Alfred Aboya Baliaba (born 2 January 1985) is a Cameroonian former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player and current coach. He played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
for the
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...
, advancing to three
Final Fours
This is a list of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four participants (a third-place game was played from 1946 to 1981).
Participants
Teams marked with an * vacated its Final Four appearances due to violations of National ...
. He was a member of the winningest class in UCLA history with 123 wins.
Aboya grew up and attended high school in Cameroon before attending
prep school in the United States. He attended college at the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...
(UCLA), where he earned his undergraduate degree in three years while playing four seasons for the Bruins. Aboya began his professional career in France, and later played in Japan, Venezuela, Turkey, and Libya. He also played in the United States in the
NBA Development League (now known as the G League).
Early life
Aboya was born in
Yaoundé, Cameroon to his mother, Kedi Kofane Angele, and his father, Baliaba Aboya Casimir.
He graduated from high school in Cameroon and then attended
prep school at
Tilton School
Tilton School is an independent, coeducational, college-preparatory school in Tilton, New Hampshire, serving students from 9th to 12th grade and postgraduate students. Founded in 1845, Tilton's student body in the 2021-22 academic year consisted ...
in
Tilton, New Hampshire
Tilton is a town on the Winnipesaukee River in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,962 at the 2020 census, up from 3,567 at the 2010 census. It includes the villages of Tilton and Lochmere and part of the village ...
. He was recruited by Tilton coach Scott Willard, who had only seen a picture of Aboya soaring for a
slam dunk
A slam dunk, also simply known as dunk, is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by shoving the ball directly through the basket with one ...
. The school was looking to grow its international student population, and it was developing an
English as a Second Language
English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EFL ...
program. Tilton had never had any students from Africa, and while Aboya spoke a couple of languages, none of them were English. He was a star in two sports including basketball. Though he had already graduated from high school, Aboya was willing to sacrifice two years at Tilton as a path toward an American university education.
He was a raw player when he began at Tilton. He became a dominant center by his senior year, and he drew attention from colleges like
Georgetown and UCLA. On a visit to the
West Coast, Aboya became friends with
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute ( ; born 9 September 1986) is a Cameroonian former professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Mbah a Moute also plays for the Cameroon national ...
, who grew up near him in Yaoundé.
[
]
College career
Joined by Mbah a Moute, Aboya began attending UCLA in the fall of 2005. The two teammates relied on each other for support. UCLA advanced to the Final Four in each of Aboya's first three seasons.[ In his first year, he was originally set to be a starter until he had ]arthroscopic surgery
Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the ...
on both knees, delaying his debut until the seventh game of the season. He played 33 games, starting two, in 2005–06. In his second year, he played in 35 of the Bruins' 36 games, including one start. That season, he had almost as many offensive rebounds (68) as he did defensive rebound
In basketball, a rebound, sometimes colloquially referred to as a board, is a statistic awarded to a player who retrieves the ball after a missed field goal or free throw.
Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game; if a shot is suc ...
s (79).[ As a junior in 2006–07, Aboya was one of four teammates to play in all 39 games. He made 17 starts, playing 15.2 minutes per game while averaging 2.9 points and 2.2 rebounds.][
In his senior year in 2008–09, UCLA relied on him as a rebounder after Mbah a Moute and ]Kevin Love
Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time NBA All-Star Game, All-Star, a two-time member of the All-NBA ...
had left for the National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
(NBA). Aboya averaged 9.9 points and 6.3 rebounds a game, both personal bests.[ He drew praise for his defense, and also developed a jump shot. Aboya and fellow senior teammates ]Darren Collison
Darren Michael Collison (born August 23, 1987) is an American professional basketball player who is a free agent. Collison played four seasons of college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He earned All-Pac-10 conference honors three times, and won ...
and Josh Shipp finished their careers as the winningest class in UCLA history with 123 wins. The distinction was relative, as John Wooden's legendary teams played shorter seasons and freshmen were ineligible.[
Academically, Aboya felt he had fallen behind during his two years in prep school. He worked with his academic adviser to earn his undergraduate degree in three years, graduating with a grade point average over 3.0 in ]international relations
International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...
. In his fourth year, he began work on his master's degree in public policy
Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public p ...
.[ He aspired to one day become the ]president of Cameroon
The president of Cameroon is the executive head of state and de facto head of government of Cameroon and is the commander in chief of the Cameroon Armed Forces. The authority of the State is exercised both by the President and by the Parliament. ...
.[
]
Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2009 NBA draft
The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other e ...
, he joined the Dallas Mavericks for the 2009 NBA Summer League. In September 2009, he signed with BCM Gravelines. However, he was released a week later.
