Four years ago, Charles Bassey was selling fried chickens on a roadside in his native Nigeria when he was discovered by a basketball coach.
“A coach in Nigeria discovered me when I was 12,” Bassey said in April at the Jordan Brand Classic at Barclays Center. “I was selling chickens. The coach told me to start playing (basketball), that I had potential. I was 6-1 when I was 12.”
Last August the coach brought Bassey to San Antonio, Texas, where he parted ways with his family to pursue a better life through basketball. He now lives with his guardian there.
“I was first nervous because I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m leaving my family,'” Bassey said. “When I came here it was good.”
In Texas, where he is now a 6-foot-10 rising sophomore at San Antonio (TX) Catholic, Bassey has worked with both John Lucas and fellow Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon.
“I never watched Olajuwon [play],” he said. “I met him already when I came here. He said I have a good potential. John Lucas introduced me to him because I go to John Lucas every day.”
He added: “Yeah he likes me and he likes to work with me.”
And why not?
Bassey’s grown nine inches since he was 12 and will likely still grow more.
This past week he continued to make headlines at the NBPA Top Camp in Charlottesville, Va., with his ability to not only rebound but to shoot from distance as well.
He also took an unofficial visit to Kentucky on Tuesday, according to Corey Evans.
“It’s been good, it’s my [first] time here at the camp since I’m a freshman going into my sophomore year,” Bassey told MadeHoops.com. “It’s good playing here against the top players and I’m learning a lot.”
Despite a short history with the sport, Bassey already holds offers from Texas A&M, Kansas, Baylor, Creighton, Tennessee, Western Kentucky and Oklahoma and has visited Texas AM and Baylor.
“I love Texas A&M,” he said. “I love the way they play.”
As far as his heroes, Bassey says he models his game aver Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee and Anthony Davis of New Orleans.
“I love the guy from the Pelicans, Anthony Davis,” he said.
With three more years of high school ahead of him, Bassey still has plenty of time to improve like his heroes.
NCharles Bassey, a 6-foot-10 power forward from San Antonio (TX) Catholic, continued to make headlines this week at the NBPA Top Camp in Charlottesville, Va.
