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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Monroe College has an international student population of 700, and one graduate, Marurice Ndour, a native of Senegal, used the college as a springboard to make his American dream a reality.
Ndour was born in Thies, Senegal, but is a resident of the world. He speaks five languages, has lived on three continents and has a well-rounded education. The Mustangs alumnus not only excelled in the classroom, but tore up the basketball court with Monroe from 2011-13.
He is currently starring in the NBA Summer League with the Knicks. His coach at Monroe, current head coach Jeff Brustad, spoke about the type of person Ndour was, both on and off the court:
"He was a highly motivated player for us. He worked hard in the classroom and on the court," Brustad said. "In fact, he would always seek out the coaches in order to get better."
In two seasons with Monroe, Ndour was a two-time NJCAA All-Region selection and finished his career with 848 points, placing him eighth on the all-time Mustang scoring list. He averaged 9.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game as a freshman in 2011–12, and 16.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game as a sophomore in 2012-13.
Ndour eschewed established coaches like Bob Huggins and Steve Lavin and chose, instead, a pint-sized school from a basketball perspective, Ohio University. He was a standout for the Bobcats for two seasons and landed in the NBA Summer League after signing with the Knicks as a free agent.
Ndour reflected on his time at Monroe and tied that into his time with the Knicks.
"Monroe was great. It was competitive and fun. Coach let us play our game. Whether we were winning or losing, we kept playing our style."
Ndour isn't assured a place with the Knicks, but he has made the most of his opportunity to showcase his skills. Perhaps his best performance came in a July matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers. In that contest, the 6-8 forward scored a team-best 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
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