Former Tigers basketball star adapts to NCAA career

From the U Sports Final 8 to March Madness, Nginyu Ngala has played for three different university basketball programs.

The fifth-year guard previously hooped for Dalhousie University and Laurentian University before making his way to the University of Kansas Jayhawks.

During his time at Dal, the Montreal native was named a 2022-23 Atlantic University Sport first team All-Star and 2023-24 AUS Tournament All-Star. Ngala won two AUS championships as a Tiger.

“We had a successful few years,” said Ngala. “There was a lot of success with that team and that staff.” 

Ngala joined the Kansas Jayhawks after a season at Laurentian, where he averaged 14.9 points per game and was top five in three-pointers in the country. 

The Kansas Jayhawks finished their season with a record of 24-11, earning a March Madness berth as the fourth seed in the East Region.

“It’s definitely different from what you see on TV,” said Ngala. “It’s an experience you can only live. It’s hard to describe, but it’s something that I think everybody will definitely remember for the rest of their life.”

The Jayhawks ousted California Baptist University in the first round, but lost in the second round of the tournament 67-65 to the St. John’s University Red Storm.

Despite the loss, Ngala finished his collegiate career with incredible memories from the tournament.

“You get escorted by police officers,” Ngala said. “The highways get shut down, the streets get shut down, all for you to get to wherever you need to go, whether it’s practice or game day.”

He said the journey from Dal to Kansas was challenging due to the height discrepancy between the NCAA and U Sports. Ngala averaged 1.3 points per game in only 3.3 minutes per game as a five-foot-10 guard.

“I adjusted [to the NCAA] a bit quicker due to my experience,” he said. “At the end of the day, basketball is basketball.”

From playing CEGEP basketball at Vanier College to the NCAA, Ngala had to grind for a chance to play college ball in the U.S.

“I didn’t know it would come at this time, but it’s just a credit to my belief and my work ethic,” said Ngala. “I’ve been working towards this my whole life.”

Ngala is teammates with Darryn Peterson, a projected number one pick in this year’s NBA draft. The time with Peterson has been valuable for Ngala.

“You don’t see a lot of guys at his age with that type of skillset in Canada, so he’s definitely one-of-a-kind,” said Ngala.

With over 150 Canadian men’s basketball players suiting up in the NCAA this season, Ngala hopes that this trend will continue to rise.

“Just keep working, stay in the gym as much as you can and always try to get extra gym time,” Ngala said. “It’s not easy. Everybody has a different route, but I’m hoping it happens for them.”