Sane Signs Pro Contract; Heads to Denmark
First collegiate player under D’Antoni to go pro
First collegiate player under D’Antoni to go pro
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall men’s basketball alumnus Cheikh Sane (Dakar, Senegal) is headed to Denmark after signing a two-year professional contract with Team FOG Næstved.
The 6-9 forward is the first collegiate player under second-year Herd coach Dan D’Antoni to sign a pro contract. He will join Team FOG in the European Basketligaen, a 10-team Danish basketball league. The team is coming off its best season, finishing third in the league. The regular season starts Oct. 4.
“Cheikh is a very hard worker,” D’Antoni said. “On top of that he’s a really good person and an intelligent player. I know he’s going to work hard to be the best he can be overseas.”
Sane said he is eager to start playing.
“I’m looking forward to working with this great program,” Sane said. “I think I’m one of the only rookies on the team. Most of the guys there have already been playing professionally. It’s going to be exciting to start in a new place.”
In two years with the Herd, Sane appeared in 63 games, making 39 starts. As a senior in 2014-15, he was Marshall’s No. 2 rebounder with 4.4 per game, and averaged 0.5 blocks per game. He had a career-high 16 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 free throws against Jacksonville State on Nov. 14, 2014. At the Herd’s end-of-year banquet in April, Sane was given the Charlie Slack “Toughman” Award by the coaching staff. The honor is named for Marshall’s career rebounding leader and one of the top rebounders in NCAA major college history.
“I’m grateful for my time with the Herd,” Sane said. “I’m definitely going to bring what I’ve learned here to my game overseas, like the pick-and-roll.”
Denmark will be the fourth country of residence in Sane’s lifetime. He was born in Senegal and lived in France and Utah before arriving in Huntington as a junior in 2013. He speaks four languages: English, French, Diola (sounds like zshola) and Wolof.
“It took me four years to learn English, so Danish will be a fun challenge,” Sane said.
Sane graduated from Marshall in May with a degree in international business and health care science.
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