Stéphane Pelle (born April 15, 1980) is a Cameroonian former professional basketball player. After growing up in Belgium and Kenya, he moved to the United States and he played

high school basketball High school basketball, also known as prep basketball, is the sport of basketball as played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. Top high school athletes often go on to play college basketball after ...

at Mercersburg Academy in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, where he was named a ''Parade'' All-American in his senior year in 1999. He signed to play in college at

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, where he was a two-time all-conference selection, and finished as the all-time rebounding leader with 1,054 career rebounds, and the first player in program history to reach 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. After going undrafted in the 2003 NBA draft, he played in the

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season basketball competition organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regula ...

with the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

and signed with the team, but was later released before the NBA season. He started his professional career with Tekelspor in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, where he led the league in rebounding. He played in the 2004–05 Euroleague with French club ASVEL, and then spent the remainder of his career in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

High school career

Pelle was born in

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the Capital city, capital city of Cameroon. It has a population of more than 2.8 million which makes it the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region (Cameroon), Centre Region o ...

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

, to Roger and Esther Pelle; he has two younger siblings, a brother and a sister. He started playing

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

, but he then turned to basketball when he was 14 years old while he was staying in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. He left Africa for the United States, and went to live in the

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

area with a guardian while the rest of his family stayed in Cameroon. After playing in a high school in Washington as a high school freshman, he transferred to Mercersburg Academy in

Mercersburg, Pennsylvania Mercersburg is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is southwest of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, the state capital. Due to its location in a rural area, it had a relatively la ...

. He was highly ranked since his sophomore year. In 1997, he was selected in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League First Team by the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

''. Going into his junior season, Pelle was ranked as one of the top 150 players of his class by '' Athlon Sports''. That year, Pelle averaged 14.6 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, and scored in double digits in 24 out of 26 games. While at Mercersburg, he played with Ugonna Onyekwe, another forward of African descent. At the end of his junior year, Pelle was a Class AA-A Third Team selection by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

, and was a Prep League First Team selection for the second year in a row. In the summer preceding his senior year he participated in the ABCD Camp, a camp for the best high school players in the United States. In his senior year he scored a season-high 28 points against Georgetown Day School, and in another game he posted 24 rebounds: he had 14 games with 20 or more points. He averaged 20 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, 1.9 steals per game; for the third consecutive year he was selected in the all-league first team, and was a fourth-team ''Parade'' All-American. He retired as Mercerburg Academy all-time top scorer with 1,287 career points. He was ranked as the 64th best senior in the nation according to the Recruiting Services Consensus Index (RSCI).

College career

Pelle was recruited by several major

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

programs and received offers from

, Georgetown,

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Villanova. He committed to Colorado in October 1998. Pelle chose jersey number 34 and was listed at and as a freshman.''Colorado Buffaloes 2019-20 Media Guide''. University of Colorado at Boulder. 2019. p. 228. Pelle played all 32 games of the season, starting 7, averaging 20.6 minutes of playing time. He was the fourth best scorer on the team, at 8.5 points per game, and was second in rebounding with 6.8 behind Jamahl Mosley's 7.1. He also made 2 out of 2 three-point field goals, the only three-pointers scored in his college career.''Colorado Buffaloes 2019-20 Media Guide''. University of Colorado at Boulder. 2019. p. 112. In his sophomore season, Pelle gained a more prominent role, and was included in the starting lineup in 14 games. On January 22, 2001, he posted 15 rebounds against

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, a performance he repeated against

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

on February 7; in the February 21 game against Kansas he posted 16 rebounds.''Colorado Buffaloes 2019-20 Media Guide''. University of Colorado at Boulder. 2019. p. 295. On February 17, 2001, Pelle had 17 rebounds against

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

, along with 26 points. This performance was his career high in rebounds at the time, and he also established the Colorado record for offensive rebounds in a single game with 11.''Colorado Buffaloes 2019-20 Media Guide''. University of Colorado at Boulder. 2019. p. 267. At the end of the season, Pelle was named in the All-Big 12 Most Improved Team.''Colorado Buffaloes 2019-20 Media Guide''. University of Colorado at Boulder. 2019. p. 140. He averaged 11.3 points (third on the team), 7.5 rebounds (second) and 0.7 blocks (second) in 24.6 minutes per game. Pelle's junior season saw him gain consistent starting assignments, and he recorded 26 starts out of 29 games played. On January 12, 2002, he recorded 15 rebounds against Nebraska. On January 16 he scored the game winner with 2.9 seconds remaining against Iowa State;''Colorado Buffaloes 2019-20 Media Guide''. University of Colorado at Boulder. 2019. p. 94. On February 5 he had 16 rebounds against Nebraska, and on February 23 he had another 16-rebound performance against

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. He posted 13 double-doubles throughout the season, and averaged career highs in points (12.8) and rebounds (10.8) per game. He led the team in rebounding, being second in the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...

, and was second on the team in scoring behind David Harrison. He was named in the Big 12 All-Underrated Team and in the All-Big 12 Third Team. As a senior, Pelle made his season debut on November 22, 2002, against Cal Poly; on November 24 against Stetson, the second game of the season, Pelle posted 21 rebounds, a career high and one of the best rebounding performances in Colorado history.''Colorado Buffaloes 2019-20 Media Guide''. University of Colorado at Boulder. 2019. p. 264. On January 22, 2003, he scored a game winner against Kansas. On January 27 he was named Big 12 Player of the Week. On January 29, he posted 15 rebounds against Texas Tech. On February 15, Pelle posted 12 rebounds against

