University of Minnesota Athletics
Thiam Joins Gopher Program
6/7/2021 2:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Abdoulaye Thiam is excited to begin his Golden Gopher career.
Hailing from Orlando, Fla., Thiam was a standout at Dr. Phillips High School and spent a season at Indian River State College. He'll begin practice with the Maroon and Gold next week and has four years of eligibility remaining.Â
"I'm so excited to have Laye join the Gopher program," head coach Ben Johnson said. "He's such a gritty player who's been a proven winner at both the high school and junior college level. Laye is a good shooter, loves to compete and works extremely hard. I cannot wait to get him in the gym next week as he starts his Gopher career."
Thiam, a 6-3 guard, played his first collegiate season at Indian River State College. Last year, he averaged 15 points per game, was 56 percent from the field and had a 48.6 three-point shooting percentage. Seeing action in all 24 games, Thiam scored double figures in 20 of them and also went 69.8 percent at the free throw line. In conference action alone, he averaged 15.7 points per game, shot 59.8 percent from the field and 54.4 percent from three-point range.
For his efforts, Thiam was named a First Team All-Southern Conference selection and helped the Pioneers to a Southern Conference Championship. The team also qualified for the Junior College National Tournament where he was named to the FCSAA/NJCAA Region VIII All-Tournament Team. The Pioneers finished the season 20-4 overall and 10-2 in league play and advanced to the Elite Eight. Â
As a high school senior with Dr. Phillips High School, Thiam averaged 17.6 ppg, most notably had 34 points en route to a Class 7A, District 3 title. In 27 games played, Thiam had a team-best 476 points and averaged seven rebounds per game. He was also named a First Team All-Orlando Metro selection in 2019-20 as the team went 20-8 that season. In 2018-19, Thiam broke the Dr. Phillips single-season school record for three pointers (90) when he hit seven of eight shot attempts in the season-ending regional quarterfinal.
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Hailing from Orlando, Fla., Thiam was a standout at Dr. Phillips High School and spent a season at Indian River State College. He'll begin practice with the Maroon and Gold next week and has four years of eligibility remaining.Â
"I'm so excited to have Laye join the Gopher program," head coach Ben Johnson said. "He's such a gritty player who's been a proven winner at both the high school and junior college level. Laye is a good shooter, loves to compete and works extremely hard. I cannot wait to get him in the gym next week as he starts his Gopher career."
Thiam, a 6-3 guard, played his first collegiate season at Indian River State College. Last year, he averaged 15 points per game, was 56 percent from the field and had a 48.6 three-point shooting percentage. Seeing action in all 24 games, Thiam scored double figures in 20 of them and also went 69.8 percent at the free throw line. In conference action alone, he averaged 15.7 points per game, shot 59.8 percent from the field and 54.4 percent from three-point range.
For his efforts, Thiam was named a First Team All-Southern Conference selection and helped the Pioneers to a Southern Conference Championship. The team also qualified for the Junior College National Tournament where he was named to the FCSAA/NJCAA Region VIII All-Tournament Team. The Pioneers finished the season 20-4 overall and 10-2 in league play and advanced to the Elite Eight. Â
As a high school senior with Dr. Phillips High School, Thiam averaged 17.6 ppg, most notably had 34 points en route to a Class 7A, District 3 title. In 27 games played, Thiam had a team-best 476 points and averaged seven rebounds per game. He was also named a First Team All-Orlando Metro selection in 2019-20 as the team went 20-8 that season. In 2018-19, Thiam broke the Dr. Phillips single-season school record for three pointers (90) when he hit seven of eight shot attempts in the season-ending regional quarterfinal.
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