Samkelo Cele

Last updated

Samkelo Cele
No. 25–Cape Town Tigers
Position Guard
League BAL
Personal information
Born (1997-12-28) 28 December 1997 (age 26)
Durban, South Africa
Listed height1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Listed weight95 kg (209 lb)
Career information
High school Durban High School
(Durban, South Africa)
Bull City Prep Academy
(Charlotte, North Carolina)
College Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (2019–2021)
Marist (2021–2022)
USAO
(2022–2023)
Playing career2015–present
Career history
2023–present Cape Town Tigers
Career highlights and awards

Samkelo "Sam" Cele (born 28 December 1997) is a South African professional basketball player who plays for the Cape Town Tigers of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). He was an BAL All-Defensive Team selection in 2023, while playing for the Tigers.

Contents

Early life

Born in Durban, Cele received a basketball scholarship for Durban High School, one of the best schools in the city. After graduating in 2016, he moved to the United States to play for Bull City Prep in Charlotte, North Carolina. Cele also attended a basketball camp in Serbia in 2015. [1] Cele played with the KwaZulu Marlins of the South African top tier Basketball National League (BNL) in 2015, at age 17.

College career

Cele played for Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College for two years, [2] for Southern University for one year in 2020–21, and Marist College in 2021–22. With the Marist Red Foxes, Cele started in 27 games. [3]

He then finished his career with the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in the NAIA, because he was ineligible to continue in the NCAA, and was named an All-American third-team selection in 2023. [1] He averaged 20.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 52.8% from the field and 41.3% on three-pointers. [4]

Professional career

In 2023, Cele signed his first professional contract with the South African team Cape Town Tigers of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). On 6 May, 2023, on the final day of the Nile Conference, Cele scored 28 points in a win over City Oilers, that clinched the Tigers' playoff spot. [1] [5] He was named to the BAL All-Defensive Team for the 2023 BAL season. [6] Cele averaged 13 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2.5 steals per game and shot 46.8 percent from the field in his four BAL games. [7]

National team career

Cele made his debut for the South Africa national team in February 2024 during the pre-qualifiers for AfroBasket 2025. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ater Majok</span> Lebanese basketball player (born 1987)

Ater James "AJ" Majok is a professional basketball player for US Monastir of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Born in Sudan and raised in Australia, Majok represents Lebanon internationally. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2011 NBA draft with the 58th overall pick. Standing at 6 ft 11 in, Majok mostly stands out with his athletic and defensive abilities. He was the BAL Defensive Player of the Year in 2022.

Christopher James Gabriel is a South African basketball player for the Cape Town Tigers and the South Africa national basketball team.

Ezinne Kalu is a Nigerian-American basketball player for Landerneau Bretagne Basket and the Nigerian national team. In the 2017, 2019 and 2021 Afrobasket events, she represented D'Tigress, Africa's highest-ranked side and won three straight championship for them. She was named 2019 Women's Afrobasket Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Daniel Pieter Prinsloo is a South African professional basketball player who currently plays for Universidad de Concepción of Chile. Prinsloo has also played for the South Africa national team. Standing at 2.08 m, he plays as power forward or center.

Adjehi Nonma Baru is an Ivorian professional basketball player. He also represents the Ivory Coast national basketball team. He played college basketball for College of Charleston Cougars men's basketball

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bamba Diallo</span> Senegalese basketball player

Cheikh Bamba "C.B." Diallo is a Senegalese basketball player for AS Loon plage Basket and the Senegal national team. Standing at 1.91 m, he mainly plays as shooting guard.

Dhieu Abwok Deing is an American-South Sudanese basketball player forCape Town Tigers of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). He played college basketball for the USC Aiken Pacers, Dodge City CC Conquistadors, and UTSA Roadrunners.

Dang Acuoth is an Australian-South Sudanese professional basketball player. Standing at 2.08 m, he plays as center.

Nisre Mimi Zouzoua is an American-Ivorian basketball player who plays for Aix Maurienne Savoie Basket and Ivory Coast. Standing at 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m), he plays as a shooting guard.

Miguel Pedro Ho Ferrão is a South African-Portuguese basketball player for the Western Cape Mountaineers. In international competitions, Ferrão represents South Africa, although he competed for Portugal in the youth ranks.

Lehlogonolo "Hlogi"Sechaba Tholo is a South African basketball player for Cape Town Tigers and the South Africa national basketball team.

Thubelihle Thabo Sithole is a South African basketball player for Cape Town Tigers and the South Africa national basketball team.

David Deng Kongor Deng, also known as Dikong, is a South Sudanese basketball player, who plays for Dynamo of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Standing at 2.04 m, he plays as power forward.

Brice Dieudonne Eyaga Bidias is a Cameroonian basketball player who plays for FAP and the Cameroon national basketball team.

Evans Ganapamo is a French-Central African professional basketball player for Bangui Sporting Club. He played college basketball at the University of New Orleans and Prairie View A&M University. Internationally, Ganapamo represents the Central African Republic national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aliou Diarra</span> Malian basketball player (born 2001)

Aliou Fadiala Diarra is a Malian professional basketball player for FUS Rabat. Diarra was recruited on outside courts by Stade Malien and was an unknown in professional basketball circles until he gained attention in 2023 for his performance in the Basketball Africa League (BAL). In his rookie season, he was named the BAL Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the All-BAL First Team.

Thierry Serge Darlan is a Central African professional basketball player who last played for Bangui Sporting Club of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). He is a graduate of the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal. Darlan also plays for the Central African Republic national team.

Falando Cortez Jones is an American professional basketball player who last played for the City Oilers of the Ugandan NBL and the Basketball Africa League (BAL). He was the scoring champion of the BAL in the 2023 season.

The 2024 BAL playoffs will be the postseason tournament of the 2024 BAL season to determine the champions of the 4th Basketball Africa League (BAL) season. The playoffs will begin on 24 May 2024 with the seeding games and finish on 1 June 2024 with the final. For a fourth consecutive season, the playoffs will be hosted in the BK Arena in Kigali.

Nkosinathi Sibanyoni is a South African professional basketball player for the Cape Town Tigers of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) and Basketball National League (BNL). Standing at 2.08 m, he plays as center and has also played for the South Africa national team. Sibanyoni has been a key part of the Tigers in their BAL seasons and holds the record for most rebounds in a BAL game. He is nicknamed "Nahi".

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The rise of Samkelo Cele, South Africa's best NBA hope since... Steve Nash". ESPN.com. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  2. ↑ "Samkelo Cele - 2020-21 - MEN'S BASKETBALL". Southern University. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  3. ↑ "Samkelo Cele - Men's Basketball". Marist College Athletics. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  4. ↑ "Samkelo Cele". University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  5. ↑ "LiveStats". geniussports.com. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  6. ↑ "Diarra, Omot, Gueye, Perry Highlight 2023 BAL Awards". The BAL. 28 May 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  7. ↑ Proballers. "Samkelo Cele, Basketball Player". Proballers. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "South Africa to unleash their inner dog in AfroBasket pre-qualifier battle against Mozambique". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.