Macoumba Kane is more than 4,100 miles from home. One of the biggest things the Dakar, Senegal native misses is a tasty meal prepared by his mom.
“I miss her cooking,” Kane said.
Kane, a 6-foot-8, 185 pound forward on the Miami Dade College men’s basketball team, hopes to feed that hunger by feasting on the competition this season.
So far, so good.
The lanky and versatile Kane scored 15 points, grabbed four rebounds and added two steals to his stat line during the Sharks 99-56 opening season win against Rise Academy on Oct. 31.
Kane, or “Papy” as he is affectionately known to his teammates, is averaging 10 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game for the Sharks this season.
“Papy is really long, athletic, and skilled,” said Sharks Men’s Head Basketball Coach Stephen Cowherd. “He gives us a dimension that we haven’t had in the past few years.”
Kane left Dakar when he was 15-years-old to play with the Las Vegas Prospects travel team. After a year in Las Vegas, Kane transferred to Northwood Temple Academy in Fayetteville, North Carolina for his junior season, where he averaged 13 points and eight rebounds per game. He remained at the school throughout his high school career.
The transition wasn’t always easy. The separation from his country made Kane homesick. Learning English was a challenge; he had the most trouble communicating with teachers and his classmates.
But basketball helped to ease the transition. Kane, who is now 18-years-old, has the skill set to play any position on the court. He is a solid rebounder with great vision and the ability to score from multiple areas on the court.
During a recent practice Kane showed his strength as an offensive player and his ability to be a hard nosed defender who can lock down opponents with his long arm-span.
At MDC, Kane has developed a bond with roommate Dalen Traore, who is from Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
“We both come from Africa so we look over each other as brothers,” said Traore, the team’s center. “I’m here for him and he’s here for me.”
