{"id":2448,"date":"2018-09-27T21:03:26","date_gmt":"2018-09-27T21:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/yearbook\/?p=2448"},"modified":"2019-06-29T19:27:32","modified_gmt":"2019-06-30T00:27:32","slug":"5-years-4-different-cities-1-amazing-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/yearbook\/2018\/09\/27\/5-years-4-different-cities-1-amazing-story\/","title":{"rendered":"5 years, 4 different cities, 1 amazing story"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Tanner Cobb<\/span><\/p>\n

L<\/span>ife is a journey not a destination, and Western junior forward Cheikh Fall<\/a> has had quite the journey in his life, from growing up in Africa to living in three states in the past four years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fall, who grew up in Theis, Senegal, in West Africa, started his journey in 2015. He came to America his senior year of high school attending Washington Academy in Machias, Maine. He then went to Kilgore College<\/a>, located near Dallas, Texas, and afterwards was recruited to Western.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason I came to the USA is pretty much basketball,\u201d Fall said. \u201cI had the opportunity to play ball and go to school, and I am trying to use it as an outlet to go further in life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As his sophomore season at Kilgore came to an end, he needed to find a new college. At the same time, Western needed a new rebounding forward. Coach Brett Weiberg<\/a>, who has coached multiple international athletes, recruited Fall.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI knew about Cheikh a little bit through a guy that helped me get my other player from Senegal,\u201d Weiberg said. \u201cSo, I simply just called the Kilgore College coach, and he sent me game film. After we saw that he was a fantastic rebounding forward and very athletic, we brought him in for a visit, and the rest is history.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While basketball is a big reason for Fall coming to the states, getting a better education was a big factor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe is certainly a guy, who basketball is a big part of who he is, but it is not the only part of who he is,\u201d Weiberg said. \u201cHe is here to see how far basketball can take him, but also to see how far his education can take him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fall is majoring in criminal justice, and although he has done a good job adapting to America, he has some difficulties with U.S. history.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe material is kind of tough sometimes because it is related to U.S. government and economy that I am not very familiar with,\u201d Fall said. \u00a0\u201cI have a hard time getting that part, but I just keep studying to get myself familiar with it.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Although Fall is viewed as a competitive basketball player on the court, he is a very nice guy off the court according to senior guard T.J. Evans<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can tell he is wise and that he has a big heart,\u201d Evans said. \u201cI enjoy being around him. He is so humble and quiet. He knows when to say things and when not to. He is a pretty good guy overall.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Having lived in different geographic areas with various weather and cultural differences Weiberg is amazed that Fall has adapted so well.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe has adapted fine and is doing well,\u201d Weiberg said. \u201cI think it is pretty cool that even in America, he has lived in three very different parts of the states, and has been able to experience those different subcultures.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

While getting homesick and having to adapt to things like food and vocabulary can be challenging, the weather was the most difficult for Fall. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe weather has by far been the hardest thing to adapt to,\u201d Fall said. \u00a0\u201cBefore I first got to the states, I had never seen snow and it snowed in the first couple of months in Maine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With weather being the hardest thing to deal with, he still had to adapt to many differences in between Senegal, Maine, Texas and Missouri. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is completely different,\u201d Fall said. \u201cIn a cultural way, people are more open back home. Everyone is friendly and nice to everyone in Senegal, but here, if people don\u2019t know you they don\u2019t mess with you. It is just so different here than back home. We don\u2019t have that type of interaction.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With the consistent change in geography for Fall over the past few years, he has still been able to adapt well and continue his basketball and academic careers. He has been averaging 1.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in less than seven minutes a game this year for Western.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t