In October 2009, he signed with Olympique Antibes
Olympique Antibes, in full ''Olympique d'Antibes Juan-les-Pins'' and branded as Antibes Sharks, is a basketball club from the city of Antibes, France. Established in 1933, the club's men's senior team currently plays in LNB Pro B, the French seco ...
of the LNB Pro B
The LNB Pro B, commonly known as Pro B, is the 2nd-tier level men's professional basketball league in France. It is the second division of the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB), which has organized the league since the year 1987. The regular season ...
, before joining Link Tochigi Brex
Utsunomiya Brex is a Japanese professional basketball team based in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. After winning the JBL 2 in 2008, the team played in the National Basketball League.
In July 2015 it was announced that the team would compete in t ...
of the Japan Basketball League (JBL) in January 2010.
In the summer of 2010, he signed with the Hitachi Sunrockers
Sun Rockers Shibuya is a Japanese professional basketball team based in Tokyo and sponsored by Hitachi. Until 2000, the team was known as Hitachi Honsha Rising Sun. The team currently plays in the B.League.
Current roster
N ...
of the JBL for the 2010–11 season.
He signed with Bucaneros de La Guaira
The Piratas de La Guaira are a professional basketball team based in Maiquetía, Vargas, Venezuela. Founded in 2008, from 2010 to 2022, they were known as the Bucaneros de La Guaira. The team was re-founded as the Piratas in 2022. The team currentl ...
of Liga Profesional de Baloncesto
The Superliga Profesional de Baloncesto, commonly known as the SPB, is the Venezuelan first division national professional basketball league. Founded in 1974 as the Liga Especial de Baloncesto, it adopted the name Liga Profesional de Baloncesto i ...
for the 2012 season, but he left in February 2012 and in March moved to Final Gençlik
Final Gençlik is a Turkish basketball team based in Bursa, Turkey which plays in Turkish Basketball League (TBL)
The Turkish Basketball First League, also called TBL, is the second-tier level league of professional club basketball in Turkey. ...
of the Turkish Basketball Second League
The Turkish Basketball Second League, also called TB2L, is the third-tier level league of professional club basketball in Turkey. The league was previously called the Turkish Basketball Third League (TB3L).
Format and promotion and relegation
T ...
.
He played the 2012–13 season with Shiga Lakestars
Shiga Lakes (滋賀レイクス) is a Japanese men's basketball team playing in the Western Conference of the B.League. They are based in the Shiga Prefecture.
Coaches
* Bob Pierce (2008–10)
*Takatoshi Ishibashi
* Hirokazu Nema
*Al Westover ...
of Japan before being released in early 2013.[
In March 2013, he moved back to ]Final Gençlik
Final Gençlik is a Turkish basketball team based in Bursa, Turkey which plays in Turkish Basketball League (TBL)
The Turkish Basketball First League, also called TBL, is the second-tier level league of professional club basketball in Turkey. ...
.
On 1 November 2013, he was selected by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants
The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and are affiliated with the Indiana Pacers. The team plays their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. The Mad ...
in the second round of the 2013 NBA D-League draft. On 22 November, he was waived by the Mad Ants. On 20 December 2013, he was reacquired by the Mad Ants. On 4 February 2014, he was again waived by the Mad Ants. On 20 March 2014, he was acquired by the Reno Bighorns. On 28 March 2014, he was released by the Bighorns after appearing in two games for them. The next month, he joined Al Ittihad Tripoli of Libya.
On 2 November 2014, he was reacquired by the Reno Bighorns. On 12 December 2014, he was waived by the Bighorns after appearing in seven games. Six days later, he was acquired by the Los Angeles D-Fenders. On 28 January 2015, Aboya was waived by the D-Fenders, only to be reacquired less than a month later on 25 February.
Coaching career
On 30 October 2019, Aboya was hired as an assistant and player development coach by the Iowa Wolves
The Iowa Wolves are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Des Moines, Iowa, and are affiliated with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves play their home games at the Wells Fargo Arena and compete in the Western ...
of the NBA G League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...
.
In 2022, Aboya became a coach for the NBA Academy Africa program, located in Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
. In November, he was the head coach of the academy's team in the 2023 BAL qualification games.
See also
*
References
External links
NBA D-League Profile
Eurobasket.com profile
UCLA Bruins bio
ESPN.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aboya, Alfred
1985 births
Living people
Basketball players from Yaoundé
Cameroonian expatriate basketball people in the United States
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in France
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Japan
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Venezuela
Cameroonian men's basketball players
Centers (basketball)
Fort Wayne Mad Ants players
Los Angeles D-Fenders players
Olympique Antibes basketball players
Power forwards (basketball)
Reno Bighorns players
Shiga Lakes players
Sun Rockers Shibuya players
UCLA Bruins men's basketball players
Utsunomiya Brex players
Tilton School alumni