At times that was really hard because you ask any player in college and all theyre thinking about is the NBA. Flo spent time in England as a child and eventually moved to South Africa, where he started playing basketball. We got to get our stuff together. After that, injuries started piling in and that was definitely tough. At a recent Baylor practice, Thamba tweaked his knee and had to sit out for a few minutes. It was early Tuesday in Cameroon whenBaylor beat Arkansasin the South Region final and Tchamwa Tchatchoua got his parents on a FaceTime call while he was on the ladder cutting off a piece of the net. He didnt speak English at the time, only French and his mother tongue. From watching his father, he says. We already have the chemistry, weve been together for some time. Thamba is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and he grew up in South Africa, before he lived in England and France and emigrated to U.S. in 2014. Emmanual focused on what was next. He was tall, and the middle school coach suggested he play basketball. On his other visit, Jakus didnt talk about basketball. He has worked at Bleacher Report as the sites national college basketball writer and also covered the sport for CBSSports.com and Basketball Prospectus. One stop at a time. He ran out of the room, tumbling over the railing in a hallway that overlooked the lobby, falling four floors to his death. Youd never see him sulk. He said that older brother, Levy, later went to a community college in Wyoming to study engineering, but died in an accident after trying a legal marijuana edible during a spring break trip to Colorado in 2014. As a sixth-grader in South Africa when just starting to learn how to dribble, Thamba had another older brother who would wait for hours after school to ride the bus home with him. Kispert is presumed to be a first-round draft pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, since he was one of the best players for the Bulldogs all season. In some ways, this made the process more difficult for Thamba. It would have been easy to resent his teammate, who two years ago was behind him in the pecking order. For Baylor forward Flo Thamba, however, few games, if any, carry more weight than Thursdays NCAA opener. You must be a subscriber to . It's more like just that little brother who's the youngest in the household. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? 3M; 0:17. The fifth-year senior with a 7-foot-5 wingspan is Baylors heart-and-soul, and the programs all-time winningest player (115 in games played). Instead, he figured out why and analyzed the small details including defensive positioning and the way Gillespie communicated defensively that made him so successful. He thinks about him often, and then he thinks about his father and the example he setthat you have to keep moving onto the next thing. Baylors coaches worried they were going to lose Thamba. A person watching the game might say these guards are really good, but actually our bigs make us really good.. All-American junior Jared Butler and his backcourt mates Davion Mitchell and MaCio Teague pretty much get all of the attention for top-seeded Baylor (26-2), which plays former Southwest Conference rival Houston in the first national semifinal game Saturday. Ever., He was confused. The fans are going to love it, and if he goes out there and gives his all, we have an opportunity to go far in this tournament.. But for us, Im starting and then youre thinking, Okay the bench guy is coming in, but the bench guy is Jon and hes coming to dunk on you. It's hard to gain trust with Flo Thamba. Dont sugarcoat it. C.J. Next season, what do you see from this team? He said that older brother, Levy, later went to a community college in Wyoming to study engineering, but died in an accident after trying a legal marijuana edible during a spring break trip to Colorado in 2014. Baylor vs Iowa State Cyclones Ferrell Center - Sat 3/4 Tickets as low as $9. He was leading the country in field-goal percentage, and the offense went through him. Its a combination that is hard to beat during the season. Because of his injury, Jon was able to spend a lot of time just working on his shot and his passing, Drew said. Then coming in sophomore year and him getting all the minutes, I had no reason to be mad. The 6-10 forward, originally from Kinshasa, Congo, is coming off of his best year to date, averaging 6.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest. Brittany Tankersley | Photo Editor. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. The Oklahoma Sooners are Big 12 softball champions, once again, after an 8-2 win over the Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday. Even in the midst of that, that midst of him working hard, he was always happy. Position: Forward 6-10, 245lb (208cm, 111kg) . With Clark returning, Baylor coach Scott Drew was going to give him an opportunity in the hopes he at least could give a sliver of what he provided as a sophomore. Flo Thamba's parents are getting to watch him play in person for the first time in his college career. . Team CONF GB OVR; Kansas . About 30 to 60 minutes after eating the first piece, he told his friends he didnt feel anything, so he ate the rest of the cookie, which contained 65 milligrams of THC 6 times the recommended serving amount. Given Thambas well-traveled youth, his parents were speaking French. We have the ability.. 1Y; 2:02. [3], Thamba came off the bench during his first two years at Baylor. The Oklahoma Sooners are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 6-7 season in 2023, the first under new head coach Brent About us: HCS is owned and operated by Pete Mundo. For me, my mentality never really changed. F, #0. Thamba, like his teammates dressed in slacks and dress shoes, immediately instructed his teammates to get out and talked them through pushing the van out. The fifth-year senior with a 7-foot-5 wingspan is Baylor's heart-and-soul, and the program's all-time winningest player (115 in games played). Jeremy [Sochan] is like a swiss army knife, he can shoot the three, he could play the four and he could play the five. The 6-10 forward, originally from Kinshasa, Congo, is coming off of his best year to date, averaging 6.