Basketball opens new doors for Mali native Ibby Djimde
01/19/2015 | 12:00:00 | DawgTracker
By Tom Weber
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois junior center Ibby Djimde grew up in the west-African city of Bamako, Mali -- a place where the average high temperature ranges between 90 and 100 degrees -- in a country that lies in the southern half of the Sahara desert. Basketball would become his ticket to the Western world.
One of six children in his family, Djimde's fondest childhood memories are playing soccer with his brothers and sisters. When he turned 13, a teacher at his school recognized how much bigger and taller Djimde was than most other kids his age. His instructor suggested he try playing basketball. Djimde gave it a shot, but didn't like it at first.
"The first time I touched the ball, I just took it and ran with it, because I didn't know any rules," he laughed. "I just run with it and dunk -- that was it."
Djimde's uncle had a friend who lived in the United States at the time, and on a visit to Mali, he saw Djimde playing basketball. He immediately told Djimde's mother that Ibby was good enough to play in the United States, where he could also get a superior education. She was apprehensive at first.
"My mom just asked if I would be going to go to school first, and if so, then it was ok to come here and play basketball," Djimde recalled.
Djimde arrived in Washington D.C. prior to his junior year of high school and attended Progressive Christian Academy in nearby Maryland. He played basketball for the DC Assault AAU program and caught the attention of college coaches during a tournament in Milwaukee. Jerrance Howard, an assistant coach at Illinois, liked what he saw and the Fighting Illini signed him to a scholarship in the fall of 2010.
During his senior season of high school, Djimde played at Huntington Prep (W.Va.), where he averaged 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots and helped his nationally ranked team to a 25-3 record.
Bruce Weber was Djimde's head coach during his freshman season at U of I, and although he saw limited action in 17 games, Djimde said Weber became like a father figure to him.
"Coach Weber doesn't just know about basketball -- he knows me as a person," Djimde explained. "He called my family back home in Africa and knew everything about them. He always asked me what was going on with my family. He tried to make me feel comfortable."
A coaching change before his sophomore season brought a whole new staff to Illinois and Djimde's role decreased. He played in only 11 games, and after the season, decided to transfer.
"When Coach Weber left, I had nobody," he said. Djimde said Weber continued to call and text him to check on his well-being, and does so to this day.
Southern Illinois was in the market for a big man, and SIU assistant Anthony Beane got a solid recommendation on Djimde from former Illini assistant Jay Price. Djimde enrolled at Southern in the summer of 2013 and used a redshirt year to polish his game.
Early this season, it appeared Djimde was poised to make an impact -- he was productive in the team's exhibition games -- but promptly injured his knee in the season opener at Saint Louis. The 6-foot-8 junior missed nine games and still feels occasional flareups of pain, but he takes days off from practice and has not missed a game since. Djimde made his first-career start at Northern Iowa on Jan. 7.
He knows five languages, is fluent in French and Bambara, and said he's worked hard to improve his English.
"A big part of learning English is for my teammates," he said. "We can hang out, we can talk. My English has gotten better and I can communicate with them more easily."
The International Studies major hopes to continue his career in basketball after college and is grateful for the many doors the sport has opened for him.
