Mor Seck is fluent in Wolof, the national language of his native Senegal.
He understands French.
Since moving to the United States at age 14 to pursue basketball opportunities, he learned English from movies and binge-watching 170 episodes of the television series “Arrow.”
But as a senior at Prolific Prep of Napa (Calif.) Christian School, there was a word he could not comprehend .
“I never heard of ‘Hawaii’ before,” said Seck, who received a scholarship offer from the Rainbow Warriors in 2022.
He recalled asking his host family and Prolific co-director Philippe Doherty: “What’s Hawaii? I think Hawaii is trying to recruit me.”
He said the response was: “Hawaii is a great spot. It’s beautiful over there.”
After a UH-sponsored recruiting visit, the 7-foot-1 Seck found a new home.
A year later, Seck is in the center rotation. With a wing span of 7 feet, 6 inches, he is an imposing presence in the low post. To complement his dunks and power moves, he has developed a mid-range set shot. He also is an accurate passer, particularly to baseline cutters, and a pillar on screens. Harry Rouhliadeff, a 6-9 forward, described Seck as a “tower of terror” because of his tenacity in practices.
Seck, who said he now dreams in English, never imagined his current situation while growing up in a Senegal village with a population of fewer than 200.
On the family property, cows, goats, lambs and chickens are raised. His family also grows corn and beans to be stored or sold. But the majority of their income comes from peanut farming, a work-intensive process that relies on labor and stretches of favorable weather. “The things you’re planting are the money you’re going to make,” Seck said.
At age 14, he was 6-11 and 190 pounds. A family friend told him about basketball academies in the United States. After much prodding, his father gave his blessing to his son’s move. Seck then enrolled at DME Academy in Florida.
“I was bad,” Seck said of his initial workout. “I didn’t know how to dribble the ball. I was jumping off the wrong foot. I could barely play.”
After his freshman year, he moved to San Francisco, where he attended Archbishop Riordan High. His basketball skills improved during his two years at Riordan. Ahead of Seck’s senior year, the Riordan coaches recommended he transfer to Prolific to face better competition.
Seck’s defensive skills developed practicing against Adem Bona, who was a McDonald’s All-American at the time and now plays for UCLA.
Seck’s ball-handling improved from mimicking NBA All-Star Steph Curry’s two-ball dribbling routine.
“If you play basketball all the time, you’ve got to dribble,” he said.
Seck now binge-watches
videos of Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo to learn post moves.
Seck said his height draws tall expectations — and motivation.
“They expect a lot,” Seck said of many fans, “but they don’t understand the game’s not easy. I appreciate they expect a lot of things from me.”
Seck is healthier and more comfortable entering his second UH season. In October 2022, he underwent hernia surgery. While he could attend meetings and take mental reps, it would be three weeks before he was cleared to practice. He has had no medical issues during offseason training.
He has found his favorite restaurants, learned some local jargon, and mastered the double shaka.
He also created a routine to deal with the 10-hour time difference between Senegal and Hawaii.
“Every night before I go to bed, I leave a message,” he said of communicating with his family. “Then they leave me a message. After every game, I’ll send them a video clip. That’s how they follow me.”
