He may not be a household name yet among college coaches, but without question 6’9″ wing Mohamed Wague (Frederick Douglass Academy ’20) should and will be a name that many in Division 1 circles begin to know about sooner rather than later.
Having come to the United States two years ago from Mali, Wague has quickly developed both on and off the court as he became a strong student in the classroom at FDA, while also being a key cog in the Lions success to winning the PSAL Class A Championship.
If you had said that Wague would be where he is now when he came to the U.S. in the summer of 2017 many would have looked at you funny. Speaking no English, Wague enrolled at International Community H.S. in the Bronx and quickly began excelling in the classroom proving to be a quick learner which enabled him to enroll at one of the more academically challenging high schools in New York City in Frederick Douglass Academy for this his junior year.
Lions head coach Pat Mangan said Wague did everything expected of him, including being one of the bright students on an FDA team that requires everyone to have an 80 average, but it was his growth on the basketball court that has to have college coaches excited.
In what was his first year of organized basketball Wague averaged over 11 points and 10 rebounds a game, showing off not as an interior 4 man, but as a wing who could shoot from the perimeter and be a tough midrange weapon off the dribble.
The fact that Wague has only been playing basketball overall for about three years makes it scary in Mangan’s mind about how good he could be, with the longtime FDA head man saying it’s pretty much up to Wague himself as to how far he will have the game of basketball take him.
“Mohamed has incredible potential and can be as good as he wants to be,” Mangan said. “With his size and his athleticism, he will attract a lot of scouts at some point be it this year or next year.”
Unfortunately, Mangan says that Wague will not be back at Frederick Douglass Academy come the fall as because he was pushed back a year because of his adjustment to the language difference he has run out of PSAL eligibility. He will be somewhere else come September, and with his AAU status according to Mangan still in the works as well there will be a lot new situations for Wague in the near future.
So far there hasn’t been too much in terms of college interest because as Mangan said most schools are looking for fully developed prospects, readymade players ready to instantly come in and make an impact, whereas Wague isn’t the finished product as of yet, though the upside is there.
Right now it’s about finding the proper positions to put Wague in to get the best out of him to help him in the future, with Mangan stating that it’s all about seeing him success and become all he can be, even if it’s somewhere else from FDA as Mangan says he will do all he can to help get Wague in the right path.
“We just have to get him in a good spot where he can continue to grow,” Mangan explained. “He’s grown a lot with us so we just have to put him in some good soil. If Mohamed is put in some good soil he will grow into something very special.”
Raising Elite Champions (NYC) 