Bibi Ndongo reaches childhood goals, proves anything is possible
Many think luck only comes from the Irish.
Senior Christian Bibi Ndongo is no leprechaun and he doesn’t have red hair. Instead, he shows that real luck comes from within.
Being successful is at ones own grasp.
Being from Cameroon, Bibi Ndongo reached with his feet first for success by playing soccer and trying to follow in his uncle’s footsteps.
But as he got older, Bibi Ndongo wanted to reach with his hands, and soccer wasn’t the sport he set as a goal to achieve. Basketball was.
“Soccer was my first love. I will always love it,” Bibi Ndongo said. “But, I remember falling in love with basketball the first time I played it.”
Bibi Ndongo’s first basketball experience was when he was 14 years old. At first attempt, he dunked the basketball.
“I’ve always been long and skinny,” Bibi Ndongo said. “Since that day, I knew I wanted to give it a try.”
Basketball was easy to learn for Bibi Ndongo, who now stands at 6’8”. He always used height to his advantage.
“At home they are really athletic. They all can run, jump and are quick,” Bibi Ndongo said. “Here I see that the taller you are, the slower you are. So, I’m quicker than most people my size, and that’s my advantage.”
Bibi Ndongo dreamed about playing NBA basketball as a teen, despite the skills he knew he lacked.
“I believe anything is possible,” Bibi Ndongo said. “There have been people better than me with the same dreams back home. I was just lucky.”
When he was 16 years old, Bibi Ndongo moved to America to pursue a higher level of basketball play.
Bibi Ndongo’s transition from soccer to basketball wasn’t easy. Neither was the transition from Cameroon to America.
But, he said he would do anything to reach his goals because he knows anything is possible.
“I still couldn’t believe when I got to the U.S.,” he said. “It was amazing.”
Bibi Ndongo stuck to his dreams: attend high school, graduate and play Division I basketball.
Bibi Ndongo was recruited out of high school in Florida to attend John Wood Community College in Illinois. He said that’s where the good experiences began to come true.
“I loved living in Illinois and the situation I had there.”
Bibi Ndongo said the best coach he ever had was Mike Elbe from John Wood.
“I learned a lot from him whether it was on the court or off the court.”
Once Bibi Ndongo’s junior college career ended, he knew he wanted to continue playing basketball and follow his dreams.
In the summer of 2010, he finally got the call from former ULM assistant coach Jimmy Voight, his first and only D-I offer.
“Playing for ULM has been another good experience,” Bibi Ndongo said. “Coming from Cameroon and watching basketball on TV, I heard a lot of people talking about Division 1 basketball. So, I wanted to play Division I just like everybody else.”
Despite his desire to succeed, Bibi Ndongo only averaged three points and a little over three rebounds in the final season of his collegiate career.
“We will miss being able to lean on a leader like Christian,” sophomore guard Charles Winborne said. “Statistics aren’t everything, and we will definitely miss him on the court next year.”
The team finished this season with one of the worst performances in the program’s history, but Bibi Ndongo remained positive.
“He is a great kid, unbelievable,” said Brandon Roberts, ULM men’s basketball assistant coach. “No matter how hard you get on him or how hard you praise him, he is always ‘yes sir, no sir’ and that goes a long way.”
“He didn’t get down or pouty,” Roberts said. “He is a complete team player.”
Bibi Ndongo’s personality could not be denied. Because of his desire to learn and succeed, his presence will always be remembered positively.
“He’s a great teammate,” sophomore Charles Winborne said. “I can’t speak enough about his character.”
Winborne added, “He comes to practice everyday with a good mind-set, and you will never hear him bring somebody down.”
Bibi Ndongo will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business on May 19 and return home to Cameroon for the summer to see his family.
