Thirty-one Canadians have been selected in the annual National Basketball Association (NBA) Entry Draft since it moved to two rounds in 1989. Vanier Cheetahs standout guard Karim Mané, a two-time Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian, hopes to join that exclusive club this week.
The 20-year-old from St-Hubert, QC, originally from Senegal, suited up for Vanier in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) the past three seasons.
Despite having received several NCAA Division I scholarship offers, the 6-foot-5 Mané declared himself eligible for the 2020 NBA Draft, which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Nov. 18. He hopes to be one of only 60 players selected.
"The Vanier College community and athletics department are extremely proud of Karim and we are all excited to see where he will land,” said Mai-Anh Nguyen, the Student Life Advisor-Athletics at Vanier. “We know that whoever drafts him, will draft not only a great basketball player who has a great work ethic, but they are also drafting a great person as well.”
Last season, Mané led the Cheetahs to a 16-2 record and first-place finish in the RSEQ. Vanier captured the provincial crown with a thrilling 79-74 victory over Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf. The Cheetahs were a top seed heading into the CCAA Championships, which were to be hosted by Humber College in Etobicoke, ON. The tournament was unfortunately cancelled at the last minute due to COVID-19.
The previous season, Mané led the perfect 16-0 Cheetahs to an RSEQ title and appearance at the 2019 CCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship, hosted by Langara College in Langley, BC. He was named to the Second CCAA All-Tournament Team.
Mané was named a CCAA All-Canadian in 2019 and 2020, as well as the RSEQ Player of the Year in 2019.
“Karim really wanted to win a CCAA Championship and that was his goal last year but due to the pandemic, he wasn’t able to,” said Nguyen, a former CCAA student-athlete and coach who now also serves as CCAA Women’s Basketball Convenor.
In 2019, Mané was a member of Canada Basketball’s U19 team at the FIBA World Championships in Greece. He averaged 11.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
At Vanier, Mané was a dedicated and hard-working student-athlete; he performed extremely well academically and also served as a peer tutor.
On the court, his vision and his ability to create both for his teammates and himself, make him an exciting player to watch. His athleticism and length combine to make him an explosive player, according to Cheetahs head coach Andrew Hertzog, who has coached at Vanier for more than 30 years.
“Karim has a great first step which enables him to beat almost anyone off the dribble, a great vertical leap which helps him finish over defenders at the rim and he has great size for a point guard which also gives his a great advantage over his competitors,” he said.
Mané’s character is flawless and his work ethic sets him apart from most talented athletes, according to coach Hertzog, who was named CCAA Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year in 2019.
“He has very lofty goals and is willing to do anything necessary to achieve those goals,” said Hertzog.
It would be a great boost for the Vanier basketball program, the RSEQ and the CCAA if Mané is indeed drafted into the NBA.
“If Karim is drafted or otherwise ends up in the NBA, it will demonstrate very clearly to our young players that they do not have to leave Quebec in order to realize their hoop dreams, and that will be of tremendous benefit to basketball in Quebec,” said Hertzog.
About the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA):
The CCAA enriches the academic experiences of student-athletes by providing leadership, programs and services that foster development through high-level competitive opportunities in intercollegiate sport.
CCAA student-athletes compete in seven sports at 10 CCAA Championships, each hosted by a CCAA member institution. Our 98 member institutions include colleges, universities, technical institutes and cégeps located in eight provinces and regionally governed by six member conferences.
In addition to governing the National Championships, the CCAA also provides national awards and recognition to CCAA student-athletes, coaches, athletic directors and member institutions.
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