GOAZCATS.com - Mohamed Tangara striving for pro contract

May 14, 2009

Jason Nimrichter
GOAZCATS.com Staff Writer

Former Arizona forward Mohamed Tangara traveled a tough road on his way through college. The former Mt. Zion Christian Academy star and native of Mali chose UA over a handful of schools back in 2004 and originally came to the Wildcats with very high expectations.

However, those expectations dwindled early in his career when Tangara suffered a back injury that limited him throughout the course of his time at Arizona.

Despite having a lot of potential and talent coming out of high school, Tangara was forced to make a decision towards the end of his time at UA.

It was then that he decided to transfer to Division II Chaminade where he would not only be able to play basketball for another year, but play significant minutes.

Tangara had a solid year for the Silverswords where he put up 14.4 points per game, while grabbing 8.7 rebounds. He also averaged 29.4 minutes of playing time each contest and shot an impressive 82.6% from the free throw line.

Tangara is currently being represented by former temporary Wildcat Matt Babcock and Babcock says that Tangara has no intention of ending his basketball dream now that his collegiate days are behind him.

"Really, we are just trying to get a solid deal overseas," Babcock said. "I want to throw him in as an extra body in a few workouts and then I think I'll probably get him on an NBA Summer League team, without much expectation of playing time, but kind of for the experience and to put it on his resume."

Tangara has put in a lot of hard work to get to where he is at this point. Hurting his back so early set Tangara behind but Babcock says the fact that Tangara was such a raw player that the injury set him back even further than the average player.

"When he first got in he was a hyped up recruit and had offers from Duke and other various schools," Babcock said. "Then he had the back injury. So, especially with how he is ? he's a pretty raw, stereotypical African player -- he was at such a disadvantage already in Lute (Olson)'s up-tempo system that the injury really set him back and he was never really able to catch up."

The goal for Tangara is to continue playing basketball. His goals are not unrealistic. He is simply looking to get on a professional roster to where he is able to make a living from basketball. Babcock understands completely why Tangara keeps pushing on, especially when he has family that could significantly benefit from him succeeding.

"He's really at the point now where he has a chance to make some money and help his family out," Babcock said. "He's from a poor village in Mali so even if just gets a minimal deal overseas, that's a lot of money for them."

Hopefully, people aren't confused by Tangara's motivation. This isn't a player looking to cash in on an eight-figure contract in the NBA. What Tangara is looking to do, is work his way back against significant odds in order to support the people back home that are close to him.

So far, Tangara has done a solid job and is headed in the right direction. He had solid, not to mention very efficient numbers in his lone season at Chaminade. His talent has brought him back to being a serviceable player after it was questioned whether or not Tangara would ever play again.

Many have wondered what Tangara would have become if he avoided such a significant injury so early in his collegiate career. Babcock recalls a time during Tangara's freshman year when he gave a UA great and current NBA player all he could.

"I was a walk-on at the time his freshman year," Babcock said. "He was on my Tucson Summer Pro League team, and he gave it to Channing (Frye). I mean, he absolutely outplayed Channing at that point."

Anyone who followed the recruitment of Tangara would not be surprised with Babcock's statement. Tangara was known as a physical specimen who could impose his will in the paint before the injury.

However, as Babcock tells it, Tangara was having issues outside of basketball. With a family back home, he made a conscious decision to put them over himself and his physical well-being.

"He was struggling with some of his conditioning," Babcock said. "We found out that he was sending most of his scholarship money back home and not eating properly. I think he was eating crackers and Gatorade protein shakes.

"It kind of gives you a taste of how selfless he is, but I think that is a big reason why his body started to break down and he had the back injury."

Tangara spent the following years constantly working himself back into shape but never regained the explosiveness that he had back in high school.

While he didn't spend his final year as a Wildcat, there are still many UA faithful that followed Tangara during his season at Chaminade. Maybe it's because of how highly rated he was coming out of high school. Or maybe it's because fans are intrigued to see if a former Arizona basketball player can be successful at another program.

Perhaps people see the fact that Tangara did everything within his power to play basketball despite constantly falling behind. Perhaps people see Tangara and want to see a person like him succeed.

No matter how you look at it, Tangara is a person who appears determined to not let his basketball career end. In a sports world of endless possibilities, all Tangara may need is that first chance and all of his hard work may eventually pay off.