Baye Fall (basketball)

Baye Modou Fall (born December 21, 2003) is a Senegalese college basketball player for the Arkansas Razorbacks of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). At center, he stands 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 m) and weighs 200 pounds (91 kg). He was a consensus four-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class.

Baye Fall
No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks
PositionCenter
LeagueSoutheastern Conference
Personal information
Born (2003-12-21) December 21, 2003
Dakar, Senegal
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeArkansas (2023–present)
Career highlights and awards

Early life

Fall grew up in the Senegalese capital of Dakar, mainly playing association football as a goalkeeper.[1][2] He was always tall for his age, with his father standing at 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m) and his mother at 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m).[2] His older brother and uncle encouraged him to focus full-time on basketball at the age of 13, when they noticed he had potential on the court.[2] When he was 15, Fall moved to the United States to join his cousin, Mamadou Sow, and their uncle in Denver,[2][3] enrolling at Lincoln Academy Charter School to finish the eighth grade.[4] The main reason for the move was an opportunity for a better education, with Fall hoping to be an architect.[1][5] Unlike Sow, he already knew some English, though they both used social media and rap music to learn casual English and slang.[1][2]

In March 2019, Fall made a strong first impression on scouts with a standout performance at the Pangos Junior All-American Camp, a showcase for the top middle school talent in the country.[2][4][6] Basketball writer Frank Burlison, a member of the USBWA Hall of Fame, compared his dominance to that of Deandre Ayton's at the same event six years prior.[4]

High school career

Fall followed his cousin and enrolled at Lutheran High School in Parker, Colorado.[2] He averaged 19 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 67 percent from the field as a freshman, leading his school to an appearance in the class 3A state quarterfinals.[2][7] He earned second-team class 3A all-state and second-team MaxPreps Freshman All-American honors.[7][8]

As a sophomore, Fall averaged 22.1 points, 10 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game, guiding Lutheran to a 16–1 record and a class 3A state title.[9] He recorded 10 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocks in the championship game against St. Mary's.[10] At the end of they year he was named class 3A state player of the year,[11] MaxPreps Colorado Player of the Year,[9] and a first-team MaxPreps Sophomore All-American.[12] That summer he shared co-MVP honors with JJ Taylor at the 2021 Pangos All-American Camp Top30 game in Las Vegas.[13]

Ahead of his junior season, Fall announced he was transferring to the newly-formed Denver Prep Academy, a member of the Grind Session national prep basketball league.[5] However, after appearing in just ten games, he was dismissed from the team in February 2022 for a violation of team rules.[14] He averaged 14.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game at the time of his dismissal.[14] That summer, Fall averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks a game for the Colorado Hawks in the Adidas 3SSB circuit.[15] He was named co-MVP of the Pangos All-American Camp Top 30 All-Star Game in June,[16] followed by a performance as the top scorer and rebounder at the NBAPA Top 100 Camp in July.[17]

For his senior year, Fall enrolled at Accelerated Prep, another Denver-based private school competing in the Grind Session league as a new member.[18] On January 24, 2023, Fall was selected as a McDonald's All-American.[19]

Recruiting

Fall was a consensus four-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class, according to major recruiting services. He received his first offer from Minnesota when he was still in the eighth grade.[2] By the end of his freshman season at Lutheran he also held offers from Georgia, Georgetown and Kansas.[20] In August 2022, Fall announced that he had trimmed his list of schools to seven: Arkansas, Auburn, Colorado, Kansas State, Rutgers, Seton Hall and Texas.[21] He had received more than 30 offers at this point.[15] On November 15, 2022, Fall committed to playing college basketball for Arkansas.[22]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Baye Fall
C
Dakar, Senegal Accelerated Prep (CO) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Nov 15, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 88
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 36  247Sports: 29  ESPN: 29
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Arkansas 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  • "2023 Arkansas Razorbacks Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 24, 2023.

References

  1. Newman, Kyle (February 1, 2020). "After emigrating from Senegal last year, Lutheran's Baye Fall has established himself as the state's most intriguing basketball prospect". The Denver Post. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  2. Andrews, Kendra (May 13, 2020). "From Senegal to Lutheran High, 6-foot-11 freshman Baye Fall makes big impression". The Athletic. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  3. Klee, Paul (January 17, 2021). "Star Baye Fall, holding Kansas offer, headlines Colorado's high school basketball season". The Gazette. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  4. Burlison, Frank (March 3, 2019). "Fall rises to the top of Pangos Junior AA Camp". Burlison on Basketball. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  5. Fredrickson, Kyle (June 14, 2021). "Baye Fall, top-ranked basketball recruit in Colorado, transfers to newly formed Denver Prep Academy". The Denver Post. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  6. Flores, Ronnie (March 5, 2019). "Pangos Jr. A-A Camp: 30 Standouts". GrassrootsHoops.net. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  7. Divens, Jordan (April 3, 2020). "MaxPreps 2019-20 Boys Basketball Freshman All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  8. "Colorado high school all-state boys basketball teams for 2019-20 season". Colorado High School Activities Association. March 26, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  9. Divens, Jordan (March 23, 2021). "Baye Fall named 2020-21 MaxPreps Colorado High School Basketball Player of the Year". MaxPreps. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  10. Fredrickson, Kyle (March 20, 2021). "3A boys basketball: Baye Fall powers Lutheran to state championship in 72-56 win over St. Mary's". The Denver Post. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  11. Casey, Ryan (April 7, 2021). "Colorado high school all-state boys basketball teams for 2020-21 season". Colorado High School Activities Association. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  12. Divens, Jordan (April 15, 2021). "2020-21 MaxPreps Sophomore All-America Team: D.J. Wagner headlines high school basketball's best from the Class of 2023". MaxPreps. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  13. Geoghegan, Zack (June 20, 2021). "5-star center Baye Fall hearing from Kentucky assistant Chin Coleman". Kentucky Sports Radio. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  14. Fredrickson, Kyle (February 22, 2022). "Baye Fall, nation's top-ranked center in Class of 2023, dismissed from Denver Prep Academy". The Denver Post. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  15. Jordan, Jason (August 16, 2022). "Baye Fall Set to Trim Offer List As Visits Loom". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  16. Lawlor, Christopher (June 7, 2022). "COURTING THE TALENT: Pangos All-American Camp delivers elite prospects; Xavier Booker of Indianapolis earns Most Valuable Player accolades". BlueStar Media. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  17. Fredrickson, Kyle (August 30, 2022). "Baye Fall and Assane Diop, top basketball recruits in Colorado, expect to make December commitments; Buffs in mix". The Gazette. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  18. Fredrickson, Kyle (July 24, 2022). "Baye Fall and Assane Diop, top basketball recruits in Colorado, to join newly formed Accelerated Prep". The Denver Post. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  19. "Roster announced for the 2023 McDonald's All-American Game".
  20. Polacheck, Jacob (June 9, 2020). "Class of 2023 big Baye Fall talks recruitment, transition from Senegal". Zags Blog. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  21. Tipton, Joe (August 19, 2022). "Five-star center Baye Fall down to 7 schools, sets 3 visits". On3.com. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  22. London, Dushawn (November 15, 2022). "Breaking: Five-star big man Baye Fall commits to Arkansas". 247Sports. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
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