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

, reaching a career total of 974: this made him the best rebounder in the history of the Colorado Buffaloes, ahead of Cliff Meely's 971 rebounds. On February 22 he recorded 18 rebounds against Missouri.''Colorado Buffaloes 2019-20 Media Guide''. University of Colorado at Boulder. 2019. p. 290. Pelle had the chance to make his debut in the NCAA tournament, playing in the first round against Michigan State: he recorded 7 points, 6 assists and 2 steals in 28 minutes. He posted 12 double-doubles in his senior season, reaching a total of 36 career double-doubles.''Colorado Buffaloes 2019-20 Media Guide''. University of Colorado at Boulder. 2019. p. 298. He averaged 12 points and 9.3 rebounds for the season, fourth best in scoring and first in rebounding on his team. He was the first player in Colorado history to reach 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, with 1,367 and 1,054, respectively. Andre Roberson is the only other player to do so. At the end of his senior season he was a third-team All-Big 12 selection for the second consecutive season. As of 2019, Pelle ranks 13th on the Buffaloes all-time scoring list. The University of Colorado at Boulder has established the Stephane Pelle Rebounding Award, given every season to the best rebounder of the Colorado Buffaloes.''Colorado Buffaloes 2019-20 Media Guide''. University of Colorado at Boulder. 2019. p. 153.

College statistics

, - , align="left" , 1999–00 , align="left" ,

, 32 , , 7 , , 20.6 , , .410 , , 1.000 , , .719 , , 6.8 , , 0.8 , , 0.6 , , 0.8 , , 8.5 , - , align="left" , 2000–01 , align="left" ,

, 30 , , 14 , , 24.6 , , .479 , , .000 , , .773 , , 7.5 , , 0.7 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 11.3 , - , align="left" , 2001–02 , align="left" ,

, 29 , , 26 , , 29.5 , , .481 , , .000 , , .769 , , 10.8 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 12.8 , - , align="left" , 2002–03 , align="left" ,

, 32 , , 31 , , 27.8 , , .466 , , .000 , , .797 , , 9.3 , , 0.8 , , 0.9 , , 1.0 , , 12.0 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 123 , , 78 , , 25.6 , , .462 , , .250 , , .764 , , 8.6 , , 0.9 , , 0.9 , , 0.9 , , 11.1 , -

Professional career

After the end of his collegiate career, Pelle was automatically eligible for the 2003 NBA draft. At the 2003 NBA Draft Combine Pelle was measured at without shoes, weighing with an standing reach and a

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

. Pelle was not drafted by an NBA franchise; he was selected in the 2003

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

(CBA) draft by the Idaho Stampede in the first round (3rd overall). In July 2003, Pelle participated in the

with the

, and signed a contract with them in August. Pelle participated in preseason games with the Lakers, but was then cut on October 23, 2003, before the start of the 2003–04 NBA season. Pelle then signed a professional contract with Tekelspor, a club in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. He played in the 2003–04 Turkish Basketball League, appearing in 19 regular season games with averages of 18.5 points, 11.1 rebounds (best in the league) and 1.2 assists in 33.4 minutes per game. He also appeared in 5 playoff games, averaging 15 points and 11.4 rebounds. In the summer of 2004 he played with the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

at the Salt Lake City Summer League, appearing in 6 games averaging 8.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1 assist per game in 19 minutes of average playing time. He then signed a contract with French team

ASVEL Basket ASVEL Basket, currently known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team located in the commune of Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon, France. The club, which is the basketball section of the ASVEL multi-sports ...

Villeurbanne Villeurbanne (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. It is situated northeast of Lyon, with which it forms the heart of the second-largest metropolitan area in France ...

, where he played in the center position. Pelle spent the whole 2004–05 season with ASVEL, playing in 34

LNB Pro A LNB may refer to: Sport * Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, a professional basketball league in the Dominican Republic * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, an Argentine basketball league * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (Paraguay), Liga Nacional de Básquetb ...

games, averaging 12 points and 7.9 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per game. He also played during the 2004–05 Euroleague, appearing in 14 games with averages of 8.3 points and 7.3 rebounds. On November 11, 2004, Pelle recorded 20 rebounds in a Euroleague game against Scavolini Pesaro, one of the best individual rebounding games in Euroleague history. After leaving ASVEL in the summer of 2005, Pelle signed with Belgian team Liège Basket. In his first season in Belgium he averaged 11.9 points and 9 rebounds per game over 35 appearances, leading the league in rebounding. He was confirmed by the club for the following season, and averaged 11.4 points and 7 rebounds (5th in the league) in 35 games. In his final season at Liège, Pelle posted averages of 12.4 points and 7.4 rebounds (4th in the league) per game in 36 league games. Pelle left Liège in 2008, and signed with Okapi Aalstar, another Belgian team. During the 2008–09 season, Pelle averaged 14.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, finishing 6th in the league in rebounding. In the following season, Pelle played with Oostende, and averaged 7.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. in March 2010, he extended the contract with Oostende for another year. In the 2010–11 season, Pelle played 24 games with 13.4 minutes of playing time (a career low as a professional) and averaged 5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He ended out of the top 10 rebounders of the Belgian league for the first time since his arrival in Belgium in 2005. Pelle played for Excelsior Brussels, a team of the 2e Nationale, the second tier of Belgian basketball, in the 2012–13 season. Pelle briefly came out of retirement in 2017, playing for Groot-Dilbeek in the third level of Belgian basketball in 2017–18.

References

External links

Career stats at ProBallers.comProfile at RealGM.com
*
TBLStat.net Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pelle, Stephane 1980 births Living people ASVEL Basket players Basketball players from Yaoundé BC Oostende players Brussels Basketball players Cameroonian expatriate basketball people in France Cameroonian expatriate basketball people in the United States Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Cameroonian men's basketball players 21st-century Cameroonian sportsmen Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball players Liège Basket players Mercersburg Academy alumni Okapi Aalstar players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards