Scoggins: Jewish. Catholic. Muslim. How three Macalester hoopers became brothers

Three Macalester men’s basketball players stopped by a pizza place Tuesday to grab post-practice dinner on two-for-one night. The restaurant was packed with college students, but the trio stood out because they towered over everyone else.

Badou Ba, Noah Shannon and Armando Akapo-Nwagbo are the only true post players on Macalester’s roster.

All three are 6-5 or taller, all talented, all starters at different times.

They guard each other in practice when healthy. All three earned academic all-MIAC honors last season. Two of them live together. All three are close friends and hang out in their free time.

“They’re my brothers,” Akapo-Nwagbo said.

Brothers from vastly different backgrounds.

One is Jewish. One Catholic. One Muslim.

One comes from a Chicago suburb and dabbles in real estate. One is the son of a U.S. Senior Foreign Service Officer and has lived all over the world. One is a native of Nigeria who speaks four languages and arrived at Macalester as an undocumented student.

They occasionally discuss religion or another worldly topic. Sometimes their conversations become loud and animated.

“Those are really fun conversations to have,” Shannon said.

Their tone is respectful. They listen and learn and embrace each other’s differences because, well, they are teammates and best buds.

“Three guys that didn’t know each other,” Macalester coach Abe Woldeslassie said. “Different countries, different race, different religion. It’s what basketball can do.”

Their friendship cuts to the core of sports. A special bond exists inside a locker room. Teammates of different backgrounds and beliefs join forces for one goal, one purpose. The pursuit of winning is a powerful uniter.

“There’s always going to be that kinship and teamwork there,” Ba said, “which is an easy way to start a relationship.”

Each brings a unique perspective to that relationship.

Ba was born in Maryland but spent most of his childhood overseas. His mother, Jessica Davis Ba, currently serves as U.S. Ambassador to the Ivory Coast, also known as the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire. His father, Amadou Mahtar Ba, is a renowned businessman on multiple continents.

His mom’s work in foreign service meant Ba grew up in different parts of the world. He has lived in Nigeria, Guinea, Kenya, Senegal, Saudi Arabia and France. He speaks fluent French and English and understands Wolof (the native language of Senegal, his father’s home country).

He didn’t start playing organized basketball until he moved to France as a teen.

“I decided I wanted to pursue it because it was fun,” he said.

Ba moved to the United States and enrolled in a prep school in Massachusetts to finish high school. As a sophomore in college, he became MIAC Defensive Player of the Year, but a pair of knee surgeries has sidelined him in back-to-back seasons.

Ba is a Muslim who observes prayers, which occasionally requires him to find a space in the locker room for prayer before a game.

He shares an apartment with Shannon, who is Jewish and competed in the Maccabiah Games (known as the Jewish Olympics) in Israel before his freshman year at Macalester. The roomies have learned about each other’s faith and observance of principles such as dietary restrictions.

“As good friends and teammates, if I want to get to know someone, obviously part of their identity is basic questions about their practices,” Ba said.

They enjoy discovering more about each other’s family history. Ba’s mom, the ambassador, tries to visit him once a year. Shannon spent a half-hour talking to her one morning, which he described as “really awesome.”

“It was shocking because I woke up and he didn’t tell me she was coming,” Shannon said. “She was sitting in the living room. I’m glad I put a shirt on. I was like, ‘Oh, hi, how’s it going.’”

Akapo-Nwagbo gave his own dad a startled reaction last summer when he returned to Africa to see his parents for the first time in six years.

“My dad didn’t recognize me,” he said.

Akapo-Nwagbo stood 5-9 and 143 pounds when he left for the United States as a high school sophomore in search of better opportunities. He is now 6-6 and 250 pounds and chiseled with muscle.

His parents hadn’t been able to FaceTime much during the separation, causing his dad to do a double take at the airport.

“He was like, ‘Is that you?’” Akapo-Nwagbo said.

He lived in California with an aunt and grandmother. His high school basketball coach was Eric “Hollywood” Anderson, a former three-sport athlete at Macalester and member of the school’s hall of fame.

That connection opened the door for Akapo-Nwagbo, a citizen of Equatorial Guinea who encountered visa issues and an expired passport after he arrived in America. He traveled to Minnesota for college using his high school ID.

“Honestly, it was a miracle,” he said. “With the documentation process, I can’t even explain how it happened.”

He received his green card last year. He is a political science major who speaks four languages — English, Spanish, Portuguese and Igbo — and is interning at the State Capitol with Fresh Energy this semester. He balances a schedule that includes 15-20 hours per week at the Capitol, school, basketball and a part-time job on campus. He still finds time to attend mass regularly.

“It’s easy doing things you like to do,” he said. “I love basketball. I love my classes. I love the interesting opportunity I have [at the Capitol]. I don’t really see it so much as work or stress.”

Post players in basketball often are referred to as “bigs,” which also perfectly describes the impact all three have had on Macalester basketball, their school community and each other.

Ba and Akapo-Nwagbo are seniors, Shannon a junior. They have helped the Scots steadily improve on the court. All three are outstanding students filled with ambition as they consider careers in public policy, investment banking and international business.

“I’m sure if you asked all of them, Minnesota probably wasn’t on their drawing board [in high school],” said Woldeslassie, their coach. “It’s amazing where basketball can take you and what it can do for your life.”

The visual proof was there after practice as they sat in a living room, eating pizza and talking sports, laughing and enjoying being together. Strangers who shared a sport and a position and not much else when they met, they will leave college as brothers for life.