, has only been in the States for a little more than a year. He is fluent in six languages and gradually becoming that in a seventh, English. Once the 6-foot-9, 190-pound freshman center grasps the language, the coaches believe, Souleymane will be able to fully grasp Huggins' language -- and system.

By then, Souleymane also will have spent a lot of time in the weight room and will be ready to give UC's frontcourt a boost. Huggins says he would like to be able to redshirt Souleymane this season.

"This is going to be a learning year for him," says UC assistant Andy Kennedy, who recruited Souleymane out of Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina. "We're looking at a couple of years down the road with him both physically and so that he can understand what we're doing. There's no pressure on him."

If there is any pressure on Souleymane, it comes from within. He is bent on grasping English, although he says it is difficult. "We don't talk English in Africa," Souleymane says. "Last year, I talked bad, bad English because I was just getting here."

French is the official language of the Central African Republic. (Souleymane's father, Kindja, teaches French in their native city, Bangui, the nation's capital.) So, Souleymane carries his French-to-English dictionary almost everywhere he goes on campus.

Souleymane is enrolled in an English as a second language course this year. UC also has arranged for Souleymane to meet with a translator for two to three hours each week. Joel Dolinski, the basketball program's academic advisor, has also worked some with Souleymane, who has not declared a major yet but says he would like to study computer science or something similar to that because he likes the challenge that computers present. Realizing how frustrating it is at times for Souleymane, Dolinski keeps encouraging him to take advantage of another learning tool. "I tell him, 'Souley, you've got to watch as much TV as you can, man,' " Dolinski says.

Souleymane certainly is receiving the language in a diversified manner. ESPN, CNN, BET and Animal Planet are his favorite channels. He gets a kick out of the latter. "I like most animals, but snakes are bad," Souleymane says. (Souleymane says he has had some not-so-pleasant encounters with snakes when he has traveled to the rural villages outside of Bangui.)

But the language used on Animal Planet isn't too similar to what is used on Planet Huggins. Souleymane cannot carry his language dictionary in his basketball trunks, so he struggles the most when he is on the court. However, the court is like another language course. Souleymane's coaches and teammates have embraced him, starting at the top. "Coach Huggins, yeah, he's cool," Souleymane says. "He doesn't talk bad to me. He's teaching me. He asked me what I think of practice. I said, 'This is very, very different for me.' "

When Huggins cannot pull Souleymane aside, someone is often there voluntarily giving him additional explanation of a play or drill on the sideline. Sophomore forward Armein Kirkland says he believes the players have developed more closeness, at least on the court, because of Souleymane. "He's a likeable guy," Kennedy says. "Everybody wants to help him."

Says Souleymane: "Everybody's cool with me."

Efforts to help Souleymane do not stop on the court and at Dolinski's door. Video coordinator Andy Assaley has left his door open, too. Assaley has created a videotape for Souleymane that is comprehensive and features repeat snippets of some of the same plays. Almost daily, Souleymane will watch the video and draw pictures of the plays in a notebook. "He's a very, very intelligent kid," Huggins says. "Souley is kind of a rare guy in that he can watch things and learn, whereas most guys can't do that. He picks things up quickly."

Indeed, Souleymane does, considering he only knew how to say a few words in English when he arrived at Laurinburg in early September 2002, Laurinburg coach Chris Chaney says.

Chaney cites an example for that progress. When a Laurinburg official drove Souleymane back to the school from the airport, he stopped at a McDonald's drive-up window because Souleymane had not eaten breakfast. Souleymane wanted to order a "No. 5" value meal, but he had a difficult time explaining that was what he wanted. He ended up getting five No. 5 value meals and got sick to his stomach by the time he polished off meal No. 3.

Those around Souleymane believe he has made such rapid progress because of his eagerness to learn. Huggins is enamored by Souleymane's enthusiasm. The coaches notice that, despite the language struggles, Souleymane is having fun. He smiles often. He is friendly. He genuinely appreciates all the help he receives.

Souleymane says "thank you a hundred times a day," Huggins says, smiling. "It is different."

Kennedy noticed Souleymane's enthusiasm the first time he saw him play in April. Kennedy learned about Souleymane when the assistant coach ran into Chaney during a function at the Final Four in New Orleans. UC needed a backup plan if it were to miss out on heralded frontcourt prospect Alexander Johnson, who ended up signing with Florida State.

Chaney sold Kennedy on the fact that Souleymane had raw talent and a tremendous upside. Knowing that he could take a chance because UC has a lot of depth in the frontcourt this season, Kennedy saw enough of that upside to offer Souleymane a scholarship. He is the first foreign player to play for Huggins at UC, and only the second ever to play for him during his head-coaching career.

