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Blocking shots in the
line of duty
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East Carolina's Moussa Badiane (25) blocks the shot of
Oregon State's Lamar Hurd (1) during the second half of their BCA
Invitational game on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2004, at the RBC Center in Raleigh.
Badiane scored 13 points and blocked 5 shots in the game, which the Pirates
won 64-62. (AP Photo/ Karl DeBlaker) |
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By KEITH PARSONS
AP Sports Writer
GREENVILLE — Moussa
Badiane came to East Carolina with a basic understanding of English,
very limited offensive skills and an uncanny ability to block shots.
Four years later, the
Frenchman understands almost everything his teammates say — even their
slang — and confidently makes mid-range jumpers. His defensive prowess
has improved, too, and now he's only two blocks away from breaking the
Conference USA record.
Former Cincinnati star
Kenyon Martin, now with the Denver Nuggets, set the previous mark of 292
from 1997-2000. Badiane has 291 heading into Saturday's game against
Charlotte.
``It was never a goal of
mine,'' Badiane said. ``It just kind of happened that way.''
Badiane's next opportunity
to become C-USA's all-time shot-blocking master will come Saturday when
the Pirates host formidable in-state rival Charlotte.
A native of Les Ulis,
France, about 90 minutes from Paris, Badiane picked up basketball late
in life, and he's only played competitively about six years. He averaged
14 points for a junior club team and chose to come to the United States
instead of turning pro in Europe.
His brother, Pape, who now
plays professionally overseas, had been recruited by East Carolina, so
Moussa knew about the school when he decided to attend. When he arrived,
he had little trouble following the instructions of his coaches, but it
was different with the other players.
``He didn't know hardly
anything we were saying,'' Pirates forward Corey Rouse said. ``It was
pretty funny, we just picked on him about what he didn't know.''
Badiane took the ribbing
good-naturedly, and soon learned to follow the locker room banter. Now,
all the jokes aren't on him.
``He picks on everybody
else,'' Rouse said.
On the court, Badiane is
one of the few bright spots in what has become another forgettable year
for East Carolina (6-13, 1-6 Conference USA), which has lost 11 of the
past 13 games. He averages 12.2 points and 7.5 rebounds — both career
highs — while adding 2.8 blocks.
The lanky, 6-foot-10
center closed in on Martin's record with three swat-aways against Saint
Louis on Wednesday night as the Pirates
snapped
a six-game losing streak.
``He's always been a very
good shot blocker,'' coach Bill Herrion said. ``He just has an ability
to do that, and he came here with it. He's always been a guy who comes
in the gym and works hard every day, and he's been a joy to coach for
four years.''
Badiane might get a chance
to keep playing after college. Even without eye-popping statistics, he
has been on the ``must-see'' list for NBA teams almost from the
beginning, drawing scouts to Greenville to see his progress firsthand.
``He's a defensive player
right now,'' said Ryan Blake, assistant director of scouting for the
NBA. ``He does have a lot of work to do, in terms of making it to the
next level. However, he does have a lot of intriguing skills that makes
us keep going to watch him play.''
Because of his background,
Badiane isn't obsessed with the NBA like many of his peers. He can
follow his brother's footsteps in Europe, or he can simply return home
and use his degree.
He expects to graduate in
May, and the business administration major plans to run his own company
someday.
``If I get to play in the
NBA, that's great,'' Badiane said. ``But if not, I'm not going to worry
about it.''
Badiane has the same
low-key attitude about breaking the record.
``It's not something I'll
really worry about now,'' he said. ``Maybe when my career is over, I
will look back and enjoy it. Right now, I just want to do what I can do
help our team start winning.
``This is my last year. I
want to go out a winner.''
02/23/07 10:56 AM
©2005
The Associated Press and Bonesville.net. All
rights rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Bonesville.net contributed to this report.
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