Bryan Ndjonga: Working hard on and off the court

By Andrew Nowel, Sports Layout Editor

With the men’s basketball team gearing up for MAAC play, which begins this weekend in New Jersey, the new players of the Griffs bring a renewed energy to the court. After finishing 3-28 last season, Canisius will enter conference play with four wins – and they are ready to prove the preseason polls wrong. Junior Bryan Ndjonga leads the team with 100 points, but it’s not his work on the court that has helped the Griffs this season – it’s the work that Ndjonga does off the court that gets him prepared for every tipoff.

Ndjonga grew up in Cameroon, a country in central Africa, where he began his basketball journey. Being raised in a basketball family, Ndjonga quickly realized his passion for the game. “One of my siblings plays basketball at McNeese State, a couple cousins and uncles that play basketball, and my dad played soccer, so I come from an athletic family,” said Ndjonga on Wednesday. Ndjonga came to the United States in 2021 when he attended West Nottingham Academy in Maryland during his junior season of high school before attending Bella Vista Prep in Arizona for his senior year.

Canisius will be Ndjonga’s third collegiate team after playing at CSU Northridge and Central Michigan. With the Chippewas, Ndjonga made 21 starts in 29 games, averaging 5.4 points and 3.5 rebounds. The decision to play for Jim Christian at Canisius stemmed from a desire to to play a bigger role. The way Ndjonga works to get better comes from what happens on the court during a game. “I believe in hard work, so anything that doesn’t go my way, I go back and I work on it. I believe in no days off, that’s my mindset,” said Ndjonga.

The Griffs suffered their first home loss last time out against the Buffalo Bulls, but had started 4–0 at home prior to the loss for the first time since the 2013-14 season. The team enters their next weekend trip with a 0-3 away record, with losses to Dayton, Saint Bonaventure and High Point. Heading into Saint Peter’s on Friday and then Siena on Sunday, the Griffs look to begin MAAC play with a splash. “We’re really excited for the games this weekend. We’re approaching them like it’s our last game and having that mentality as we play each game,” said Ndjonga. The team was voted last in the preseason polls for the conference, but Ndjonga says that this just gives the Griffs the needed energy to prove people wrong. “They got us ranked last in the preseason ranking, so that puts a chip on our shoulders,” said Ndjonga.

Photo courtesy of Madi Burton