Chris Silva
| South Carolina Gamecocks | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward |
| League | Southeastern Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 19, 1996 |
| Nationality | Gabonese |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
Roselle Catholic (Roselle, New Jersey) |
| College | South Carolina (2015–present) |
Chris Silva Obame Correia (born September 19, 1996) is a Gabonese college basketball player who currently plays for the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Early life
In 2012, when Silva was 16 years old, he took four different airplane flights to reach the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City from Gabon. He knew no English at the time and had no experience playing organized basketball. When he drew interest from Roselle Catholic High School assistant basketball coach Tommy Sacks, he said, "Coach, I go to NBA." Sacks later commented, "His ceiling is so high, one of the highest I've ever seen, because all he wants to do is get better. He wants to live in the weight room. He wants to run on his own. He wants to work out. He wants to get shots up."[1]
High school career
Initially, with the Roselle Catholic basketball team, Silva was not aware of the rules of the game. In his senior season, his team won the state championship. After drawing interest from college basketball programs such as Seton Hall and Rhode Island. However, he committed and eventually signed with the South Carolina Gamecocks. Silva said, "That's a great school, great coaches. I like everything about it, the education, the support they give to players after their career—everything."[2]
International career
On June 11, 2015, Silva was named to the Gabon national basketball team's preliminary squad for the AfroBasket 2015 by head coach Thierry Bouanga. It was considered a possibility that he would debut alongside ex-NBA player Stéphane Lasme. Silva would participate in a three-week training camp in Libreville in July.[3]
References
- ↑ Schneider, Jeremy. "From Gabon to T of C glory: The basketball journey of Roselle Catholic's Chris Silva". NJ.com. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
- ↑ Braziller, Zach. "The NJ hoops star from Africa: The Chris Silva saga". New York Post. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
- ↑ "College prospect Silva highlights Gabon's preliminary squad". FIBA. Retrieved 1 August 2015.