HUSKER MEN’S BASKETBALL: France’s Ouedraogo Signs With Nebraska

LINCOLN–(NU Athletics May 13)–Nebraska Men’s Basketball Coach Fred Hoiberg announced Monday morning that Yvan Ouedraogo (pronounced Ivan way-drah-O-go) has signed a National Letter-of-Intent to play basketball for the Husker basketball program next season.

Ouedraogo, a 6-foot-9, 260-pound forward from Bordeaux, France, attends the National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance (INSEP) and selected Nebraska over TCU, Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt.

“The first thing you notice about Yvan is his size and physicality, especially for just turning 17 in March,” Hoiberg said. “He gives us an immediate physical presence which was a priority for us. He has unbelievable upside and is someone we think can develop and flourish in our system.”

This past season, Ouedraogo played in 26 games for Centre Fédéral de Basketball, which is a program in the top amateur league in France. Despite turning 17 in March, he averaged 5.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Ouedraogo was also selected for the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in the U18 Division, averaging 5.3 points and 4.3 rebounds against some of Europe’s top youth competition, including a nine-point, 10-rebound performance.

He has also represented France in international competition, including the 2018 FIBA U16 European Championships, when he averaged 12.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. He finished second on the team in both scoring and rebounding to help France to a fourth-place finish. He had a pair of double-doubles in the tournament, including a 23-point, 15-rebound performance in a win over Serbia in the quarterfinals and a 14-point, 15-carom effort against Estonia in the group phrase.

Other prominent players to come from the INSEP program include Clint Capela, Boris Diaw and Tony Parker. Ouedraogo will be the first Husker basketball player from France in program history.