Coulibaly is no longer a DMV secret
Fans of District-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area high school aged basketball are well accustomed to local players emerging nationally. With a rich tapestry of hoops including names like Markelle Fultz, Thomas Robinson, Victor Oladipo and a slew of other largely unknown players that became true nationally recognized performers of reference, it’s almost a yearly right of passage for several guys.
Another player bursting on the coast-to-coast scene is Karim Coulibaly.
A 6’9”, 225 pound Class of 2019 standout forward with Pallotti (MD) and New World (Adidas) travel team, Coulibaly now owns offers from Rutgers, St. John’s, Boston College, Tulane, South Florida, Penn State, DePaul, Minnesota, Pitt and George Washington. Interest has been received from Georgetown, Maryland and UVA.
To be fair Coulibaly received some of those offers – Tulane, BC and St. John’s come to mind – before last month, but there is no doubt the native of Mali, West Africa has turned heads during 2017’s NCAA Division I April evaluation period.
“He’s received a lot of attention, since everyone has found out he will be playing this summer” shared New World’s 17u head coach Renard Phillips, a bench leader with Division I assistant experience at DePaul. “Last summer he played for the national team in Mali (which depressed interest). The phone has been ringing off the hook!”.
In Adidas Gauntlet Gold Series play, Coulibaly has averaged 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds for the 5-3 New World 17 team, a unit that per a source has qualified for the league’s championship round in July. He’s scored in double figures during half the team’s games, nine points during another. Karim’s best output was his last contest, a 17 point, 12 rebound, six block affair against the Colorado Hawks.
On the Adidas circuit and in fellow Adidas sponsored program Baltimore Basketball Club’s (BBC) Spring Fling, Coulibaly has shown this recent attention warranted: He’s scored in the paint, shot occasionally from beyond the arc, rebounded solidly, defended the rim and shown mobility.
What does Karim, a guy who basically learned English when he arrived three years ago as an eighth grader, have to focus on basketball-wise? That and the level of Hoya pursuit are available on Premium Court.
Mark the name Karim Coulibaly. You will hear it a lot in the next two years.