Ousmane Cisse, Another high school player, Declares

Check this out from ESPN.com:

Ousmane Cisse, a relentless power forward from Mali who spent the last two seasons at St. Jude High in Alabama, has officially joined Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler as prep players who will bypass college and head to the NBA.

Cisse is a 6-foot-8, 250-pounder who came to the United States prior to his sophomore season and had to sit out his junior campaign because of state association regulations. He played 21 games this season, including outplaying Chandler in a loss to the 7-footer's Dominguez High (Calif.) team in December, before injuring his knee and missing the rest of the season.

Cisse is a ferocious rebounder who averaged 29 points, 16 rebounds and 13 blocks per game this season, earning McDonald's All-American honors. However, an ankle injury prevented Cisse from playing in the prestigious All-Star game.

"It came down to trying to get a clear understanding of where he'd be projected," said attorney Don Jackson, who has been Cisse's guardian since arriving from Mali. "He was also taking a look at colleges and trying to decide whether he wanted to go in that direction."

Cisse has a physical build that would make most NBA players envious, but questions still surround his offensive game. He is a warrior who isn't afraid to mix it up and can block shots, and he also displayed an improved outside touch by leading the team in 3-pointers this past season at more than 40 percent.

"I'm going to work on my ballhandling and 3-point shooting," said Cisse, whose personal preference is to land with the Atlanta Hawks. "I can't believe how quickly this has all happened. I thought I'd go to college for two years."

The schools he was considering included Arkansas, Miami, North Carolina, Duke and Louisville, where his older brother, Daouda, was a freshman this past season. Indiana also entered the mix recently.

Now Cisse, who is projected to go in the middle to late first round of the NBA Draft, will get a chance to showcase his skills for a variety of teams with individual workouts beginning next month.

"I'm not nervous at all," said Cisse. "I know how hard I've worked and the hours that I've put in."

Cisse becomes the third high school player to declare for the June 27 draft. Others who may follow include Oak Hill Academy’s (Va.) DeSagana Diop, a 7-foot, 310-pound center from Senegal; Glynn Academy (Ga.) 6-foot-11 forward Kwame Brown, who has committed to Florida; and Camden High (N.J.) guard Dajuan Wagner, who has committed to Memphis but may still head straight to the pros. They have until May 13 to make their decisions.

"If the draft was today, Ousmane would probably go in the middle of the first round," said Jackson. "But the final decisions will depend on who else comes out and how he works out for teams. … I think this says a lot for the talent of this high school class."

Diop is expected to make his decision in the next couple of weeks.

"He's saying he's 60-40 in favor of the NBA right now," said Oak Hill coach Steve Smith. "He's leaning towards the NBA. Sagana's the best rebounder of the bunch. His offense is coming along. He's a shot blocker and is so big. They draft on potential, and he definitely has plenty of that."

He'll probably be a nice pick for the Rocks, especially if we can get him with a late 1st round pick. Otherwise, he'll be picked by someone else which would bump some more talented guys down to us.




------------------
President of the Pete Chilcutt Fan Club.