An NBA career was the furthest thing from Ndiaye's mind 3 1/2 years agoOALWE All he wanted was for the headaches
to stopUQYDD Ndiaye had traveled more than 6fa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715000 miles from his home in Dakarfa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715 Senegalfa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715 the westernmost
major city in Africafa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715 to Simi Valley in the fall of 2010 to attend Stoneridge Prepfa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715 a private academy and haven
for hoops playing foreign exchange studentsHDLQU It was scaryfa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715" Ndiayefa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715 20fa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715 saidGVUPR "I didn't know anything
about the UMJEVHSNODBD I didn't speak EnglishYQGKP Everything was differentMIHOL"

Including himMVOYM It's hard to fit in when you have to duck under doorwaysfa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715 when you're so large your handshake
grips another person's forearm LFKIW "Some of my friends were a little scared of me at firstfa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715" Ndiaye saidFWGLU

Then Ndiaye got a scarePYMSA Soon after enrolling at Stoneridgefa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715 he was diagnosed with a tumor on his pituitary
glandfa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715 which controls growthPTSVG The golf ball sized mass was pressing on Ndiaye's optic nervefa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715 threatening
his sightJJOSX Stoneridge didn't have adequate insurance
to cover surgery but found charitable foundations in Orange County that wouldAFTQE Ndiaye commuted
from Simi Valley to Newport Beach for doctor visits and underwent two operations at Hoag Hospital to remove the tumorJELVM

An intensive care unit nurse who met Ndiaye offeredfa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715 with her husbandfa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715 to become his legal
guardianIBJQM Ndiaye agreedFINRD He moved into the couple's Huntington Beach home in January 2011 and enrolled
at Brethren Christianfa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715 where he played his junior and senior seasonsQJWJI


"I was driving two hours from Simi Valley to Newport Beach every dayfa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715 and I couldn't handle
it anymorefa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715" Ndiaye saidGSRUN "I met a nice lady who worked at HoagRXTNQ She said I could
stay with themfa136e57392093479095a5a40f033715 that they had a nice school