Why Lausanne’s Cisse delayed announcement
Five-star Lausanne center Moussa Cisse, who planned to announce his commitment this week, has decided to wait.
Lausanne coach Marvis Davis said Friday on ESPN 92.9 FM that Cisse postponed because he didn’t think it was appropriate to commit while there are more serious issues going on like the protests over racial injustice.
“They just wanted to push everything back with everything going on in our society right now,” Davis said. “This has become a worldwide experience for all of us. Making a basketball announcement wasn’t high on his priority list right now.”
Cisse, who reclassified into the Class of 2020 on May 27, has Memphis, LSU, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky and Georgetown on his public list of finalists. But Davis said Cisse has cut the list down to three.
“He does have it down to his top three,” said Davis, noting he believes Cisse will announce his decision within the next week.
“(But), I think at this point, he’s not going to make any decision. They’re still wide open.”
The No. 9 recruit in the country, at 6foot-11, is one of the premier defenders in the 2020 class. The native of Guinea averaged 18.4 points, 15.3 rebounds and 9.2 blocks per game at Lausanne, helping lead the Lynx to a Division II-A state championship in March.
When asked whether delaying the announcement is a good sign for Memphis’ chances, Davis declined to speculate.
“But I will tell you he loved the city and had a great time this year,” he said. “Penny (Hardaway) did a great job of recruiting him. I feel like they formed a really good relationship.”
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