NU visit makes big impression on 2018 center Thamba
It wasn’t until five years ago that Florent Thamba decided to step away from playing rugby and cricket and give the sport of basketball a shot.
A native of Congo, Africa, who grew up in South Africa, Thamba never gave hoops much thought until he was about 13 years old, when a major growth spurt suddenly made him an intriguing prospect on the hardcourt.
The now 6-foot-10, 230-pound center who boasts a 7-4 wingspan participated the Basketball Without Borders Camp in South Africa in the summer of 2015, and he immediately emerged as one of the best players in attendance.
He decided to go all in on basketball and moved to the United States to further pursue the sport, enrolling in Grundy (Va.) Mountain Mission School in the fall of 2015.
Two years later, Thamba is now quickly establishing himself as one of the more intriguing unsigned players in the 2018 recruiting class. Nebraska, led by assistant coach Kenya Hunter, made sure to get an early jump on his recruitment.
The Huskers extended an offer back in October, and Thamba and his father made their way to Lincoln on Monday and Tuesday for an official visit.
“I’ve built up a relationship with Coach Hunter, and pretty much he’d been telling what the program was all about,” Thamba told HuskerOnline.com. “So I just told myself, ‘You know what? I don’t lose anything by flying out there and seeing what Nebraska has to offer.’”
Thamba did the usual visit tour of the campus and athletic facilities, met with the academic support staff, and spent plenty of time with NU’s coaches and players. He also got a prime seat for Nebraska’s upset over No. 14 Minnesota on Tuesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
But what stood out to the three-star recruit as much as anything was how close the Huskers were as a team both on and off the court.
“The thing that stood out to me the most was the chemistry,” Thamba said. “The guys were really bonded and a really connected unit, whether it be from the players’ standpoint or the from the coaches’ point of view. The guys were really bonded. They all knew their purpose, and just the connection with the whole team was good.”
Nebraska was Thamba's second official visit, following a trip to Virginia Tech. He said he also plans to take officials to Illinois and Baylor in the coming weeks. Other schools like Butler, Georgetown, and Wake Forest have also been heavily involved in his recruitment.
From there, Thamba said he would weigh his options with his family and hopefully make a decision on his future school by early January.
“Possibly there might be a fifth (official) visit, but it just depends on how I feel,” Thamba said. “If I feel like I need to take a fifth visit after those four before I make my decision, then that will be the case…
“As soon as my visits are done I’ll take some time to sit down with my family and decide. I’m thinking by January or so my decision should be in. Early January I should be making a verbal commitment.”
Thamba said he’s looking for a program that will help him continue the rapid development of his game, which has caught the attention of national recruiting and even NBA draft analysts in recent months.
He got his first chance on the national stage playing with the Team United AAU program on the Nike EYBL circuit, averaging 5.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and just under one block per game.
Wrote Jonathan Givony of the well-respected basketball scouting site, DraftExpress.com:
“(Thamba) isn't getting much buzz in recruiting circles so far, but will undoubtedly emerge as a high-level college recruit. Has all the tools you look for in top-shelf center from a college perspective.”
With two official visits down and at least two more to go before making his decision, Thamba said his time in Lincoln gave him a much better perspective of all the Huskers had to offer.
“I’ve had a bit of insight on Nebraska,” Thamba said. “Coach Hunter, he’s told me many things that were exciting, and now that I got a chance to see it for myself and how everything goes down, I think I’ll take them into greater consideration.”