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest. At Mountain Mission, he picked the No. Just keep going. That doesnt happen with 17, 18-year-olds who can request and then sit down and have a mature conversation about something bigger than themselves, Wilson says. In different circumstances, last season might have played out differently. Flos been playing since he was a freshman. Hits 18 minutes in Round of 32 loss Thamba had six points (2-2 FG, 2-2 FT), three rebounds and two blocks over 18 minutes during Sunday's 85 . "More so for my mom, she's always supported me in a lot of ways, just seeing her and the fruits of labor after being away from each other is so special. He was the guy who actually was dedicated to me more than anybody else, because everybody else just thought it was more of an intramural thing I was just doing for fun. Baylor senior big man Flo Thamba announced Monday morning that he will return for his fifth year with the Bears in 2022-23. Education was always the biggest priority in the Thamba household. Thamba would end Thursday as one of five Baylor players to reach double-figures in scoring, shooting 7-of-9 from the field for 14 points in the victory against the Spartans. I knew it was a big thing, but I never like I traditionally watched the whole Final Four, or watched the whole thing, Thamba said. By CJ Moore. Currently Thamba is an American Athlete playing basketball for Gonzaga. What were the biggest factors? Copyright 2017-22 Heartland College Sports. He was just clapping, Tang says. It was early Tuesday in Cameroon when Baylor beat Arkansas in the South Region final and Tchamwa Tchatchoua got his parents on a FaceTime call while he was on the ladder cutting off a piece of the net. I really didnt know what the Final Four meant before I even came to Baylor, he said. 0 because Wilson identified that as a number of responsibility. Definitely the teams chemistry, the fact that we have a bunch of guys that love each other. Let's talk about Flo Thamba. Weve got this. The whole experience of filling out the brackets and the anticipation of the first game, all of that stuff, I never really knew it until I actually experienced it.. I told the coaches Im not going to make my decision yet, Im going to spend time with my family. For the first time in his life, Thamba's mother and father, Emmanual Thamba and Florentine Soko-Pongi, watched their son in a Bears uniform in person as Baylor looks to become the first repeat . He made sure Thamba didnt use the circumstances as a crutch or an excuse. The coaching staff as a whole, but for me the most important thing was my teammates. Admittedly raw, he played at Mountain Mission School in Grundy, Va. for three seasons. One day Tristan is in practice; the next day hes not. "More so for my mom, she's always supported me in a lot of ways, just seeing her and the fruits of labor after being away from each other is so special. Thamba had another older brother who would wait for hours after school to ride the bus home with him. Thamba said his father, who works in customs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, wanted his children to have the ability to experience and see different things. The biggest reason for my decision was my academics. He is a beat reporter covering the Colorado Rockies and Denver Broncos in addition to covering other professional, college and high school athletics around the state. They visited a marijuana dispensary, and one of Levis friends purchased six cookies. Tchamwa Tchatchoua was born in Cameroon and spent two years at the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia, where he first played organized basketball. He has worked at Bleacher Report as the sites national college basketball writer and also covered the sport for CBSSports.com and Basketball Prospectus. Jon in transition, I think Ive got like four 3s specifically this year because of Jon sprinting the floor, and the guard had to drop down in the paint for him, Teague said. (Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today). Levi Thamba, who was five years older, would stay behind at school while Flo practiced, waiting to ride the late bus home and encouraging his brother to stick with it. So Ive got to make it to the league.. He would definitely be proud, especially the level Ive attained and the stage Im at., More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25. [5], Thamba's father, Emmanual, works in customs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His friends calmed him down. Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua and Flo Thamba, the high-energy athletic bigs who do so much inside helping guard-oriented Baylor, first met at a Basketball Without Borders camp in Johannesburg, South Africa. Hes different than a lot of kids now. I really didnt know what the Final Four meant before I even came to Baylor, he said. Most players in that situation transfer. (23-11, 3rd place in conference (Big 12), Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 12:49AM. Everything is flowing; obviously we had some issues here and there, but everything was just clicking. As an athlete, saying big means championship, but thats just a little piece of metal. He was the one who believed in my basketball dreams, Flo says. His favorite was during a tournament somewhere in the heart of Tennessee, stuck in a snow storm and late to a game. And it was overall fun to see and stuff.". The Los Angeles Chargers love themselves some TCU football. bear2be2. Ojianwuna previously played for NBA Academy Africa as well as the NBA Global Academy before landing at Baylor. Hey, get off your phone. Thamba loves Wilson likes a second father. The 2023 NFL Draft is in the books and it was a good showing for the Big 12 Conference. I knew it was a big thing, but I never like I traditionally watched the whole Final Four, or watched the whole thing, Thamba said. Even more. Flo's parents are mentioned in some places. You can learn more about Pete by visiting his personal website: PeteMundo.com. Flo Thambas basketball career started like it does for a lot of Africans. I was really emotional in that moment, he said. Were still waiting on a couple of guys decisions, but if they do decide to come back then most definitely. He was bad. Thamba didnt necessarily need an explanation for why it happened. From the NBA Global Academy, Tchamwa Tchatchoua played one season at UNLV before transferring to Baylor, where he redshirted as a sophomore and appeared off the bench in 29 games during the Bears title season. Flo Thamba throws down big slam dunk vs. Mcneese St Cowboys. Its usually pointed at them, but he wanted to have a conversation, not only for himself but all the other guys that were there.. It was more seeing him go down, thats what ripped me apart.. One thing I like about my family is like, there's not a lot of pressure about the stuff that happens on the court, Thamba said. The highlight defensive play of the game so far came when Baylor Bears' big-man, Flo Thamba, rose up to swat Corey Kispert's shot away.

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