Jan 23, 2008 6:01 pm US/Central
Meet Lake Forest's International B-Ball Team
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (CBS) ―
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Lake Forest Academy's basketball team has an international flavor and a pair of players that have caught the eye of college scouts -- seven-feet tall players Aziz Ndaiye from Africa and Kyle Rowley from Trinidad.
CBS
There is a high school team in the area that doesn't come to mind when you mention basketball. But this year, Lake Forest Academy's team has an international flavor and a pair of players that have caught the eye of college scouts, as CBS 2's Howard Sudberry reports.
This is not your typical high school -- far from it. Lake Forest Academy has only 370 students. It sits on an 11-acre wooded campus where half the students live in dorms.
"I think it's a unique spot in this area," said coach Matt Vaughn. "I don't know if everyone knew about us for awhile, but I think basketball's helped give us some attention."
Since this academics-first school isn't your typical high school, you wouldn't expect them to have a typical basketball team and they don't. They have an international roster that features not one, but two 7-footers.
When asked how many schools or teams in the area that have two, seven-footers, Vaughn said, "I think the only team around here that's probably similar is the Bulls."
Aziz Ndaiye is 7' 1'' and he is from Senegal, Africa. Kyle Rowley is 7 feet tall; he is from Trinidad. They are talented players who are learning the game and a new culture.
"Everything was difficult," Rowley said. "It took me a little while to get my feet on the ground, get everything settled, but people in the community did a great job welcoming me and making me feel at home."
"I'm improving a lot -- my English, but everyday in the United States I learn a new thing," Ndaiye said.
"Those kids really enjoy the Americanization of the culture and music and TV and all that stuff," Vaughn said.
College scouts are flocking to get a look at the 7 footers, who both have goals of eventually playing in the NBA.
The team features players from Senegal, Trinidad, Poland, China, as well as kids from the Chicago area.
Illinois, DePaul, Northwestern, and Wisconsin are among the schools that have scouted the Lake Forest prospects.
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