The flag for the West African nation of Ghana has horizontal red, yellow and green stripes, with a black star in the middle.

You might be seeing it at Viejas Arena beginning next season.

San Diego State received an oral commitment Wednesday night from Nathan Mensah, a 6-foot-10 post from Ghana who recently moved from Prolific Prep in Napa to Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nev. He’s close friends but not related to Joel Mensah, also 6-10, also from Ghana, also from the prep class of 2018, also committed to the Aztecs (in August).

“It feels great to have Joel there,” Nathan said. “We play well together. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. I know where and to get him the ball, and he knows where and how to get me the ball.”


The connection is Kwaku Amoaku, a San Marcos High alum and assistant coach at Miramar College whose parents are from Ghana. In 2010 he founded the African Youth Basketball Organization to identify elite youth players from continent and develop them at U.S. high schools, and the Mensahs are among his most promising prospects.

Like Joel, Nathan is rated a four-star recruit by ESPN. He certainly passes the airport test, with a wide, muscular 6-10 frame and a 7-5 wingspan. In five games for Team Africa at the Adidas Global Nations event in Houston in August, he averaged 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds in 18.8 minutes while making 81.8 percent of his free throws against top under-19 international prospects.

“He’s much more polished than people give him credit for,” Amoaku said. “He’s still young. He’s only been playing basketball for four years. To me, the biggest thing is his mental intelligence in terms of understanding the game, understanding nuances, is like a kid who has been playing 10 or 15 years, not four.

“He’s a highly intelligent kid and learns quickly, which is why I think he’ll step in and play right away (at college). He could play now.”


Mensah, primarily recruited by associate head coach Justin Hutson, becomes the fourth prep commit of the Brian Dutcher era at SDSU. Matt Mitchell from Roosevelt High in the Inland Empire enrolled in school in August and is on the team now. Jordan Campbell of Adelanto High graduated last spring but is attending prep school. The Mensahs – Joel is a senior at JSerra High in San Juan Capistrano – both will be part of the 2018-19 freshman class.

Nathan, who had offers from schools like Oregon, Oregon State, USC and Texas Tech, is considered the highest rated of the four and represents a shift toward African players in a program that almost exclusively has recruited California. Arizona transfer Angelo Chol, from Sudan via Hoover High, was the last African-born player on the roster.

Nathan, like most youths in Ghana, grew up playing soccer. One day, at age 15, he went to watch some friends in a local basketball tournament. They didn’t have enough players and asked him to suit up.

He did, swatting shots and grabbing rebounds.


“I gave it a try,” Mensah said, “and really enjoyed it.”

The Mensahs fill a void in the middle on a team well stocked elsewhere. The two biggest players on the current roster, 6-10 Malik Pope and 7-1 graduate transfer Kameron Rooks, are both in their final years of eligibility.

They’re both 6-10 with same last name and homeland, but that’s where Amoaku think the similarities end. Joel is more of a stretch 4 with his bouncy legs and silky jump shot, and Nathan more of a dominant force in the paint with his wider frame.

“I think they are major differences between them, which is why I was fine with them staying together and playing together,” Amoaku said. “(The SDSU coaches) showed us some film on Malcolm Thomas and Billy White (from 2010-11). I see them very, very comparable to those two.”


Having two players from the same country could have its advantages, too, giving each a teammate with similar childhood experiences and cultural challenges. It also should help have Amoaku nearby, plus the support group of families who befriended them while playing for Amoaku’s Coastal Elite club during the spring and summer.

“If they need Ghanaian food,” Amoaku said, “my wife and I can cook it.”

That leaves SDSU with one remaining scholarship for 2018-19, assuming everyone else on the roster stays. And that might mean they’re done recruiting the high school class of 2018, since Dutcher has indicated he wants to keep at least one scholarship open for a transfer.


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mark.zeigler@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @sdutzeigler