March 20, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Quentin Snider (2) moves the ball against UC Irvine Anteaters center Mamadou Ndiaye (34) and guard Alex Young (1) during the first half of the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at KeyArena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
The Golden State Warriors, famous for their small-ball, made waves by drafting 7-footer Damian Jones with their first pick in Thursday's NBA Draft. Then they made bigger ones with a bigger center -- 7-foot-6 Mamdou Ndiaye.
The former UC Irvine standout wasn't drafted, but he announced he'll "pursue my NBA dream" with the Warriors, playing for them in summer league.
Ndiaye, a 22-year-old native of Senegal, was a first-team All-Big West selection and conference defensive player of the year last season, helping the Anteaters win a program-best 28 games. He averaged 12.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 67.3 percent and breaking the school record for blocked shots in his career (218).
The only 7-footer on the Warriors' roster is veteran Andrew Bogut. Big men Marreese Speights (6-10), Anderson Varejao and Festus Ezeli (both 6-11) all are free agents.
If Ndiaye makes the NBA, he'd be the second player with that name to play in the league. The first, Mamadou N'Diaye, was a 7-footer drafted by Denver with the 26th pick in the 2000 draft. He played five seasons and averaged 3.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 69 games with the Raptors, Hawks, Mavs and Clippers.
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