Djibril Kante (born April 12, 1980) is an American basketball player who played professionally in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL), the Argentine National Basketball League, the Chilean Liga Nacional Movistar, Uruguay's

Liga Uruguaya de Basketball Liga (Spanish and Portuguese: ''League'') or LIGA may refer to: Sports Basketball * Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain * Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, women's professional basketball league in Spain Football Latin Amer ...

and last played for LaSalle-UPB Cochabamba in Bolivia's Libobasquet. Kante, a 6'8" forward from

Bloomington High School North Bloomington High School North (often referred to as BHSN or simply North) opened in the fall of 1972, is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in the northern part of Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Monroe ...

Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in Monroe County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. The population was 79,168 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-most populous city in Indiana and ...

, had an outstanding high school career; as a junior, he led his team to a 28–1 record and the last (1997) single class State championship; arguably the last true state title in Indiana's storied basketball history. After his senior year, he was selected as an Indiana All-Star. He and his teammates were among the main subjects of William Gildea's 1997 book, ''Where the Game Matters Most''. He chose to play collegiately at

Indiana State University Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified ...

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and Terre Haute metropolitan area, its metropolitan area had a populati ...

. While there, Kante was a two-year starter and as a sophomore in the 1999–2000 season led the Sycamores to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 21 years; as a junior he led them to an MVC Tournament title and a return to the NCAA tournament. He finished his college career with a MVC championship (2000) and an MVC Tourney title (2001); he is currently #7 in rebounds (669) and #3 in blocked shots (127). He was named to four MVC teams during his career – the 1999 MVC All-Newcomer Team, the 2001 MVC Most-Improved Team, the 2002 MVC All-Academic Team (1st Team) and the 2002 MVC All-Conference Team (Honorable Mention). He was also part of two historic wins against state rival Indiana University; in the 1999 Indiana Classic on IU's home court and again in 2000 when his rebound and outlet to Michael Menser gave the Sycamores another win against

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. Following the close of his college career, Kante played in Argentina's National Basketball League for several teams; winning the Argentinian Cup and LigA Championship Kante is still playing basketball, currently with Regatas in the Argentinian League.

References

External links

Indiana State bioEurobasket profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kante, Djibril 1980 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Argentina American expatriate basketball people in Australia American expatriate basketball people in Chile American expatriate basketball people in Uruguay American men's basketball players Atenas basketball players Canberra Cannons players Ciclista Olímpico players Club Malvín basketball players Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball players Power forwards Regatas Corrientes basketball players Basketball players from Bloomington, Indiana