Top hoops prospect remains undecided
Five-star Memphis target Cisse rebuffs national analysts
The most sought-after basketball prospect in Memphis rolled his eyes ever so slightly and shook his head upon hearing again that most of the national recruiting experts already seem to know where he’s going to college.
Moussa Cisse, the near 7-footer who played this past season at Lausanne, could alter the immediate trajectory of Memphis basketball if he decides to commit to the Tigers.
But after a workout Monday night in Cordova at the headquarters of his grassroots basketball team, Team Thad, Cisse pushed back on the notion that LSU should be considered the favorite to land him. Instead, the consensus five-star recruit insisted in an interview with The Commercial Appeal that his mind isn’t made up yet.
“That’s what people think,” Cisse said of LSU. “I’m trying to figure out the best thing for me. I’m not going to go somewhere where people think like I’m going to go, where people want me to go. I’m going to go where I want to go.”
Cisse, a native of Guinea in West Africa, has been a curiosity for Memphis fans ever since he arrived here from New York ahead of this past school year. That distinction was reinforced less than two weeks ago when Cisse announced he would be reclassifying to the 2020 recruiting class, a move that had become one of the worst-kept secrets on the city’s basketball scene.
Suddenly Memphis – as well as LSU, Florida State, Kentucky, Georgia and Georgetown – had the chance to add perhaps the most gifted shot blocker in the country to their roster ahead of the 2020-21 season. Cisse averaged 18.4 points, 15.3 rebounds and 9.2 blocks per game en route to winning a state title at Lausanne and the Division II-A Mr. Basketball award this winter.
With not much on the sports calendar thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, speculating about Cisse’s future has become a popular local pastime. His decision to reclassify even was featured on the main page of ESPN.COM.
“I’ve grown a lot,” Cisse said of his time in Memphis. “I’m not really an attention person. I’m just trying to decide what’s best for me.”
These are the sort of vague statements that best serve Cisse right now and, in this case, best serve Tigers coach Penny Hardaway. Here’s even better news: Cisse isn’t sure exactly when he’s going to announce his commitment, but a person involved in Cisse’s recruitment said there’s a good chance it won’t be until the end of the month.
None of this guarantees Cisse will pick Memphis. But typically the longer a high-profile recruitment drags out, the worse it is for the perceived favorite. And LSU, up until late last week, had been considered the heavy favorite.
Since Cisse announced he would be reclassifying, eight recruiting analysts at 247Sports predicted LSU would be Cisse’s choice. Another eight analysts at Rivals also projected him to pick LSU.
When these recruitniks reach a consensus like that, they’re usually not wrong. So yes, snagging Cisse would perhaps go down as the greatest upset to date of the Hardaway era at Memphis. But it seems more feasible now than it did a week ago, before Cisse pushed his decision date back last week in the midst of nationwide protests concerning police brutality and racial injustice.
Hardaway and assistant coach Tony Madlock have been recruiting Cisse extensively ever since he arrived in town. Cisse attended several Memphis basketball games this past season and lives with Lemoyne-owen coach William Anderson and his family when he’s in Memphis. He’s also good friends and former grassroots basketball teammates with Precious Achiuwa and Lester Quinones.
Cisse said Monday night Achiuwa “is like my brother, so he’s telling me to go wherever I’m happy to go” and not necessarily pushing for him to pick Memphis. Cisse returned to the Memphis area this past weekend after spending time back in New York to celebrate Ramadan with family.
“I really appreciate the people because they always show me love,” Cisse
said. “I can tell they want me to come play at (Memphis), and if it’s the best thing for me, I will. I’m trying to figure that out.”
LSU coach Will Wade was the first head coach to start recruiting Cisse, and one of LSU’S assistants previously coached Cisse’s older brother, Zay, when the two were overseas. Florida State, meanwhile, is the only school Cisse was able to visit officially before the pandemic hit.
The backstory here, of how Cisse went from Guinea to New York to Memphis, probably will draw scrutiny from the NCAA. If he chooses Memphis, his decision to move here for high school will spark comparisons to James Wiseman’s move from Nashville to Memphis, even if the circumstances were different.
Memphis, of course, already is dealing with a major infractions case over Wiseman’s situation. LSU, on the other hand, has its own potential NCAA issues after Wade reportedly was caught on FBI wiretaps insinuating he paid LSU guard Javonte Smart. But LSU has not received a notice of allegations from the NCAA at this point.
So the most sought-after basketball prospect in Memphis has a very interesting decision to make, despite the fact that just about everyone outside of Memphis thinks his decision already has been made.
You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @mgiannotto