Out of Africa and all the way to UNLV, Cheickna Dembele finding his way

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Touba is a small town in the Koulikoro Region of southwestern Mali, a landlocked country in Africa with a population of nearly 15 million. When he was young, Cheickna Dembele would have to walk more than 30 minutes to find a basket at which to shoot, because that’s what everyone did. They walked.

He did so while dribbling and dreaming of distant places and what they might mean for the future of his family. He did so in the same pair of shoes for longer than he can remember.

“Here, we get new shoes maybe every three weeks,” Dembele said. “Shoes, jerseys, nice courts. We had none of that in Africa. This is how I know that I am on my way to achieving my goals.”

It’s always about the shoes.

If he were anywhere else this college season, Dembele probably would be enjoying a redshirt year, a freshman whose skills aren’t yet close to matching his desire, a beanpole all of 6 feet 11 inches tall and a generously listed 235 pounds. He’s all arms and legs and eagerness to improve.

But he is tall and breathing, which means UNLV has to play him.

Everything is relative when it comes to the Rebels right now, but there is no overstating how big a win they claimed in beating New Mexico 71-66 on Tuesday night before 11,379 at WisePies Arena.

It is a significant result for first-year coach Marvin Menzies and his players, a group that had opened Mountain West play with three losses in four games, that was struggling to forge any consistent identity, whose defensive lapses and mistakes in early altitude games caused many to wonder if the Rebels would win anywhere on the road in conference this season, much less in The Pit.

But they did and deserved every last second of it. In one snapshot from a larger picture of a rebuilding season that will be defined by a roller-coaster of conclusions, this was a terrific victory for UNLV.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that when Menzies began assembling a roster upon being hired in April, he glanced hard at any international players that might fit his thoughts. Few nationally have scoured foreign lands for talent like Menzies, first as a college assistant and then heavily so as head coach at New Mexico State, which offers a renowned international studies program.

He knows as much about Nigeria as he does Nevada, as schooled in traditions of the Congo as he is any recruiting base stateside.

“Even though we can get big-time players from the United States to come to UNLV, we’re still going to tap into those international kids like Cheickna, those with high character who can become program kids and great ambassadors for our university,” Menzies said. “He’s getting valuable experience playing this year. I think his ceiling is pretty high. People talk about talent. Talent is overrated. Work ethic is far more valuable, and his work ethic is phenomenal.”

We must start with the hands. They’re getting better. They’re still not very good.

You still sort of cringe when any pass faster than a lob is aimed at Dembele or, hold your breath, he puts the ball on the floor.

But however small in spots, he has improved since arriving at UNLV, starting his fifth game Tuesday and finishing with eight points, four rebounds and three blocks in 28 minutes. He’s catching passes now that were sure turnovers a few weeks ago. He’s finishing more plays. Not a lot of them, but more. His averages of 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds are what you might expect from a player still feeling his way through the game and this level.

“Cheickna knows his role,” junior point guard Jovan Mooring said. “He’s just a good dude who listens and loves to play the game. He’s not perfect, but he’s learning fast. I’m going to keep getting on him about catching my passes, and he’s going to keep getting on me to throw him more.”

It was November 2015 when Dembele arrived from Africa, hardly carrying a duffel bag full of shoes when landing at a prep school in Pennsylvania with a dream of one day making things better for his parents and eight siblings back home.

When victory was assured Tuesday and Menzies removed Dembele from the game with a second remaining, the tall, breathing, project of a player and gem of a young man who had made a significant contribution to an even more important win walked to the sideline and was greeted with a bear hug from his head coach.

“One day, I hope to play professionally,” said Dembele, who wants to major in economics. “Every day, I try and get better. My hands, finishing around the basket, everything for why I came to America. The best thing about it is the people around me — good people, good coaches, good teammates. I am very happy.”

And not just because he doesn’t have to walk 30 minutes to find a basket.

Contact columnist Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be a heard on “Seat and Ed” on Fox Sports 1340 from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.