Mohamed Ntumba is a man who wants to do two things; play Basketball and go to school. He is known on the court as the 6-7 230lb center that averaged 7.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in the 2009-2010 season.

Off the court he is a man who allows little to deter him from achieving his goals. Ntumba comes to USI from Kinshasa Congo, a city of 8 million people. And there, basketball and school are very different.

They are separated completely. Ntumba was expected to successfully balance being at school and playing for a club, “It was a lot different than here. If you missed school you had to have a good reason. Here it’s all connected,” Ntumba said.

Despite Kinshasa having a predominantly poor society Ntumba lived a admittedly, “decent life,” with his Uncle and mother, Kalume Yaroso Jose’e , who took care of him while his father, Kalala Mukombo Jimsy was in Belgium working as an instructor.

Ntumba, 26, came to the United States in August 2007. He was given a scholarship by former Southeastern Illinois coach Todd Frankling to play basketball.

“Two other girls from my home were playing on the team and he asked if there were any guys from where they were from that wanted to play,” Ntumba said.

Ntumba took the opportunity to come to America to further his education and also be able to play basketball. Everyone was supportive of him and encouraged him to go, he said.

Despite being able to speak 5 languages, communication was his biggest barrier when trying to adjust. Ntumba speaks French, Lingala (a language spoken throughout the Northwest part of the Congo) and English very well. He is currently also learning Arabic and Swahili.

“Back home we had some English classes but it took me one or two years here to really understand.”

Amy Gibbs, Ntumba’s host mother, remembers that it was very difficult for him at first. “He was very quiet. He seemed very comfortable around my son, around children.”

To the public Ntumba comes across as a quiet, stoic man but Gibbs sees him in an entirely different light.

“He cuts loose,” Gibbs said. “Not a lot of people have seen that side of him, but he likes to dance with the kids, laugh and just have a good time.”

Ntumba has always had to work a little harder than everyone else. With the language barrier in place he has to spend extra time on work.  When a normal student may look over material once, Ntumba will look over it up to three times, Gibbs said.

“He has extremely good work ethic. If he has something to do he doesn’t put it aside, he works ahead.”

When Ntumba came to Southern Indiana, Head Coach Rodney Watson’s initial opinion of him was very straight forward. “First thing I thought was, he’s a big guy.”

Watson sees Ntumba as a true “power forward.” He has in his arsenal various ways to score and he’s a guy you can count on when you need him, Watson said.

That good work ethic Gibbs mentioned earlier shines through the classroom and onto the basketball court according to Watson.  “He would always stay an extra 15 minutes and lift. He’s always working on extending his game.”

Having to deal with all of the adjustments might cause him some frustration, but Watson has never seen Ntumba react in an overly emotional manner, “You don’t see a whole lot from him, and he keeps everything in balance. In almost two years I don’t think I’ve ever seen him get really angry.”

As Ntumba approaches the end of his collegiate career he has his sights aimed on playing professional basketball.

“When I came here, I said I was going to focus on school. Now I want to play for maybe five or six years and see what happens.”

Watson thinks that Ntumba will excel if he plays after college. “He is outstanding, a true power forward and has great intellect. He has so many tools that people are looking for.”

Those close to him seem to believe that for Ntumba, the sky is the limit. “He’s a simple guy and he seems to know what he wants and nothing can come in between them.  He comes from a culture where excellence is expected,” Watson said.