Be patient.

That was what 7-foot-1, 230-pound center Mor Seck was told when he could not join the University of Hawaii basketball team’s training program in July.

Seck, a citizen of Senegal, needed to pass one more English class to meet UH’s admission requirement for incoming international freshmen. While his future teammates trained and learned plays, Seck took a class at Honolulu Community College. He passed, then earned admission — and a basketball scholarship — on Aug. 20.

Be patient.

That was the doctor’s order after Seck underwent hernia surgery in October. While he could attend meetings and take mental reps, it would be three weeks before Seck was cleared to practice.

Be patient.

That was the advice from Philippe Doherty co-director of Prolific Prep of Napa (Calif.) Christian High and Seck’s former coach. Through UH’s first nine games, Seck was the third-string center.

“College basketball is not easy,” Doherty said. “Our message from the mainland was: ‘Be patient. You’re going to work every day. You’re going to get an opportunity. I don’t know when it will come, but it will if you keep working.’”

That time came in last week’s Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. Seck had six rebounds in 8 minutes, 33 seconds to help UH rally past Washington State in the semifinal round. In the title game against SMU, Seck had six rebounds — including a putback dunk of a missed free throw — and threw down a jam over 6-10 center Mo Njie.

With the deafening roar of the crowd, Seck did not hear the referee whistling a foul on Njie. “When I dunked the ball, I didn’t know that was a foul,” Seck said. “I ran back to the defense. That’s why teammates (caught) me (to go shoot the and-1 free throw). I was excited to dunk on somebody. … When I dunked the ball, it was like, ‘This day is for us, it’s not for (SMU).’ We’re not going to let nobody take away nothing from our house.”

UH coach Eran Ganot said: “As he gets more comfortable, his true talents on and off the court shine. He’s going to be a fan favorite. He should be a fan favorite. He has an incredible story. … One of the things about coaching is you’re around people with great stories, different stories. His story is one of the most unique.”

Seck grew up in a Senegal village with a population of fewer than 200. In his spare time, he worked with his father on a peanut farm. A family friend told him about basketball academics in the United States. When he was 14, Seck attended DME Academy in Florida. He then moved to San Francisco, where he attended Archbishop Riordan High. Riordan officials recommended that Seck transfer to Prolific Prep for his senior year to face better competition.

Seck improved his defensive skills facing Adem Bona in practices last year. Bona was a McDonald’s All-American who now starts for UCLA. Under Prolific strength/conditioning coordinator Joe Hughes, Seck lowered his body fat to 6%.

Doherty said Seck is a center with a 7-foot-6 wing span, sure hands, an outside-shooting touch, a dunker’s ferocity, and a willingness to join the break. “And,” Doherty said, “he’s a fantastic young man.”

Ganot said: “He came to the states at 14. He hadn’t spoken English. He hadn’t played basketball. Now he’s going to college for the first time. He’s working in the classroom and on the floor. Right now, he’s learning a new system. There’s a lot of ‘new’ being thrown at him. I think he has a bright future. We love where he’s at and where he’s headed. Staying patient — we know there are ups and downs, it’s a humbling game — but his approach has been good, and it’s put him in position to have success.”