Everyone was so impressed with him, not just as a player, but as a person. The great thing about the World Scholar Athlete Games was meeting so many people from around the world and using the universality of basketball to connect with people. Having met with the Bates administrators as well as recruiters from big-time college hoops programs like Georgetown and the University of Connecticut, Padonou returned to Gabon. But the emphasis placed on education at the World Scholar Athlete Games really stuck. It was academics.
Basketball is just by accident.
It certainly felt like an accident in his 3-21 rookie year. For a player whose losses had mostly come at the hands of national teams and world powerhouses, it was a frustrating year. It showed sometimes, as Padonou fouled out of five games and picked up a handful of technical fouls. I am a very emotional person, and other teams know that, I think. But they also know there is no way to stop me.