Charles Bassey

Bassey was born in Lagos, Nigeria, where he played soccer until age 12, standing 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) at the time.[1] At that age, he was discovered by a youth basketball coach while Bassey was selling fried chicken on the side of a road and wearing flip-flops that were too small for him.[2][3] He stopped playing soccer soon after, instead focusing on developing his basketball skills.[3] At age 14, Bassey was named most valuable player (MVP) of basketball camp Giants of Africa, a program established by Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri.[2][4]

At age 14, at a height of 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m), Bassey moved to the United States to continue his basketball career at St. Anthony Catholic High School, a private school in San Antonio, Texas.[5] Before the season began, in November 2015, recruiting expert Frank Burlison considered him one of, if not the best prospect in his class.[6] Commentator Fran Fraschilla said, "I don't think I've ever seen a freshman as talented as this kid," while scout Clark Francis labeled him the top prospect from San Antonio since Shaquille O'Neal.[7] In his high school debut, against Stony Point High School, Bassey recorded a triple-double of 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 blocks.[4] He closed the season averaging 20.2 points, 17.1 rebounds, and 5.9 blocks per game, making the MaxPreps Freshman All-American First-Team.[8][9] St. Anthony finished with a 32–6 record and a runners-up finish at the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) championship game, despite coming off a 7–15 record in the prior season.[10] In April 2016, Bassey played in the International Game of the Jordan Brand Classic, scoring 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds en route to winning MVP.[11][12]

Before his sophomore season, Bassey was named to the 2016–17 All-USA preseason boys basketball team by USA Today High School Sports.[13] He was also included among 50 players in the preseason watchlist for the Naismith Trophy.[14] However, before playing any games, Bassey was ruled ineligible by the TAPPS, without explanation from its executive director.[15] St. Anthony soon appealed the ruling, which sidelined Bassey and two other team members, with principal Rene Escobedo calling it "unjust."[16] Despite the suspension, Bassey made his season debut on November 29, 2016, scoring nine points off the bench against A. C. Jones High School.[17] His team's head coach Jeff Merritt was subsequently fired for playing an ineligible player.[17] In early December 2016, St. Anthony withdrew from the TAPPS and joined the Texas Christian Athletic League (T-CAL), allowing Bassey to become eligible again.[18] At the Mike Miller Classic against Washington High School in January 2017, he recorded 25 points, 12 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 3 assists.[19] In April, at an Adidas Gauntlet tournament, Bassey averaged a double-double, prompting recruiting service Rivals to compare him to a young Dwight Howard.[20]

On July 7, 2017, Hennssy Auriantal, Bassey's legal guardian in the United States and assistant coach at St. Anthony, was dismissed from the school's program.[21][22] In August, it was announced that Bassey would leave the team as well, with his immigration records being transferred to DeSales High School in Louisville, Kentucky.[23] For his junior season, he began playing for Aspire Basketball Academy in Louisville, while attending school at DeSales.[24] On June 14, 2018, Bassey reclassified to the class of 2018 and announced his commitment to play college basketball at Western Kentucky under head coach Rick Stansbury.[5] When asked about Bassey's recruitment, Stansbury said, "Why shouldn't a young man go somewhere where he has a chance to be special and be impactful. That's what we sold him on."[25]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Charles Bassey C	Lagos	Aspire Academy (KY)	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jun 14, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 92
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 9  247Sports: 9  ESPN: 18
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Western Kentucky 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 14, 2018. "2018 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 14, 2018. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 14, 2018.

On November 6, 2018, Bassey debuted for Western Kentucky, recording a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds in a 73–55 loss to Washington.[26] During Bassey’s freshman season at Western Kentucky he averaged a double-double with 14.6 points per game and 10 rebounds per game. There was speculation that he might declare for the NBA Draft following his freshman season. However, he decided to return for his sophomore season. He broke his tibia in a win against Arkansas and had to undergo surgery, ending his sophomore season. Through 10 games he was averaging 15.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.[27]

Shortly after arriving in the United States at age 14, Bassey's mother died. At the time, Bassey considered moving back to Nigeria, but his father Akpan Ebong Bassey encouraged him to stay for financial reasons.[7][28][29] Canadian-born basketball coach Hennssy Auriantal, who runs the Yes II Success organization that brings international players to American private schools helped bring Bassey to the United States.[1][30] On March 31, 2017, Auriantal and his wife were granted conservatorship over Bassey.[29] Bassey's father later filed a petition to reopen the case and give Nigerian basketball tournament organizer John Faniran custody over his son, but the petition was dropped due to lack of verification.[10][29]

• Western Kentucky Hilltoppers bio