San Antonio bolstered the roster of its D-League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, on Sunday, signing 7-footer Youssou Ndoye to a training camp contract with the expectation being that he will spend at least the beginning of the 2015-16 in the Texas state capital.
The acquisition is one of low risk, high reward for the Spurs, as experts from across the league have touted the St. Bonaventure product as having a high amount of upside. The 250-pound center averaged 7.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game over 123 contests in four seasons with the Bonnies, his per game averages improving each year.
As a junior, Ndoye posted 10.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per contest in just 26.2 minutes per outing. As a senior, his rebounding numbers ballooned to 10.1 per game (second in the Atlantic 10), as he upped his scoring average to 11.8 and his block average to 2.6 (second in the A-10) in 31.9 minutes per contest. His shooting percentage improved as well, increasing from 66% in 2013-14 to an astounding 71% in 2014-15.
If you translate Ndoye's numbers to him receiving 40 minutes of action per contest, he becomes an even more intriguing prospect. Per the full length of a college contest in 2014-15, Ndoye would have garnered 14.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per performance.
His intensity on the boards extends to both sides of the floor, as he ranked sixth in the A-10 in offensive rebounds and fourth in the conference in defensive rebounds. Ndoye's total rebounding percentage of 18.1% was good for third in the conference. In his senior season, he proved his worth at the foul line, as well, ranking fourth in the conference in free throw makes (133), and fourth in attempts (189).