LAWRENCE, Kan. — He runs the court like a deer and his long, lanky body pulls down rebounds with ease. On Tuesday, during the Jayhawk’s third match of the season against Iona, KU’s freshman center Joel Embii played in front of his father for the very first time.
Sound bizarre?
Maybe not after one learns Joel Embiid is from Cameroon, Africa. And in Africa soccer reigns.
“I’m very, very impressed by the match,” Thomas Embiid, father, said. “It’s my first time to see Joel play basketball.”
Joel scored 16 points and yanked down 13 rebounds during the game, which KU won 86-66.
“That’s the first time he saw me in action, so it was pretty fun,” Joel said. He later added he was a little nervous.
“I don’t think I played good because he was there,” Joel said with a wide grin. “I just feel more confident, and coach always gives me his trust, so I just felt more confident.”
As Joel’s confidence grows, so does Coach Bill Self’s hope that he will become one of KU’s iconic players.
“I’m real pleased with his development, but I still think we’re not even scratching the surface of what he can become,” Self said. “He does things in practice, like the will just be bouncing and he’ll come up and he’ll kick the ball to me by doing some soccer move — just things that seven-footers can’t do.”
Joel didn’t start playing basketball until he was 16, but his natural ability makes him shine. He went to The Rock School in Gainesville, Fla., to pursue a basketball career after attending a camp run by Sacramento Kings’ Luc Mbah a Moute, who is from the same town in Cameroon as Embiid.
While Joel shines on the court, his father made quite the impression off the court.
“That’s the first time we met him, obviously, in person,” Self said. “And he was the best dressed man in building, that’s for sure.”
Embiid, dressed in a tailored suit, was equally impressed with the performance of the Jayhawks — and those cheering them on.
“The Jayhawks have a good team, and I’m also impressed by the fans,” he said.
Pleased with a 20-point victory, Self seemed equally delighted that Embiid could make the long trek from Africa to Kansas for Tuesday night’s game.
“It had to be pretty cool coming over here and never seeing anything like this and your first experience is Allen Field House,” Self said.
While experience is something Joel is lacking, Self said he’s catching on. He’s learning. And he’s completely impressed his father.
“For me, I am a surprise,” Embiid said. “It’s a surprise. It’s a good surprise.”
Embiid will be in Kansas until the weekend, giving him a chance to see his son play again Friday night against Towson in Lawrence.
