Coming to America: Olivier Mbaigoto makes transition from native country Chad
Most students face some sort of homesickness when getting to Mount Pleasant, but for Olivier Mbaigoto it is extremely different.
He is more than 6,000 miles away from his family and friends back in his hometown country of Chad.
The 6-foot-7 junior left his old life behind to play basketball in America but says he talks to his loved ones back home “very often.” He now is a starting forward for the Central Michigan basketball team.
“The way people live down there (Chad) is a little different than in the U.S.,” Mbaigoto said.
Mbaigoto said he misses his family more and more each day.
Mbaigoto moved to the United States in 2006 and moved in with a family in Virginia who he said helped him get where he is today.
“They helped me get used to the U.S. life, like what to do here and what to do there,” he said.
Mbaigoto’s primary language is French, but he strives to speak and understand English.
He went to Bethel High School in Virginia and attended St. Petersburg College in Florida. He was on the move often since coming to America for basketball and a better education but knows it is worth it.
“I am very happy for this (opportunity); this is what I work for,” he said. “It is my passion to play basketball.”
Mbaigoto’s passion to play and work hard does not go unnoticed. CMU head coach Ernie Zeigler and the coaching staff admire his work ethic and his understanding that playing Division I basketball is truly a privilege.
“He’s a very diligent worker, and he is extremely prideful,” Zeigler said.
Assistant coach Darren Kohne played an integral role in making Mbaigoto a Chippewa. Kohne and Mbaigoto developed a strong relationship during the recruiting process.
Kohne is very fond of Mbaigoto’s attitude.
“You never have to encourage him to do better; he is always giving you his maximum effort,” Kohne said.
He also said Mbaigoto is a model student athlete and that “you would like to have 15 of him on your team.”
Mbaigoto said he is working for and living his dream.
“He is as appreciative and grateful of a kid I have ever been around at any level,” Kohne said. “He takes nothing for granted.”
During Mbaigoto’s time playing in high school tournaments and camps, he was around people that knew Kohne and became familiar to him.
“I don’t know how much me knowing those guys in Ohio and Virginia helped us getting Olivier to Central Michigan, but what it did do was made Olivier more comfortable,” Kohne said.
Once the program was in contact with Olivier, he came to visit the school. Then the team started taking an aggressive focus on him.
The basketball program has a theme about being a family and Zeigler said that they are fortunate to have Mbaigoto be a part of the family.
“It all came together,” Zeigler said. “He felt (CMU) was the right spot, he felt that family connection here.”
In addition to his new friends in Virginia, Olivier said that he owes much of his success to his family back home. Members of his family used to play sports, but he did not grow up playing basketball.
“Back home, I played soccer,” he said. “Also, everyone in my family is tall.”
Zeigler praises Mbaigoto’s athletic presence and the multiple-threat personality he has on the court. That athleticism has helped him to have the third-best rebounder and most blocked shots on the team.
“His presence his huge,” Zeigler said. “He is an athletic scorer who has the ability to score inside and out.”
