Q&A: Mali Native Bakary Konate Commits to Gophers, Brings Rim Protection to Minnesota

Bakary Konate, a 6-11 senior center from Wichita (KS) Sunrise Christian Academy, became the fifth player to commit to Minnesota when he announced that he will play for the Gophers next fall Wednesday.

 

Gopher Hole talked to Sunrise Christian Academy Prep head coach Luke Barnwell to learn the latest on his standout big man’s decision.

 

Gopher Hole: Bakary committed to Minnesota today. What was the main reason for him deciding to commit at this time?

 

Luke Barnwell: He went on a visit in February and from there I could tell that he really, really enjoyed it. He could kind of see himself playing there. He liked the way that they played. He liked how they pressed. He likes that style of play and how they move the ball. He has been focused on his academic stuff and getting that done. He had the opportunity to maybe taking a few other visits, but he felt that was the place that he really wanted to be . He felt comfortable there, so he didn’t really want to waste anybody’s time anymore and he was done.

 

Gopher Hole: He was originally supposed to visit Tulane last weekend, but decided to cancel his visit, right?

 

Luke Barnwell: Yes.

 

Gopher Hole: Minnesota got interest in Bakary after recruiting Sunrise Christian guard Lourawls “Tum-Tum” Nairn, is that right?

 

Luke Barnwell: Yes. They were in a lot in the fall recruiting “Tum.” Coach and them did a really job recruiting “Tum.” They came in quite a bit and of course, he is not the only guy that we have in our program, so they got a chance to see everyone else. You don’t miss Bakary when you see him. He is big and he moves very well. That was probably the first time that they laid eyes on him and they started recruiting him from then on. 

 

Gopher Hole: The average Minnesota fan has not gotten a chance to see him play. How would you describe him as a player? What are his strengths?

 

Luke Barnwell: He is legitimately 6-11, probably 6-11 ½. He is very long. He has long arms. Long legs. Right now, the impact that he would have would be protecting the rim defensively and rebounding. He has a really big upper body. His frame is great. Defensively, he is good enough right now and offensively what he does best, which would surprise people if you saw him walk in the gym because of the way that he is built, is that he is actually a really good shooter from the perimeter. He can make threes. He is a consistent shooter from the three-point line and in, so he is fairly skills. You just have to get him a little more comfortable on the block and that will come with more upper body strength as he gets older.

 

Gopher Hole: What are some of the things that he needs to continue to improve on to play at that next level?

 

Luke Barnwell: I just say probably as he is transferring from high school to college, the speed of the game is going to be difficult, but that is for everybody. The most important thing for him is his lower body strength. He has a huge upper body and he has to develop his lower body to where he can sit down on people and move them around a little bit more.

 

Gopher Hole: I know that you have a lot of foreign players who have done very well at the school. How did you first become involved with him?

 

Luke Barnwell: He was in Spain playing and we had Sebastian Saiz, who played at Ole Miss as a freshman. They have kind of known each other for years, just competing against each other. He got to see Sebastian come here for a year. Sebastian put on 25 pounds of good weight and went to Ole Miss and had a pretty good freshman year. Him and Sebastian had a relationship and Sebastian said that he should come here and had the opportunity to speak to him I think it was good for Bakary and we were excited to have him. 

 

Gopher Hole: What was his adjustment like? Was that his first time coming to America?

 

Luke Barnwell: It was his first time. His English wasn’t great. He is from Mali, so spoke French first. Went to Spain and learned Spanish and came here with a little bit of English, so it took him a little bit of time to adjust to that and once he became a little more comfortable you can talk to him right now like a normal kid. It took him a little time to adjust to the language and the culture and the food, but he learned quick. He is very sharp and he is a great kid, so we never had an problems with him off the floor. He was a joy to teach and help him learn English and what the heck to do in America and all that good stuff.

 

Gopher Hole: I know that you have guys from all over the world on your team. Did that help because a lot of those kids were going through the same things as Bakary?

 

Luke Barnwell: Yes. We even had him room with another Spanish kid that played on the high school team. They came in a little bit timid, but they could speak to each other in Spanish and help each other throughout and translate a little bit. It is a new world for a lot of our players, so to be able to do it with someone else makes it a lot easier.  

 

Gopher Hole: What about your dealings with him just as a kid one-on-one?

 

Luke Barnwell: You are not going to find a better kid than him. He is always smiling and he kind of lights a room up and he is fun to be around and fun to coach.

 

Gopher Hole: I think that he just took the ACT recently. Is he just waiting on his score? Is that the only thing holding him up right now?

 

Luke Barnwell: Yes. He is very close. He is very, very close and we’re anticipating that he should be able to get into school and it shouldn’t be a problem. Each time he has taken it, he has gotten better. He is very close and has worked his tail off and I sure that he gets what he needs to get. I think he will.

 

Gopher Hole: Do you think a lot of that, to be honest, is becoming more comfortable with the English language?

 

Luke Barnwell: Absolutely. That is it. It is not intelligence with him. He is a very bright young man. It is learning the language and the English language is one of the harder ones to learn and all that stuff that comes with it. To be able to understand what he is reading is obviously a huge deal when taking a test like that. Each time, he gets better because he is more comfortable with the language.