No one celebrated Georgia State’s Sun Belt championship with more gusto than Eliel Nsoseme. Amid the commotion after the game – hats and T-shirts being passed out, streamers flying through the air, music blaring – Nsoseme could be seen hugging, grabbing and screaming. There might have been a tear mixed in there, too.
“He plays with his heart; he plays with great passion,” said coach Rob Lanier, who quietly watched it all unfold. “He’s amazing, just a joy to coach. Great young man. Great leader. Tremendous player, better person.”
Few could have appreciated the championship and a trip to the NCAAs more than the 6-foot-8, 235-pound Nsoseme, who six years ago was a teenager with big dreams living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was a kid who played soccer until he got too big for the other boys and was escorted to the basketball court.
Now Nsoseme – pronounced eh-lee-EL so-SIM-may – is on the verge of competing on one of the bigger stages in college athletics, becoming part of a world he used to watch in wonder in the early morning on his family’s television.
Georgia State opens the NCAA Tournament at 4:15 p.m. Thursday against No. 1 Gonzaga. The game can be heard locally on WRAS-FM 88.5.
“My goal was to be able to come back and help the team. All the squats, all the pain coming from my knee from jumping and not being able to sleep at night, it's definitely worth it."
When he was 18, Nsoseme left his home for an opportunity to play basketball for Rise Centre Academy in Brantford, Ontario. His mother, Nicole, didn’t want him to leave the close family, but his dad, Jean, signed off, and his journey began. He hasn’t seen his parents, his brother or three of his four sisters since, but said he prays for them each morning and speaks to them often.
As soon as he arrived in Canada, Nsoseme began to second-guess his decision to move half a world away.
“I remember when I got out at the airport, the cold was in my face, and when I got home I called my dad and said I wanted to come back,” Nsoseme said. “He said, ‘No, you’d better stay there.’ It was a little tough going from a place where it was hot all the time to a place where it was cold all the time.”
There also was a language barrier. Nsoseme’s native language is French, and he spoke no English. That made school more difficult and caused him to dig deeper and try harder. Perseverance has become his signature, on and off the court. Today his English, with a French brogue, is outstanding.
He signed with Cincinnati, played there two seasons and made a trip to the NCAAs with the Bearcats before deciding to transfer to Georgia State, where his career has taken off. As a junior, Nsoseme became only the seventh player in program history to average a double-double and helped the Panthers reach the conference championship game.
This season has been more difficult. A knee injury kept him out until early January, and the team was struggling while he tried to regain his form.
“It was definitely one of the hardest years of my life to just be on the bench and not be able to help the team,” he said. “We were just losing and losing, so I just went hard in the training room and trying to get better. My goal was to be able to come back and help the team. All the squats, all the pain coming from my knee from jumping and not being able to sleep at night, it’s definitely worth it.”
Nsoseme’s reaction after a loss to Coastal Carolina is credited for helping galvanize the team. He had missed a couple of free throws, and the Panthers lost in overtime. Afterward, the big guy was almost inconsolable and was sequestered in the recesses of the locker room. Instead of having their regular postgame meeting, the whole team went to surround and support their teammate.
“It was a sad moment because I felt bad for him, but in that moment we all forgot about the game, and we’re all worried about Ellie,” Lanier said.
Since then the team has lost only once. Georgia State has won 10 in a row and 12 of its past 13.
This year, Nsoseme has played in 17 games and averaged 9.4 points and 9.8 rebounds. He never was better than in the Sun Belt Tournament, coming up with a double-double in each of the three games, including a 12-point, 13-rebound effort against Louisiana-Lafayette in the championship game.
“The last year with COVID and everything, it was tough, you know?” Nsoseme said. “It was just a relief. We did it, and I’m so proud of the guys on the team, all the staff and coaches. It’s just a blessing.”
Nsoseme, a perpetual presence on the honor roll or dean’s list, has graduated with a degree in film and media and is working on his master’s degree. He could return for a COVID-19 extra season but is not likely to do so. “I haven’t decided anything yet, but I think maybe it’s time for me to go to a different path,” he said.
Credit: AJ Henderson / Sun Belt Conferen
Credit: AJ Henderson / Sun Belt Conferen
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