Overview:
New York Haitian American basketball participant Ansley Almonor has helped the College of Kentucky Wildcats climb to No. 15 within the nation, regardless of accidents sidelining key gamers. Because the SEC Event approaches, Almonor is proving to be an important asset for the Wildcats of their push for a March Insanity bid.
After a collection of accidents plagued the College of Kentucky Wildcats, New York Haitian American ahead Ansley Almonor helped propel the group to No. 15 within the nation after falling to No. 19.
The highway to the March Insanity single-elimination SEC Event has not been straightforward for the Wildcats.
The group misplaced key gamers Kerr Kriisa and Jaxson Robinson for the remainder of the season. Underneath first-year head coach Mark Pope, an alum of this system, the group dropped from No. 17 to No. 19 within the Associated Press Top 25 NCAA Men’s Basketball rankings. Now, with a wholesome Ansley, the Wildcats have superior to the quarterfinals as a No. 6 seed within the event. Ansley Almonor has needed to be relied upon on extra whereas his teammates heal from their accidents
From Haiti to Hoops: Almonor’s Basketball Roots
Ansley’s dad and mom, Jean and Sherley Almonor, had been each born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and met after they moved stateside.
“My dad moved right here when he was 19. Since he was 10 years previous, he would go to Spring Valley, NY through the summer time as a result of that’s the place my grandparents stayed,” Almonor informed The Haitian Occasions over Zoom.
Ansley’s father was raised by his godmother in Haiti whereas his dad and mom lived within the U.S. Almonor’s mom lived together with her cousins in Brooklyn whereas her mom remained in Haiti.
“My mother moved right here when she was like 15 or 16. It was simply getting dangerous! She stated it simply wasn’t protected for her to actually keep there anymore,” Ansley stated.
Jean and Sherley met at a celebration in Lengthy Island, NY. Jean had two youngsters from a earlier relationship, Marcus and Samara Almonor, earlier than he and Sherley welcomed Ansley and his youthful brother Jayden.
“They bought me a basketball hoop after I was younger, and I simply fell in love with the sport. My older brother performed basketball, so I all the time wished to be like him,” Ansley stated.
Ansley virtually missed his alternative to play NCAA basketball
Ansley performed a number of sports activities, together with soccer and flag soccer, however in the end centered on basketball on account of his top benefit. Ansley graduated from Our Savior Lutheran Excessive Faculty within the Bronx, the place he averaged 15.0 factors and eight.0 rebounds per sport, incomes First Workforce All-Bergen County Jamboree honors.
The stand-out recruit’s trajectory was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, limiting publicity to school scouts. With no provides popping out of his senior 12 months, the 6-foot-7, 200-pound stand-out attended Our Savior Lutheran prep faculty within the Bronx.
His coach’s reference to Fairleigh Dickinson College’s (FDU) employees helped him safe a roster spot.
At FDU, Almonor performed an important position within the faculty’s two NCAA Event appearances, together with a historic upset over No. 1 Purdue College in 2023—one of many largest shocks in event historical past. Through the 2022-23 season, he began 34 of 36 video games, averaging 13.6 factors and 4.8 rebounds per sport.
Rising star at Kentucky
Almonor’s spectacular efficiency at FDU caught the eye of the College of Kentucky, a powerhouse program now led by Mark Pope, former captain of the 1996 Kentucky Wildcats Nationwide Championship group. Pope changed legendary NCAA coach John Calipari, who now coaches Arkansas.
Now, Almonor and the Kentucky Wildcats are set to face the Oklahoma Sooners within the SEC Event quarterfinals at 9:30 p.m. EST. The final time the 2 groups met, tensions had been excessive between the Sooners and former teammate-turned-Wildcat Otega Oweh.
If Kentucky wins, they are going to advance to the semifinals, placing them simply two victories away from a convention championship title.
The March Insanity stakes
Successful the SEC Event would assure Kentucky an automated bid to the NCAA Event, a spot awarded to 31 convention champions. The remaining groups will want an at-large invitation from the choice committee on Choice Sunday, March 16.
Followers can catch the sport dwell on the SEC Community as Almonor and the Wildcats struggle for his or her spot within the championship event.