“We tell people he can touch Saturn.” As an 18-year-old, Mamborou left Mara Guinea during a coup to pursue her basketball dream in Toronto

One of the last things Mamborou Mara’s father told him when he left Guinea to play basketball in Toronto was to “be humble.”

The six-foot-seven teenager has taken that advice to heart now that he is 7,300 miles away from his parents and five siblings and attends the Royal Crown Academic School.

“My dad said you have to be humble, but also be disciplined, and never forget where you came from,” Mara said last week between Class 12 classes.

When you see the 18-year-old on the field – soaring at breakneck speed – it’s easy to see why he’s attracting interest from Division I schools in the United States.

In the end, Mara hopes to upgrade to the NBA and set a positive example for young players in his country, where there was a military coup this summer.

“I know there is a responsibility that comes with who I am and what I want to be,” Mara said. “It’s very important to me.”

He grew up with two brothers and three sisters in Conakry, the capital of Guinea. Mara said his father, Fadama, who works for the French embassy in Guinea, urged him to take up the sport.

“When I was in Africa, I was very much at home after school,” Mara said. ‘My father came to me and said,’ Why do you want to be home all the time? Why not go out and play basketball? ‘ That was when I started playing basketball. I was 13 then. “

Mother Mina stayed home to raise six children, all of whom have an affiliation with the game. Mara grew the fastest and started showing the most promising.

With the national U18 team, he played tournaments in Europe and across Africa. At FIBA’s African U18 Championship in 2020, he was among the top players.

From there, the power of social media helped Mara capture the attention of schools in North America, including the Royal Crown. Athletics director Chris Exilus said the school followed a complex protocol to obtain the international accreditation for Mara to play in Toronto.

“The big part was getting all the documents you need to get someone like him to Canada,” said Exilus, who played Division I ball with DePaul. “We had to talk to embassies in his country and we had to talk to embassies here, but with someone like him we just had to make more of it.”

For Mara – everyone mentions him by his last name – the decision to leave her parents and country during a coup was obviously difficult and emotional.

Colonel Mamady Doumbouya became interim president of Guinea in September after seizing power from Alpha Condé, who had been democratically elected but sparked protests after amending the constitution by referendum, paving the way for a third term. That term included tax increases, cuts in police funding and repression of opposition leaders, some of whom died in prison.

Doumbouya was sworn in on October 1, around the time Mara was on her way to Scarborough’s Royal Crown.

“It was my choice to come here and it was a long journey to get here, but everyone treats me really well,” Mara said.

He misses his family but keeps in touch regularly: “I talk to them Saturdays and Sundays, but they know Monday through Friday that I’m studying and training.”

Mara recognizes the opportunity that lies ahead of him at a time when Royal Crown – a private school with men’s and women’s teams in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association – is expanding its student housing and plans to build a state-of-the-art facility in Markham.

School is fun, he says, but regimented. Mara, whose first language is French, takes two courses at a time at 10-week intervals, with class sizes of 20 or less. After school, students stay at a nearby hotel. A bus drives them back to the Royal Crown light and early every weekday morning.

He says there was a bit of a culture shock in the beginning. He is also preparing for his first Canadian winter.

“I come from home and I knew everyone there. I knew the streets and neighborhoods, ”Mara said. “I wore flip-flops at home, and now winter is on its way and I need to wear hoodies and warm clothes … but those are challenges I want.”

Mara has helped the Royal Crown get a 4-1 start in OSBA, which features 17 schools – including the Orangeville Prep powerhouses and the United Scholastic Academy. And he is not alone in his experience. Teammate Thierno Sylla is from the same hometown in Guinea. Dozens of young athletes have left home halfway around the world to participate and play. Royal Crown has flags from over 30 countries painted on a gym wall recognizing the legacy of past and present students.

While Mara cites NBA stars Zach LaVine and Paul George as inspirations, he also looks to Royal Crown candidates Latasha Lattimore and Shayanne-Day Wilson, who accepted offers from Division I schools in August. Current women’s team star Emirson Devenie from Australia is on the same path.

The local basketball scene continues to produce advanced prospects. Canadian Shaedon Sharpe – who attended HB Beal in London, Ont. and is now a senior at Dream City Christian in Glendale, Arizona – is the top-ranked high school student in ESPN’s class in 2022 and has committed to the University of Kentucky. And Oshawa’s Elijah Fisher, who attends Crestwood Preparatory College in Toronto, is ranked among the best recruits for 2023 by ESPN.

“(Mara) is constantly being recruited … by DI schools,” Exilus said. “He already behaves like a professional player and understands that every rep counts. With him, he just explodes from the screen when you see him – in terms of his athletic ability, in terms of his jumping ability.

“We tell people he can touch Saturn, he can jump so high. He plays hard every single match and he wants to be a great player.”

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