April 17, 2014
THE FLATS – Abdoulaye Gueye, a 6-10 forward who attends high school in Birmingham, Ala., has signed a letter-of-intent to attend Georgia Tech, head coach Brian Gregory announced Thursday.
Gueye (name is pronounced Ab-DOO-lay Gay), who goes by the nickname “A.D.,” is a three-star power forward originally from Dakar, Senegal who enrolled at Central Park Christian School in Birmingham in October 2012 as part of the school’s exchange program.
“We’re excited about adding A.D. to our program,” said Gregory. “He has good size, great length, a skill level that allows him to play inside and out, and he’s only going to get better. What I like most about him is his competitiveness and the energy level he plays with on a consistent basis. This will be a key factor in his development during his college career.’
With a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Gueye has built a reputation as a shot-blocker who can run the floor, handle the ball, shoot jump shots and defend multiple positions. Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA is the player after whom he models his game. On a list of the top players in the state of Alabama compiled by AL.com, Gueye is No. 4.
Coached by Donovan Broadnax at Central Park Christian, Gueye averaged 14 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots as a senior to help the Eagles win the National Association of Christian Athletes (NACA) Division 1A Championship, and was named the defensive MVP of the championship. He averaged 11 points and nine rebounds in his first season at Central Park Christian in 2012-13. He also played for the Birmingham Ice on the AAU circuit.
Gueye joins an incoming freshman class that includes Tadric Jackson, a 6-2 guard from Tifton, Ga., who was named the 6A state player of the year, and 6-10 all-state center Ben Lammers from San Antonio, Texas.
