PSA’s Cisse
commits
to SMU
Momo Cissé was one of three Putnam Science Academy prep basketball players to take an official college visit a few weeks back. And like his teammates – Barry Evans and DayDay Gittens – Cissé liked what he saw so much that he didn’t need to see or talk to any more schools.
The 7-footer from Dakar, Senegal, announced recently that he was committing to play next season at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
“I really like their program,” he said. “They have three big men who will be graduating this year, so I will have the opportunity to compete for playing time. The coach (Tim Jankovich) says he likes the way I play, that I can shoot 3-pointers, run the floor and block shots, and grab rebounds.
“I had other schools that were interested but I didn’t want to make the mistake of going somewhere that I wouldn’t have a chance to have playing time. Like I’ve said, the NBA is my goal.”
That may very well be, but now that this decision is out of the way, Cissé said he can focus on the next goal – helping the PSA Mustangs to a third national championship. While Jankovich may like Cissé’s outside game, PSA coach Tom Espinosa has enough perimeter players and will play his big man in the traditional way. And since the Mustangs started officially practicing on October 12 rather than having open gyms, Cissé has looked significantly better with the on-curt structure.
“He’s been playing well,” Espinosa said. “He’s doing all the things that PSA big men typically do, he rebounds, he protects the rim. He runs the floor really well, plays hard. Maybe SMU is going to use him differently, but whatever they do, they are getting a player who is really coming into his own now and I think just scratching the surface of how good he can be. SMU should be really pleased to have gotten him.”
Cissé said he felt excited when he came to his decision, but he felt the loss of his mother too. She passed away in 2017.
“When I decided that I was going to go to SMU, I was a little sad because I thought about that she won’t see me play,” he said. “But I know she is proud of me and I keep doing this for her.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Putnam Science Academy
Sports Information Director
.