Rutgers basketball picked up a big commitment this morning as 2018 4-star Our Savior New American School (Centereach, NY) center Mamadou Doucoure committed to the Scarlet Knights.

A native of Mali, Africa, Doucoure is relatively new to the game of basketball. It wasn’t until 2013 that the picked up the sport and quickly showcased his skills on the boards. He moved to the United States in 2014 and continued to develop his craft as a big man. He plays his AAU ball with the PSA Cardinals.

The Mali native told Andrew Slater 247Sports exclusively, "I am so excited to become a Scarlet Knight. Coach Pikiell showed me the most love. Out of all the schools which recruited me, he made sure I knew I was their main recruit."

When asked what came first when he picked up the game of basketball he told Ari Rosenfeld of HoopGroup that it was the layups.

““First of all, it was my layups. I got my layups easy,” he said. “That came to me first of all, then the second thing was my rebounds and outlet passes.That’s my specialty. I learned it in Africa before coming here.”

On the court, Doucoure runs the floor very well for a young big man. He has the ability to play above the rim and uses his length to his advantage to block a ton of shots. He’s very athletic and agile for a big man and does a good job playing on-ball defense. A few areas he has to continue to improve upon are his ball-handling skills and his basketball IQ.





Our Savior New American coach Eric Jaklitsch told Slater, "Duke's biggest concern every time he steps on the court is winning. His toughness and competitive spirit gives him an opportunity to have a double-double nightly." With the new Rutgers staff, coach Jaklitsch thinks that Mamadou Doucoure will be a perfect fit, "He will be a perfect fit for Rutgers. His physical tools will allow him to make an immediate impact in the most physical league in America. I truly believe his game will improve daily. There is no doubt in the metropolitan area that everyone has been impressed with the coaching and development going on at Rutgers."

The 6-foot-9, 220-pound prospect visited Rutgers earlier this season for MidKnight Madness and choose the Scarlet Knights over offers from St. John’s, Connecticut, Pittsburgh and Seton Hall. He’s currently ranked by 247Sports at the No. 63 player overall in the Class of 2018 Top247 and has a 247Sports Composite Ranking of No. 103. He’s the No. 3 player in the state of New York and the No. 6 Center in the country.

You can check out some of Doucoure’s highlights below:



