He had written an essay to qualify for an international scholarship program. Thamba had another older brother who would wait for hours after school to ride the bus home with him. 2,007 Views | 18 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by DanaDane. Flo Thamba contributed 18 points (8-13 FG, 2-3 FT) and nine rebounds over 23 minutes during Saturday's 80-70 victory over Kansas. While Flagler (15.5 points) and freshman guard Keytone George (16.0) are the leaders on offense, Thamba took the long road to becoming the teams de facto leader. You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard. Thamba was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and lived in England and France during his childhood before settling in South Africa. 5 Kansas 80-70 in Big 12", "The tragedy that inspires Baylor center Flo Thamba", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flo_Thamba&oldid=1143412984, This page was last edited on 7 March 2023, at 15:26. His first basketball memory is that he could barely dribble. The 6-foot-10 Congo native is the lone starter left from Baylors 2021 title team and is one of three impact forwards who hail from Africa. 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. The national champion sat down with me to reflect on this past season, as well as give more insight on his decision to return for a fifth season. These are the qualities that have made Wilson love Thamba so much that he looks at a young man he coached for just two years like a son. 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. Plus, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchouashould return from his knee injury earlier this season, giving Baylor a strong squad yet again in 2022-23. The two, who met in 2016 in Africa at a Basketball without Borders camp, share a special bond. We already have the chemistry, weve been together for some time. I told the coaches Im not going to make my decision yet, Im going to spend time with my family. People tell stories about different places and different things. I really didnt know what the Final Four meant before I even came to Baylor, he said. This ability to be steady no matter the situation is why Thamba is still at Baylor. But Teague said both posts carve out space in the lane with screens that make it easier for the guards to shoot, and there are times when Tchamwa Tchatchoua runs the floor with the smaller guys. Baylor vs Iowa State Cyclones Ferrell Center - Sat 3/4 Tickets as low as $9. His actual height is 6 feet and 10 inches. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. The 2023 NFL Draft is in the books and it was a good showing for the Big 12 Conference. It's official: Jamal Murray, Nuggets are in Phoenix's heads now. It's just like 'man we get to celebrate this thing together. It was back when the two still-growing and raw players from different countries in Central Africa created a bond because they both spoke French. But, overall, its just amazing having them around.. Flo Thamba Game by Game Stats and Performance | ESPN I took full advantage of that; I hadnt seen my parents in a long time so I was focused on them. Rounding out Baylors trio of African big men is freshman Josh Ojianwuna, a 6-foot-10 forward from Nigeria. Brittany Tankersley | Photo Editor. How was he so steady? Follow CJ on Twitter @cjmoorehoops, Thamba is making his voice heard with the Bears. When he got to Baylor, he had to pay dues, playing his first 52 games off the bench before becoming a starter as a junior and helping lead the Bears to the programs first national title. Can Baylor Bears Basketball Turn Season Around? Flo Thamba Personal Life. 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. The NBA hopeful has twin older brothers who are engineers, another brother who is in finance and a sister working toward a law degree in England. We kind of took it with a grain of salt. I really didnt know what the Final Four meant before I even came to Baylor, he said. One of the cooler moments of this years tournament was when Flo Thamba got to play in front of his parents for the first time in his collegiate career, helping Baylor defeat Norfolk State in the opening round with 14 points, six rebounds, one assist, one block, and two steals. The 2023 NFL Draft is in the books and it was a good showing for the Big 12 Conference. 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). At Mountain Mission, he picked the No. Thamba has started all 29 of Baylor's games this season. The 6-foot-8 Cameroon native sustained a serious knee injury last year. Let's talk about Flo Thamba | SicEm365 Jakus made two visits to Mountain Mission that sold Thamba. It was back when the two still-growing and raw players from different countries in Central Africa created a bond because they both spoke French. Definitely the teams chemistry, the fact that we have a bunch of guys that love each other. But after that camp, they didnt see each other again until a pickup game two summers ago, more than 9,000 miles away in Waco, Texas. [1] His older brother, Levy, fatally fell from a hotel balcony in 2014 after consuming a marijuana edible.[6]. When he checked the ball -- firing it at his brother's legs -- that will resonate with plenty of viewers. Even though Baylor didnt have him for much of this season, Bears coach Scott Drew looked at the bright side. So Ive got to make it to the league.. 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. A person watching the game might say these guards are really good, but actually our bigs make us really good.. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. We were able to face adversity and we still stuck together.. Theres no chance. The Oklahoma Sooners are Big 12 softball champions, once again, after an 8-2 win over the Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday. Baylor Bears forward Flo Thamba (0) shoots over North Carolina Tar Heels forward Armando Bacot (5) during the first half of a second round game of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at. In some ways, this made the process more difficult for Thamba. I know there is a lot of water embedded underneath the ground, but reaching it is relatively hard. Its something Im proud of and I cherish.. Instead, he figured out why and analyzed the small details including defensive positioning and the way Gillespie communicated defensively that made him so successful. For me, my mentality never really changed. 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. Even more. We have guys that bought into the whole program, we just would have been different. Why wouldnt I take advantage of that?. . Last season, he averaged career-highs in points (6.2), rebounds (5 . The Baylor coaches know Thamba is loving the experience, because hes smiling more and talking. Flo Thamba enters final postseason with Bears aiming to 'handle The process at Baylor, particularly for big men, sometimes takes time. Then Thamba was willing to work on himself. Emmanual focused on what was next. But, I mean, when I saw them for the first time in the stands, it was kind of weird. 10 Baylor rallies to beat No. Im focused on, I belong and I can do this.. He has worked at Bleacher Report as the sites national college basketball writer and also covered the sport for CBSSports.com and Basketball Prospectus. I want to make a difference in my culture, because I have an opportunity to do something big. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. . 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. VividSeats. The biggest reason for my decision was my academics. I never left boarding school, Flo says. Do you have a sports website? Education was always the biggest priority in the Thamba household. But, overall, this is fun. 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. Because of his injury, Jon was able to spend a lot of time just working on his shot and his passing, Drew said. 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. You can be down 20 or in a tie game, and Thambas expression isnt going to change. 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. "He was the one who . The NBA hopeful has twin older brothers who are engineers, another brother who is in finance and a sister working toward a law degree in England. Levi had traveled to Denver with some new friends for a spring break trip. Just be yourself, everything will take care of it. And, yeah, (I) just went out there and just played. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Hes more than just a basketball player. Copyright 2017-22 Heartland College Sports. In different circumstances, last season might have played out differently. In times of distress, Flo says, you always panic and make wrong decisions.. Emmanual Thamba works in customs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and he sent his children all over the world to study. But those guards know they wouldnt be where they are without the interchangeable 245-pound post players: the 6-foot-10 junior Thamba and and 6-8 sophomore Tchamwa Tchatchoua, who earned the nickname Everyday Jon for his work ethic and nonstop energy since his arrival. We have everybody healthy, everyone is hooping, I felt like nobody could stop us. Thats what separates having a good season and having a great season. Flo Thamba - Wikipedia Senior with 7-foot-5 wingspan, originally from Kinshasa, Congo; splits time with Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua at 5-spot Holds the program record for most NCAA Tournament Games Played (10, eight starts) Started 64-consecutive games after entering 2020-21 national championship season with 0 career starts in 52 games played Scored in double-figures in 6 of last 10 games of 2021-22 after doing so in 4 of first 106 games Had 9 more steals in the 2021-22 season (22 in 694 minutes) than first 3 seasons combined (13 in 952 minutes) Born in Congo, lived in England, France and South Africa, emigrated to United States in 2014 Averaged 14.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks as senior at Mountain Mission School in Grundy, Va. Late addition to 2018 signing class, ranked No. Flo Thamba, Baylor's "anchor" and all-time winningest - MSN Wilson found out years ago that Thamba wants the truth. Flo Thamba, 6-10, 245, PF, Jr. (Kinshasa, Congo) Committed: Jan. 15, 2018 Thamba came to the United States in 2015 after spending his freshman year in high school in Johannesburg, South Africa. Thamba had a relatively productive outing given that he played just 18 minutes in this season-ending loss for the Bears. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. Family takes center stage for Baylor's Flo Thamba in NCAA - 247Sports Flo Thamba Stats, News, Bio | ESPN His sister is in England now and working on getting her law degree. He made sure Thamba didnt use the circumstances as a crutch or an excuse. 34 center by 247Sports. Baylor does a pairs shooting competition, and since Tchamwa Tchatchoua transferred from UNLV to Baylor in 2019, theyve been paired together and call themselves the African Connection., Thamba starts, but the minutes are split almost evenly . It was back when the two still-growing and raw players from different [] For the first time in his life, Thambas 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 national champion since Florida won-back-to-back titles from 2006-07. Tchamwa Tchatchoua has even played more but theres not a hint of jealousy between the two. 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. What we do takes one, two, three years sometimes for these guys, Jakus says. I was really emotional in that moment, he said. We cheer for each other every time. Allstate Mayhem basketball commercial: Inside the 'Overly Competitive That was about five years ago and far from the NCAA Final Four. Florent Thamba (born 25 February 1999) is a Congolese college basketball player for the Baylor Bears of the Big 12 Conference. I wanted to wear it in college, but they dont allow that. We knew we were going to lose eventually, no matter how much we were winning, there are going to be one or two games youre going to lose. It required two surgeries and Tchamwa Tchatchoua didnt debut this season until Feb. 4, nearly a year after he was named the 2022 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. You can learn more about Pete by visiting his personal website: PeteMundo.com. A reporter mentioned that he spoke to Thambas parents before the game and Thambas brother had to translate, as neither spoke English. Flo Thamba (Baylor) - Head2Head Sports Ever., He was confused. A native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Thamba lived in South Africa, France and England before making his way to the United States in 2014.
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