Boubacar Coly wants to win so badly, it hurts. The 6-foot-9, 220-pounder from Ziguinchor, Senegal, has competed so hard for Morgan State during the past two years, that at times, he cringes in pain.
” He did it once this year, but last year in the conference tournament he played like he was a man possessed to the point where he was giving himself a migraine and grabbing his head because he wanted to win so bad,” Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman said. “That?s so Boob, right there, to give his all for the team and to be so unselfish.”
And that?s why he?s emerged as one of the team?s leaders.
“You listen to everything he says,” sophomore guard Reggie Holmes said. “Everything he does is important.”
But Coly almost wasn?t a Bear. A top-50 recruit out of Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute, he committed to play at Xavier University. But just when it appeared Coly would receive significant playing time, he tore a ligament in his right knee, causing him to the 2003-04 season.
It was the same story the next year for Coly, as a promising season ended prematurely when he suffered another serious knee injury. And just like that, he decided his career with the Musketeers was over ? without even playing a single minute.
After consulting with family and Amadou Gallo Fall, the director of scouting for the Dallas Mavericks who found him in Senegal, Coly transferred to Morgan State.
“I needed a second chance,” Coly said. “Coach Bozeman has been given his second chance and he understood more than anyone else.”
And he?s made plenty of his second chance. In his first year, after sitting out the 2005-2006 season due to NCAA transfer rules, he averaged 8.2 points and 7.7 rebounds in 30 starts.
This year, he?s playing like one of the best centers in the country, as he?s led the Bears to a 9-8 record and second place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference at 4-1. Coly is averaging 9.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, which is 10th-most in Division I. His 2.6 blocks per game rank 9th in major college basketball.
“I have felt more comfortable and tried to get my game back and work on it during the summer,” Coly said. “I have gotten a lot stronger working in the weight room and making sure I am healthy.”
Tonight at 7:30 at HU Convocation Center in Hampton, Va., Coly and the Bears visit the Pirates (10-6, 4-0), who are projected by many analysts to earn the MEAC?s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Bears are just 3-6 away from Hill Field House, but beat the Pirates in Virginia last year, 75-70, in overtime.
“I never emphasize if it?s at home on the road, it?s just two baskets and a ball ? let?s play,” Bozeman said. “We just set out to play the game and it doesn?t matter where you are.”
