Oregon State Player Profile: Cheikh N’diaye

The Senegal native Cheikh N’diaye hopes to use his veteran experience to help the Beavers return to the NCAA tournament. When it was announced that Senior Guard Malcolm Duvivier is sitting out this season due to personal reasons, it made N’diaye the lone Senior on Wayne Tinkle’s squad. N’diaye is well respected by teammates and coaches. Watch for N’diaye to continue to provide leadership for a young Beaver team this season.

N’diaye was a project coming out of high school, yet the former coaching staff believed N’diaye could develop into a dominant big man. During his Freshman Season, Former Head Coach Craig Robinson had great confidence in N’diaye’s potential. During that same year, Robinson predicted that N’diaye would leave OSU for the NBA Draft after his Junior Season. It was a bold statement at the time that obviously didn’t come into fruition. N’diaye has one season left as a Beaver. Can N’diaye put it all together under the tutelige of Head Coach Wayne Tinkle and Assistant Coach Kerry Rupp? Tinkle and Rupp have had success developing big men throughout their coaching careers.

The 7’0 Center has played solid defense throughout his career. Although his stats don’t show it, N’diaye has the solid ability to alter shots around the hoop with his length and size. Look for N’diaye to provide solid post defense this season.

N’diaye has shown flashes of brilliance in his career at Oregon State. He has great athletic ability for his 7’0 240 pound frame, but he has yet to develop consistency on offense. Last season, he averaged 1.0 point. His season high last season was 5 points vs Tulsa. The Beavers hope that N’diaye could improve on his scoring offense this season.

The Beavers hope Cheikh will be able to be a solid contributor off the bench. With talented Sophomore Centers Gligorije Rakocevic and Drew Eubanks, N’diaye’s minutes may be limited. However, his defense, size, and athletic ability will get him on the court, especially if Rakocevic and Eubanks are in foul trouble. Will N’diaye be able to improve his offense and increase his minutes? It will be a treat watching Cheikh do everything he can to help his team win games this season.

Here’s a flashback video from N’diaye’s Freshmen year...