ABBOTSFORD, B.C., April 23, 2020 – The Fraser Valley Bandits announced Thursday that they have signed Mamadou Gueye for the upcoming Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. Gueye played five years of U SPORTS (formerly known as Canadian Interuniversity Sport, or CIS) basketball for one of Canada’s strongest university programs, the University of Alberta Golden Bears, from 2013 to 2018.
A 6-foot-7 forward from Quebec City, Que., Gueye starred for the Golden Bears where he helped the nationally ranked program reach the U SPORTS Final 8 in 2014, 2017 and 2018. Thanks to a mixture of athleticism, two-play and an ability to get to the basket, Gueye was a key contributor to a Golden Bears team that emerged as Canada West champions in 2014 and 2017, and that also took home third place at the 2014 CIS men’s basketball championship.
Over the course of an illustrious university career, Gueye averaged 15 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He also shot 43.9 and 35.5 per cent from field goal and three-point range, respectively. Gueye graduated from Alberta as the Golden Bears’ third all-time leading scorer. His list of achievements includes Canada West Rookie of the Year (2014), three-time Canada West second-team all-star (2015, 2016, 2018) and he ranks third in school history with 657 rebounds.
“From Quebec City, I am excited to move forward by playing my second year in the CEBL for the Fraser Valley Bandits. This is a very strong and talented league and I have heard very good things about Coach Julius. I am excited to see how much I can develop under his coaching and expertise. Furthermore, I am super excited to give my all for the Fraser Valley basketball fans!” Gueye said.
Prior to beginning his professional career, Gueye was part of a historic Team Canada group that represented the nation at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Canada defeated New Zealand in the semifinals thanks to a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Gueye, which cemented an 88-86 win. Canada lost the final against Australia, but returned home as silver medalists.
Gueye is currently in his third season of professional basketball and has played for clubs in Germany and Canada. Gueye recently played for the Halifax Hurricanes during the 2019-20 campaign and averaged 26.1 minutes, 11.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game alongside shooting totals of 54.3 and 43.5 per cent from field goal and three-point range. Gueye played in the CEBL last year and was a key part of the Edmonton Stingers. Gueye started 14 of 20 games for the club and averaged 11.9 points per game for the Stingers, who finished with the second best regular season record in the CEBL.
“Mamadou is the only player on the roster that I haven’t coached before and I am eager to work with him and implement him into our program,” Bandits Head Coach and General Manager Kyle Julius said. “His length and athleticism have caught our attention and he should add a nice piece to our puzzle. He will have the opportunity to grow and his role will be as big as he can make it.”
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