Fatou Diagne, first SEED Girl to attend U.S. University, signs with Purdue

Standing at 6’5, Fatou Diagne was never comfortable with her height until she discovered basketball at the age of 14.

Having grown up near the SEED Academy facility in Thies, Senegal, she aspired to one day be a member of the prestigious prep school (the first basketball student-athlete academy in Africa).  However, without a SEED girls team and limited opportunities for girls to play basketball in Senegal, she did not know if her dreams would ever come true.  When SEED Girls launched in 2013, Fatou was one of the first girls to attend the tryout, and impressed the coaches with her work ethic and drive to succeed.

Fatou entered SEED Academy’s inaugural girls class as a senior in high school - an extremely challenging year for Senegalese students.  Seniors are required to pass the daunting BAC exam (31% national pass rate) to move on to college.  Despite attracting interest from top universities in the U.S. to attend school on a basketball scholarship, Fatou failed the exam and was forced to repeat her senior year.

Fatou returned to SEED in 2014 and, to her surprise, was elected captain of the team.  She fought through adversity and had an outstanding year that culminated with her passing the BAC and earning a scholarship to attend Florida Gulf Coast Junior College in the U.S -- Fatou is the first SEED Girl to attend university in the U.S.

In her first year (2015-16) at Florida Gulf Coast she helped lead her team to a #1 National Ranking and a NJCAA National Championship.  And just this past month, Fatou announced that she will be signing with the Purdue Boilermakers, one of the top teams in the country, where she will compete for the next three years.

While basketball has played a significant role in her life, it does not define her.  Fatou wishes to return to Senegal after university and invest in her country’s development.  Specifically, she wants to create more opportunities for young women to succeed in her country and to make sure that all young Senegalese girls have the same opportunity to play sports and go to school like her male classmates.

Fatou over the years

Showdown in Miami: 3v3 Tournament

On October 15th, we teamed-up with Assist NYC and Fast Twitch to host Showdown in Miami, a 3v3 basketball tournament to raise funds for SEED programs.  Set in Little Haiti, Miami at Fast Twitch's beautiful facility, 8 teams competed in a competitive tournament that saw Team SEED take down Team Fast Twitch in the finals.

Later in the evening, the party continued at The Anderson where drink specials benefited SEED.

A huge thank you to all of our teams, attendees and sponsors for helping us raise $4,500 for SEED programs in Senegal and The Gambia.

If you couldn't attend, and would like to donate, please do so below!

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Sponsors

ASSIST NYC         FAST TWITCH          THE ANDERSON         THE GALE          VISTA WORLDLINK

 

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SEED x Basketball Without Borders

SEED Students Shine at NBA's Basketball Without Borders Camp

This year, the 14th annual Basketball Without Borders Camp (September 1-4) for the top 87 African student-athletes under 18, boys and girls, was held in Angola.  Joined by NBA players, coaches and personnel, SEED sent our largest group ever with 5 boys, 5 girls, and 2 coaches in attendance.  Campers enjoyed four days of basketball skills clinics, competitive games, elite coaching from top professionals, team-building activities, and cultural excursions around the country.

This year, following in the footsteps of SEED alumni before them, both the Boys and Girls MVP awards for the camp were given to SEED students.  On the boys side, Cheikh Faye, a senior at SEED and recent Baccalaureate recipient, stood above the rest of his competition and was honored with the MVP award.  This was particularly rewarding for Cheikh as he bounced back from failing the BAC last year and had a tremendous year both in the classroom and on the court at SEED this year. 

On the girls side, BWB invited young women from outside of South Africa for the first time ever, and our SEED Girls shined bright.  The camp culminated with SEED Girl's own Bigeye Sarr taking home the MVP of the All-Star game.  All of the girls and their coach shared a memorable experience together, and look forward to attending more BWB camps in the future.

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Homage to Sidibe

Malick Sidibe Inspired Photobooth

This past April, the iconic Malian photographer, Malick Sidibe, passed away at the age of 81.  Sidibe captured the exuberance of the newly independent Mali in the 1960s and 70s, and his timeless images continue to inspire people around the world today.

At our annual Summer Party (July 27th), we paid homage to Sidibe by re-creating one of his famous sets - always modest and often covered in patterned fabric.

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Giants of Senegal

SEED Project x Giants of Africa

Two of the leading sport for development organizations in Africa team-up to inspire African youth this summer

Amadou Fall (VP NBA Africa) and Masai Ujiri (President Toronto Raptors) are two of the most influential figures when it comes to shaping how the game of basketball is used to inspire African youth.  After all, this is personal for them.  Amadou (Senegal, SEED Founder) and Masai (Nigeria, Giants of Africa Founder) have both used the game to elevate their career paths and have each, respectively, founded organizations that are committed to using basketball as a tool for social, economic and personal development.

Each summer, Giants of Africa (based in Nigeria) hosts a series of basketball / life skills camps across Africa.  This year, GOA is beginning their tour in Senegal (August 7-9) and will partner with SEED to serve hundreds of youth around the country with basketball clinics and valuable leadership & life skills seminars.  GOA will continue their camps across the continent:  Ghana (Aug 12-14), Nigeria (Aug 16-18), Kenya (Aug 19-22), Rwanda (Aug 23-25), Botswana (Aug 26-29).

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