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It didn’t take long for the newest Mad Ant to make an impression.
Cheikh Samb, the 7-foot-1 center sent from the Detroit Pistons who made his Ants debut Thursday, not only won the opening tip, but also caught it.
Samb, a rookie from Senagal, is the perfect example why the NBA has its Development League.
Seeing limited time in Detroit, the Pistons sent their promising prospect for seasoning in the NBA D-League, where the Ants faced Dakota on Thursday at Memorial Coliseum.
“He’s obviously a very good defender, shot-blocker, rebounder, but surprisingly I think he’s got a nice offensive game,” Ants president and general manager Jeff Potter said during the third quarter. “He is so long. When he shoots a hook, his arm is just straight up, and it can’t be challenged.”
Samb, with the wingspan of a pterodactyl and the footprint (size 23) of a T-Rex brings a new dimension to the Ants.
In the first few minutes alone, Samb plucked an offensive rebound out of the sky on Jeremy Richardson’s missed shot, then handed off to Corey Minnifield, whose jump shot evened the score at 2 with 10:51 left.
On the Ants’ next trip down the floor, Samb caught a hard pass from Minnifield – the kind often dropped by centers – then hit a half-hook from the left baseline to give the Mad Ants a 4-2 lead.
Playing all 12 minutes of the first quarter and sitting out most of the second, Samb had six points on 3-of-4 shooting, had two blocks, four rebounds a steal and a turnover.
He came out even better to start the second half.
With the Ants trailing 63-52, Fort Wayne got within 66-62, with much of the surge coming from Samb.
When he blocked Dakota’s Rod Benson on the Ants’ first possession of the third quarter, it started a fast break that led to an Earl Calloway layup. Samb blocked Kevin Lyde underneath the basket that led to a dunk from Richardson. Samb then hit a fade-away jumper to make the score 66-60, and Richardson added a floater to get the Ants within 66-62.
“All he has to do is get stronger,” Potter said. “He’s going to have a chance.”
stwarden@jg.net
