Photo Credit: Steven Barron -Bleacher Report
The attention on NYC summer hoops mostly goes to the guards but if there’s ever a conversation of the best big man this summer in NYC, Moussa Cisse the No. 9 in the class of 2021 has to be in that conversation.
At 6-11, Cisse came back into the Christ The King rotation just in time for the postseason and added a much-needed boost that helped them win the CHSAA City title back in March. Since then, Moussa has continued to make himself known on the EYBL circuit while playing with Expressions Elite and he has earned invites to camps such as the Nike Elite 100 and Nike Skills Academy, but this summer he has also dominated in summer tournaments across the city.
Cisse joined the trend of many high school players who have played in the unlimited or college/pro division in some of the top summer leagues in the city.
The 6-11 rising junior has put up the same eye-popping numbers against older and stronger players just like he does against opponents during the high school season. On June 15th, Moussa put up a massive stat line of 21 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocks in a 110-83 win over XsVX Pandas. Playing in the unlimited division was something his uncle Streetball Veteran BJ McFarland encouraged him to do. “ Playing in the unlimited division is a great experience. I wanted to play in the High School division first but my uncle was like Nah you need to learn how to play against grown men. What I like the most about playing unlimited is if I do something wrong, the guys are willing to teach me how to do things better”.
On August 14th, Cisse came up big down the stretch in Sean Bell’s 104-99 win over Team Dyckman / Kemba in the Pro City Championship. From put back dunks, mid-range shots, and grabbing rebounds, he made his presence known and helped them win the chip. Not too bad for a rising junior.
Moussa Cisse’s Back to Back dunks in West 4th’s 83-80 win over Lincoln Park during Week 3 of NY vs NY.
In Nike NYC’s NY vs NY tournament, Cisse who played for Team West 4th was by far the best big man. With his elite shot-blocking ability he led all players in the tournament with eight per game. In the NY vs NY championship vs Dyckman, Cisse blocked 12 shots along with grabbing 16 boards and scoring 10 points. He was dominant throughout the game, but it wasn’t enough as West 4th fell to Dyckman 61-60 in double overtime. That game happened to be his last of the summer and his final game in NYC. Days prior to the NY vs NY championship Cisse announced that he will be leaving New York and attending Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, Tennessee. Lausanne produced NBA veteran and champion of the Toronto Raptors Marc Gasol.
Portland Trailblazer big man Skal Labissiere did not play at Lausanne but graduated from the school in 2015 before heading to the University of Kentucky.
Despite the fact that Moussa is moving on to a new school, there’s no question that he made a mark this summer with his play. He still feels that he has many things he can improve on as his career progresses “ I’m going to continue working on my offense more like my jump shot and other things because I’m pretty good on defense even though I’m still working on improving that as well. I’m also working more on playing without the ball.”
With his dominance on the defensive end and an offensive game in which he is currently building, the sky is the limit for Cisse who has the tons of potential to be a pro very soon.
Hoop Dreams NYC 