Mohamed Keita (basketball) explained

Mohamed Keita
Number:34
Team:Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Position:Center
Birth Date:20 March 2003
Birth Place:Conakry, Guinea
Height Ft:7
Height In:1
Weight Lb:220
Nationality:Guinean / Burkinabé
High School:NBA Academy Africa
(Thiès, Senegal)
The Winchendon School
(Winchendon, Massachusetts)
College:St. John's (2022–2023)
Tulsa (2023–present)
Career Start:2022
Years1:2022
Team1:SLAC
Conference:American Athletic Conference

Mohamed Lamine Keita (born 20 March 2003) is a Guinean-Burkinabé college basketball player who plays for Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball team. An NBA Academy Africa graduate, Keita previously played professionally with SLAC in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) in 2022.

Keita is a 7 ft 1 (2.16 m) tall center, who is known for his defensive and blocking abilities.[1]

Early career

Born in Conakry, Keita played for the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal in his younger years. He also played for The Winchendon School in Massachusetts. With Winchendon, Keita averaged 6.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game in the AA Division of the NEPSAC.

College career

On 8 May 2022, Keita committed to play collegiately for St. John's, who scouted him during a during a live recruiting spring period with his Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team, the New York Jayhawks.[2] In his freshmen season at St. John's, he played in only seven games due to injury.[3]

In June 2023, it was announced that Keita transferred to Tulsa for the 2023-24 season.

Professional career

Keita joined the Guinean club SLAC for the Basketball Africa League's 2022 season. On 7 March 2022, Keita recorded his first BAL double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds in a regular season loss against AS Salé.[4]

National team career

Keita represented the Guinean under-18 national team at the 2018 FIBA U18 African Championship in Egypt.[5]

Personal

Keita is the son of Sory Keita and Aminata Cherif, and he has three siblings.

BAL career statistics

|-|style="text-align:left;"|2022|style="text-align:left;"|SLAC| 6 || 1 || 16.3 || style="background:#cfecec;"|.750* || – || .250 || 5.0 || 0.2 || 0.2 || 1.4 || 6.4|-| colspan=2 align=center | Career[6] || 6 || 1 || 16.3 || .750 || – || .250 || 5.0 || 0.2 || 0.2 || 1.4 || 6.4|}

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mohamed Keita - Men's Basketball . 2023-03-23 . St. John's University Athletics . en.
  2. News: St. John’s lands surprising commitment from 7-foot-1 Mohamed Keita. May 8, 2022. May 9, 2022. New York Post. Zach. Braziller.
  3. Web site: Tulsa Adds 7’1” Mohamed Keita to 2023-24 Roster . 2023-07-05 . Tulsa . en.
  4. News: Basketball Africa League Day 7: AS Sale, SLAC fight for playoffs . 9 May 2022 . www.nba.com . en.
  5. Web site: Mohamed Lamine KEITA at the FIBA U18 African Championship 2020 . FIBA.basketball . 9 May 2022 . fr.
  6. Web site: S.L.A.C Basketball (GUINEA) . The BAL . 22 May 2022 . en.