"The good thing about him is he won't back down from anybody," says Chaney, who adds that he would not have encouraged Souleymane to attend Cincinnati if he was a softy.

Souleymane averaged 10 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game last season for a Laurinburg team that went 40-2 and won the prep-school national title. Factor in, too, that he has been somewhat introduced to big-time basketball because 11 of his Laurinburg teammates have gone on to play in Division I.

Souleymane only bench presses 190 pounds -- some 160 pounds less than fellow center Kareem Johnson -- and he is about 40 to 45 pounds lighter than what the coaches would like him eventually to weigh.

But Souleymane has only played organized basketball for four years. Eugene Pehoua, a native of the Central African Republic who has been living in the Washington, D.C. area since 1990, recognized Souleymane's talents a few years back. Pehoua, who played at Division II University of the District of Columbia, helps coach the Central African Republic national team, which Souleymane played for this past summer.

Pehoua, who has known Souleymane's family for about 10 years, had worked with Chaney at the Newport School in Kensington, Md., the same school in which UC sophomore guard James White attended. Pehoua has helped bring men and women from his homeland to the United States in order for them to attend college and play sports. He says his vision for those men and women is to "one day go home and work while still having a connection with people" in the United States.

Pehoua says the Central African Republic, which has a gross domestic product of $4.7 billion compared to the United States' $10.4 trillion, needs college-educated people like Souleymane and fellow Bangui native Romain Sato, Xavier's senior All-America candidate, to return home someday.

Pehoua says he also was instrumental in helping Sato come to the United States. Sato, who had more polished offensive skills and was known for his aggressive play when he came to Xavier in 2000-01, also played for the Central African Republic national team this summer.

Souleymane and Sato, who had met previously, developed a friendship during the tours of Cameroon and Egypt. Earlier this month, they had dinner and went to a movie, along with Xavier freshman forward Boubacar Coly, Souleymane's teammate at Laurinburg.

Souleymane says his teammates have caught wind of his friendship with Sato and like to tease him about that not-so-friendly cross-town rivalry. "Everybody's talking to me about this thing between Xavier and Cincinnati," Souleymane says. "OK, but this is my friend." He does have a little ways to go, yet." - CincyPost.com


08/14/03: In the first playoff game of the African Championships, Souleymane had 4 pts, 5 rebs and no blocks for the winning Central African Republic team. - Mike Ryan

08/13/03: Thru 5 games at the African Championships, Souleymane has played sparingly. He has played in 5 games, but just 12 of the 20 possible quarters. (Minutes Played is not listed in the summary)
He has shot just 36% from the floor (4-11) and is 7-12 from the line for 15 total points scored. He does have 12 blocks, so one block per quarter is excellent. His best game was against Mozambique when he played for 23 mins and had 6 pts, 12 rebs and 2 blocks.
The CAR finished 3-2 in round robin competition and starts the playoffs today. - Mike Ryan

05/16/03: "The University of Cincinnati might have unearthed a gem when it signed Central African Republic native Asrangue Souleymane to a letter of intent Wednesday. "They got a steal," said Chris Chaney, the head coach at Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina, where Souleymane played last year.

Souleymane, a 6-foot-9, 210-pound power forward, averaged 10 points, 9.5 rebounds and four blocked shots last season for a Laurinburg team that went 40-2, won the prep school national championship and had 12 Division I players on its roster. "He's a warrior-type player," Chaney said. "He's very, very athletic. He's a great kid, runs the floor well, and he's a very good off-the-ball defender. He has a good shooting touch, but he has to work on his low-post game a little bit." Neither UC coach Bob Huggins nor assistant coach Andy Kennedy, UC's recruiting coordinator, returned phone calls Thursday.

The signing of Souleymane completes UC's recruiting class for next season. He joins junior-college point guard Nick Williams, junior-college center Robert Whaley, Purcell Marian product Mike Pilgrim and Florida transfer James White. "That should give them a top-10 national recruiting class, maybe top-12 to be conservative," said recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons.

Gibbons said Souleymane is a slender player whom he lists at 195 pounds. He was the third offensive option on his prep school team behind Boubacar Coly, who signed with Xavier, and Regia Koundja, who signed with Louisiana State. "He's athletic and has a good upside," Gibbons said. "He's just not very skilled right now."

