Replenishing the front court is a major area of focus as IU looks to finalize its 2022 additions and supplement its guard-heavy 2023 class.
One class of 2023 big man the Hoosiers have their eye on is forward Baye Ndongo. The Daily Hoosier was the first to identify IU’s interest in Ndongo two weeks ago.
Originally from Senegal, Ndongo played in the 2021 U19 FIBA World Cup and averaged 7.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists in that event. Growing up in Senegal, Ndongo was a soccer player, and that helped develop quickness and athleticism that has translated to the basketball court.
The 6-foot-9 Ndongo plays at Colorado Prep. Prior to that he played at the Darrow School in New York.
Watching him on film, Ndongo has a high-end motor, and finishes aggressively at the rim. He shows a nice touch on short jumpers and jump hooks, can attack off the bounce, and make shots out to the 3-point line. Ndongo is most impressive on the defensive end where he is an elite rim protector with the ability to guard all positions and rebound at a high rate.
In his first two high profile games at Tark Classic two weeks ago, Ndongo stuffed the stat sheet with 23.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5 blocks per game. And those are typical performances for him at this point.
Ndongo has seen a wave of recent offers including Arizona State, Washington State, Providence, New Mexico, San Francisco, Bradley, Siena and Penn State
Ndongo is not currently ranked according to the 247Sports Composite, but he seems likely to be a 4-star, top-100 prospect if his current trajectory continues into the spring live periods.
For more IU prospects in the classes of 2023 and beyond, GO HERE.
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