The 19-year-old from Saint-Hubert, a suburb on Montreal’s South Shore, declared his eligibility for the 2020 NBA draft last week.
Of course, making it to the NBA is the goal of many young men his age, but what makes him special is that he’s attempting to make the jump directly out of Quebec’s junior college system, CEGEP.
“If you work for it, the sky’s the limit,” Mané stated.
No one has ever made the leap from CEGEP directly to the world’s best league.
In fact, it’s a path so unlikely that few young players stick around Quebec to even attempt it.
“Most ball players from Quebec usually leave, they go to the States, or they go to Ontario to go to prep school. But by staying here I made a point that you don’t have to leave. You can go to CEGEP, and if you’re focused and talented, you can go where you want,” Mané said.
Mané recently completed his playing career with the Vanier College Cheetahs — a school that has earned a reputation in the province for being a springboard to Division One NCAA basketball programs.
The Cheetahs’ longtime head coach, Andrew Hertzog, says Mané’s plan to crack into the NBA is ambitious but concedes that in his 42-year coaching career, he’s rarely come across a talent like Mané.
“Karim is a special case,” Hertzog stated. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a player with as steep a development curve. The way he just took off and how he got better is not only a tribute to his incredible work ethic, but also his intelligence and determination to do whatever he needs to do to get better.
“It was while Mané was suited up for Team Canada at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Greece last summer that he emerged as a feasible NBA prospect.”He got to the rim and finished. He dunked it on people,” said David DeAverio, who was an assistant coach for Canada’s U19 team.
In addition to the interest from professional teams, NCAA schools have kept a close eye on Mané. Marquette, Michigan State, DuPaul and Memphis are among the American universities that have recruited him heavily, just to name a few.
He stays hopeful that someone will call his name and select him if the NBA draft goes ahead as planned on June 25. But even if he doesn’t hear his name, he’s determined to find his way to the NBA one way or another and become an example for other young players in Quebec.