In a year or two, Gibbons said, Souleymane could blossom into a capable player. "Like most kids from Africa, it appeared he hasn't been playing basketball that long," Gibbons said. "He's not a guy that's going to step right in and be an immediate impact player. If he works with Huggins, he'll develop. They need to get him on a weight program." Chaney said LSU, Providence, Marquette and Seton Hall also recruited Souleymane. - Enquirer.com

5/15: "Asrangue Souleymane, a 6-9, 225-pound native of Central Africa, has signed a national letter-of-intent to continue his basketball career at the University of Cincinnati.

Souleymane averaged 10.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.2 blocked shots this past season at Laurinburg Prep in Laurinburg, N.C., his only season of basketball competition in the U.S.

Souleymane helped Laurinburg to a 40-2 record and the prep school mythical national championship. He is one of 12 players from the school to earn a basketball scholarship at a Division I school.

Souleymane's signing rounds out Cincinnati's five-man recruiting class, which was rated as high as No. 3 nationally following the early signing period." - UCBearcats.com


5/15: "The Cincinnati basketball program picked up a big man who has good upside to his game. The question is whether Asrangue Souleyman, a 6-9, 200 pound power forward from the Central African Republic, will be able to provide immediate help to Bob Huggins' program.

RivalsHoops.com watched Souleyman several times this past season. He was evaluated by RivalsHoops.com right at the start of the season at the War at the Shore tournament in Delaware late last Fall. Souleyman enrolled this fall at the Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina.

Souleymane needs to increase his ability to score from the low post. He was making progress during the season but early on had some difficulty. But late in the year as RivalsHoops.com watched him more, he was becoming more confident in his offensive game. Souleymane is a solid run/jump athlete who can block shots, rebound, and play defense. It's likely he can pick up points by running the floor in transition.

Souleyman had a chance to learn under one of the better coaches in the country in Laurinburg Head Coach Chris Chaney, who does a very good job in developing talent. LSU was working Souleyman hard but backed away after nailing down some commitments.

The French-speaking Souleyman will be an impact player right way on the defensive end for the Cincinnati program. He can help start transitional breaks with his blocks and rebounding skills. So, this late in the recruiting process, Cincinnati has picked up a player that can help them in the future. And he is a player that will be around for four years too." - RivalsHoops.com

5/15: "That backup plan comes in the form of 6-foot-9, 210-pound center Asrangue Souleymane of Laurinburg Prep in Laurinburg, N.C. UC gave Johnson a Tuesday night deadline to make a decision regarding the Bearcats in order to be able to still land Souleymane, who becomes the fifth and final recruit this season, joining Florida transfer James White, a swingman; forward Mike Pilgrim of Brewester Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.; junior-college center Robert Whaley; and junior-college guard Nick Williams. Among other schools interested in Souleymane, according to his coach, Chris Chaney, were Marquette, Seton Hall, Connecticut and Providence.

Chaney said he helped persuade UC assistant Andy Kennedy to take a longer look at Souleymane when the two coaches ran into each other at the Final Four. "I knew they were involved with Alexander Johnson, and he's obviously a proven player, but I told him I have the next best available post player behind him," said Chaney. "He's got a chance to help them right away I believe, but his best basketball is going to be a couple of years down the road. Cincinnati got a steal."

This season was the first Souleymane played basketball in the United States. He grew up in Central Africa and was encouraged to go to the United States by the person who did the same for Xavier's Romain Sato. Chaney said Souleymane and Sato are friends. Souleymane averaged 10 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.2 blocked shots in helping Laurinburg finish 40-2 and be crowned as prep school national champion.

Chaney said 12 of the 15 players on Laurinburg Prep's team earned Division I basketball scholarships, including Xavier signee Boubacar Coly, LSU signee Regis Koundjia and Texas A&M signee Keith Blanks. "His numbers would have been a lot better than what they were, but we just had so many good players we spread the wealth around," said Chaney, who coached former UC player DerMarr Johnson and James White. "Per minute he probably averaged 25 points, 16 rebounds and 11 blocks."

Chaney said Souleymane also showed enough touch to make 75 percent of this free throws. "He's very, very athletic, but very raw," said Chaney. "He'll do anything you ask of him, and he's very coachable. I know that's important with coach Huggins. I'm kind of the same way coach Huggins is in practice so he's already used to it."

Chaney said George Washington coach Karl Hobbs said Souleymane reminded him of Connecticut All-American center Emeka Okafur, whom Hobbs recruited to UConn while he was an assistant there. "He said he thought Souleymane was actually better at this stage than Okafur," said Chaney.

