By Matt Levins The Hawk Eye
SCC sophomore guard escapes the mean streets of New York City.
For many young people, basketball is a game, something to pass the time of day, a sport to enjoy with friends.
For Boubacar Kamissoko, basketball was an escape, a ticket out of the rough streets of the Bronx in New York City, an area which swallows up many youths in the gang violence in a downward spiral.
Kamissoko's ticket out brought him to Southeastern Community College this year, where he is a sophomore guard for the Blackhawks.
Kamissoko is making the most of his opportunity with the Blackhawks, who are ranked 16th in the latest NJCAA Division I poll. Kamissoko, a 6-foot-2 guard, is averaging 12 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals for the 18-5 Blackhawks.
Basketball has taken Kamissoko places he otherwise never even dreamed up and proved to be an escape for what to many is a nightmare.
"It was tough. I made it out, so you just have to keep going," Kamissoko said. "There were a lot of gangs. A bunch of that. But I tried to stay away from that and stay focused. Without basketball I wouldn't be traveling as much as I am. I have no clue what I would be doing."
"I'm proud of him. He comes to work every day. I told him, 'What you put into it is what you're going to get out of it.' He's done a great job," SCC head coach Lorenzo Watkins said. "He has opened up a little bit more than he had in the first half of the season by communicating and talking to our guys, which is great. He's Steady Eddie. What you see is what you get. He is never going to try to do anything that he can't do. That's what's going to make him not just a good player, but a great player someday."
Kamissoko, who played last year at Hutchinson (Kansas) Junior College, averaged 6.4 points and 2.7 rebounds there. But Kamissoko was looking for something more. Ironically, what he wants more than anything else is a trip back to Hutchinson to play in the NJCAA Championship Tournament.
Kamissoko got in touch with SCC assistant coach Trent Wolf. That got the ball rolling for Kamissoko to transfer to SCC.
"It's fine. I'm enjoying it. I like it. I like it a lot," Kamissoko said. "I saw how good they were last year and I was interested. Then I had a relationship with the coaching staff. Coach Wolf. I got close with him and that's how I ended up transferring here."
Kamissoko is a product of the legendary playgrounds in the Bronx, where he got the chance to play against NBA and NCAA Division I players. Kamissoko learned from those players, adding to his arsenal of moves. It all helped him get a ticket out of the Bronx, a chance many of the playground legends never get.
"Dyckman and Holcombe Rucker, stuff like that. Goucho's Gym. Legenday places," Kamissoko said. "It gets you better. It was fun, really, playing against all those guys. I played against a lot of NBA players. I played against guys like Justin Wright-Foreman. I learned just how they come in daily and work hard and don't take possessions off. That's what I'm trying to get better at."
While Kamissoko is putting up solid numbers offensively, it is on the defensive end where he is most valuable to the Blackhawks. Kamissoko has become a lockdown defender for the Blackhawks, the person who is assigned to the opposing team's best player and make them work for everything they get. When you play for Watkins, you either play tough, hard-nosed defense or you don't play.
"Just solid. He is just as solid as can be. That's the only thing I can say about him. He plays at the same pace all the time," Watkins said. "I think what doesn't show up is nobody sees who he guards at the other end every night. He's guarded Chris Childs (of Indian Hills). He's guarded (Indian Hills' Tyon) Grant-Foster. He's guarded (Josiah) Strong at Iowa Western. He's guarded (Northeast's Emmette) Page. He's doing it on both ends of the floor. He's not just a facilitator offensively. He is taking up the challenge, with Carlos, of guarding the other team's best player."
No matter the outcome, Kamissoko earned his ticket out of the Bronx and he is going to make the most of his chance.
"I'm just doing liberal studies right now. Hopefully I will pick a major at the next level," Kamissoko said. "Win conference and make it to Hutch.It's exciting. I'm meeting friends and brothers I'm going to be friends with for life. It's fun."
