At long last, Scotland Campus Sports’ Karim Coulibaly has committed to Pittsburgh. There was much speculation enveloping a potential commitment to Pitt this weekend.
The thinking proved prophetic as the 6-foot-9, 225-pound Coulibaly made it official on Friday.
“The visit went great and the whole campus showed me a lot of love,” Coulibaly said.
“Coach Milan Brown, he has been recruiting me since I was in ninth grade at (Saint Vincent) Palotti. I’ve known him the longest. Coach (Jeff) Capel, he’s got a great knowledge of the game. He coached at Duke. I trust these guys and know they will make me better.”
Coulibaly took an official visit the weekend of Feb.2, watching Syracuse’s 65-56 win over the Panthers.
He said the school’s passionate fan base and an array of alumni and former players made it clear there was a demand for him.
A native of Mali, Africa, Coulibaly’s commanding interior presence and deft left handed scoring acumen should offer immediate contributions for the Panthers, which is currently dealing with a dearth of bigs.
Coulibaly recalled several strangers approaching him during the Syracuse game, addressing him by name and using their powers of persuasion to sell him on the tight-knit culture at Pitt.
“I was on my way to the bathroom (during Pitt vs. Syracuse) and some guy stopped me and said, ‘we need you here next year. We want you at Pitt.’ They showed me a lot of love on my visit, everyone did.”
A well-built face-up four man, Coulibaly has a rare skill set for a player of his size and build. While he’s best known for his ability to carom rebounds and block and alter shots, he possesses a manipulative one on one game in the low post.
He’s also shown an ability to hit shots from 15-18 feet out and knock down the occasional 3-pointer. During a recent pair of victories over IMG Academy and Mount Zion Prep (Md.) at the Military Circuit at Massanutten Military Academy (Va.) Coulibaly displayed a feathery baby hook.
During his past two seasons at Scotland Campus Sports, Coulibaly has shown an inside-outside game and defensive versatility in being able to guard the 1-5. He’s been instrumental in leading the Knights to a 30-0 campaign and No.1 national ranking.
Part of Coulibaly’s evolution, according to head coach Chris Chaney, has entailed buying into the leadership component and turning in monumental plays on colossal stages of the season.
“Karim has grown as a player and will be ready to contribute right away at Pitt,” said Chaney, who has helped nurture the development of bigs such as Hassan Whiteside, Jordan Hill, and Joey Dorsey during his long and illustrious prep career.
“He has grown as a player. He has an unreal work ethic, he’s very competitive and skilled in all areas. And as talented as he is on the court, he’s an even better person off the court.”
Coulibaly recently scored 22 points in 20 minutes, including five dunks, during a thorough 113-70 mauling of NTSI Orlando. Coulibaly went off for 41 points and 18 rebounds during a win over Rocktop Academy (Pa.).
He was the focal point in Scotland Campus’ recent 88-83 win over Mount Zion, scoring 16 points to go with seven rebounds.
Coulibaly cited rebounding as one of the best attributes of his game. He would say he is still vowing to improve in that compartment, expecting more from himself as the program nears the post-season.
Under the guidance of Chaney, Coulibaly noted, he’s been able to make playing hard a livelihood.
“Coach Chaney, he can be an NBA coach,” Coulibaly said.
“I sincerely believe that. He just prepares me for everything at the next level with his culture, making sure I play hard at all times. That’s been the best about this experience, learning to never let up and play hard at all times no matter what the score is.”
Coulibaly wasn’t always a basketball player. Growing up in Mali, soccer was his first labor of love.
As he reached his teenage years, however, several people in his corner pushed him to devote more time to basketball.
After he quickly underwent a massive growth spurt during the ninth grade, Coulibaly recalls his family urging him to give up soccer and focus solely on basketball.
His older brothers and his sister both played basketball for the national team.
“They were doing things I never could have imagined, traveling on airplanes and going to different countries and playing in tournaments,” Coulibaly recalled. “They said because of my height, I needed to start playing. I played both soccer and basketball and then went to basketball fully.”