Kennedy said UC was disappointed to lose out on a player as talented and polished as Johnson, but that he thinks the Bearcats will still be fine at the post positions next season.

A big key to that though will be for Whaley to be cleared of assault charges stemming from a Feb. 9 fight. Kennedy said the additions of Whaley and Souleymane will allow last year's starting center, Kareem Johnson, to return to a backup role and add some minutes at power forward for Jason Maxiell along with Eric Hicks. He said skinny 6-foot-9 Armein Kirkland may also see some time at power forward. "We asked Kareem to do more than he was capable of doing last year," said Kennedy. "Now we have some pretty good depth up front. I think a guy like Eric will be more comfortable this year and understand better what's asked of him."

Kennedy said he likes Souleymane's potential. "We were really intrigued with his aggressiveness and good timing in blocking shots," said Kennedy. "Offensively he doesn't know what planet he's on yet, but I think he eventually will."

Despite landing five recruits UC is still one under the NCAA limit of 13 scholarships, but the Bearcats were only allowed to sign five players in this year's class because of the NCAA's 5/8 rule, which allows a maximum of five signees in any one season and a maximum of eight over two years." - Cincy Post


5/15: "The Bearcats could keep the scholarship for the 2004-05 recruiting class or offer it to Asrangue Souleymane, a 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward-center from Laurinburg, N.C. and the Central African Republic. Souleymane originally committed to American University last fall, but did not sign his letter-of-intent. Recruiting analyst Clark Francis rates him among the top 200 in his class." - Enquirer.com (now he has been listed at anywhere from 200 to 250 pounds !)

5/14: Notes - Mike Ryan
- Laurinburg finished 40-2 on the season.
- there are three players from the country of the Central African Republic on Laurinburg's roster.
- Souleymane is the first foreign born player to play for Huggins at Cincinnati.
- The Central African Republic is slightly smaller than Texas and has a population of approx 3 million. Its official language is French.


5/14: "Souleymane doesn't have much of an offensive game, but he already is good enough to make an impact at the big time college level at the defensive end, as he blocks shots, rebounds, and uses his quickness and athleticism to be aggressive around the basket.
Souleymane originally committed to American University last fall, but it appears he either didn't sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent or didn't meet the tough entrance requirements necessary to get into school and, as a result, is free and clear to sign with the Bearcats this spring." - HoopScoop

5/14: Hoopmasters has a note, but the only new info is listing Souleymane at 210 pounds. - Mike Ryan

5/14: Prepstars has an article that says Souleymane is 240 pounds, although this may be typo, given other reports. It also mentions he was a soccer goalie less than a year ago before coming to the US. He also is fully qualified academically. Mike Ryan & www.prepstars.com

5/14: "The Cincinnati Bearcats needed some size and Laurinburg Institute center Asrangue Souleymane was the spring answer.
Souleymane, a native of Central Africa, has been in the United States since the beginning of the high school season. He’s a guy who is going to take some time to develop on offense but can contribute in other areas. According to his assistant coach at Laurinburg, he’s made nice strides this year. "He’s going to be a tremendous defensive player for them as far as shot blocking and rebounding. His offense is shaky but they’re looking forward to him. They think he’ll compliment James White." If you’re sitting there and thinking, "Wow, this happened quickly" well, you’re right. "Andy Kennedy came down on the last open day and looked at him.” Here we are just a few weeks later and he’s a Bearcat." - InsidersHoops.com

5/7 - I was told about Souleymane as a possible prospect. - Mike Ryan

May 2003: "Native of Central Africa and a friend of LSU signee Regis Koundjia. Very raw offensively but did make a short jumper off the glass in a workout we watched. Defensively and reboudning wise, he gets things done. Not strong yet, but chases balls in the paint." - InsidersHoops.com

1/10/03: "Unsigned senior Asrangue Souleymane is swatting six shots per game." - PrepStars.com

11/27/02: Listed as the 79th best >prep< player in his class. (Pilgrim-25th; Alex Johnson-8th) Also lists him as being verbally commited to American University. - HoopScoop

9/17/02: "Speaking of having a passion for rebounding, meet Asrangue Souleymane. We think he’s from either Senegal or Central Africa. Regardless, he’s a raw offensive talent right now. However, at 6-9 he really chases rebounds and has nice lift to block shots. It’s tough to project a level for him right now having seen him just once in a scrimmage game. However, his recruitment would no doubt begin and the mid-major level and work its way up depending on his academics and basketball progress during the season. LSU was the lone school to know really anything about him until recently." - InsidersHoops.com