School will not admit prize recruit N’diaye

Tuesday was to have been Ndongo N’diaye’s first day of classes at the University of Maine.

Instead, N’diaye is searching for a new school to call home for the next four years.

N’diaye, one of two 7-foot Senegalese basketball recruits who had signed a National Letter of Intent to attend UMaine, has been denied admission to the university, thus nullifying his commitment.

David Godin, N’diaye’s prep school coach at Suffield Academy in Connecticut, said Tuesday UMaine notified N’diaye Friday of its decision not to admit him.

“I guess I’d just say that he was not admitted…. it had to do with a technicality in the application process,” Godin said.

University of Maine athletic director Suzanne Tyler declined comment on N’diaye’s status, citing the Buckley Amendment, which protects the confidentiality of students’ academic records.

“The Buckley Amendment doesn’t allow us to talk about admissions reports,” said Tyler, who last Friday explained the admission status of Ndongo N’diaye and countryman Mamadou N’diaye hinged on missing or incomplete documentation.

Godin, who is not bound by the Buckley Amendment, said Ndongo N’diaye had done everything necessary to gain admission.

“The process for Ndongo was finished. From my perspective, everything Maine asked for, we gave them,” Godin insisted.

Neither of the N’diayes was available for comment Tuesday.

Tyler said neither student ever requested to be released from his Letter of Intent. However, Ndongo N’diaye is no longer bound by the provisions of the letter, which is null and void if a student is denied admission to the signing school.

UMaine coach John Giannini, who spent much of his first month on the job dealing with the N’diaye controversy, is relieved to have one less obstacle with school having begun and the recruiting period starting next week.

“I can’t honestly say there was a sense of disappointment, because it was not unexpected, and it does bring closure to a situation that is dragging on,” said Giannini, who is holding onto the hope Mamadou N’diaye might still attend UMaine.

Godin said Ndongo N’diaye’s motivation for signing with UMaine was his relationship with former assistant coach Mike LaPlante. When LaPlante left last month to become an assistant at Auburn University, N’diaye closed the door on UMaine.

College coaches already had been calling Godin amidst the uncertainty about N’diaye. The latest news opened the floodgates.

“To me, it was unbelievable how word can spread around in such a short time, especially looking at a holiday weekend, when nobody is supposed to be around,” Godin said.

LaPlante is one of numerous coaches who have contacted N’diaye since Friday’s development. That list includes coaches at some Top-25 basketball programs.

“It’s been a little overwhelming,” said Godin, who would not reveal the schools now recruiting N’diaye. “He’s evaluating all his options. Timing is of the essence.”

Ndongo N’diaye, who wants to study engineering, should have no trouble finding a prominent basketball program to complement his academic pursuits.

“He clearly wants to be challenged and have academic success… and he wants an opportunity to grow and be challenged as a basketball player,” Godin said.

Mamadou N’diaye is close to a decision on his future, said his coach, Maine Central Institute postgrads mentor Max Good.

“I think he’s gonna try to get this thing resolved in the next day or so,” Good said.

Good said Mamadou N’diaye has said all along he would not attend UMaine if LaPlante left. The decision is strictly N’diaye’s.

“Whatever decision he makes, he makes on his own,” Good said. “Mamadou is an intelligent person. Nobody is going to be able to strong-arm him in any way, shape or form.”