He is the fourth freshman to ink papers with the Hilltoppers, joining Courtney Lee, Ty Rogers and Mike Walker. And, Elgrace Wilborn will be eligible to play after sitting out the 2003-04 season following his transfer from Tennessee.
“Our number one goal with our first full recruiting class was to become more athletic, and Boris helps round out a group that has accomplished that,” said Horn. “He is a gifted athlete that has only begun to touch on his basketball potential. Boris’ athleticism, as well as his body, will give him the opportunity to play as a freshman.”
Siakam (pronounced see-AH-come) is a 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward from Bouala, Cameroon, although he played his senior season at Caverna High School in Horse Cave, Ky. In his only year at the school, Siakam averaged 18.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and two assists per contest in leading the Colonels to a 30-4 finish and their first appearance in the Sweet 16 state tournament since 1979. He posted 34 points and 41 boards at the event — earning all-tournament honors — as CHS won its first-round game to advance to the quarterfinals.
Caverna was 10-20 the season prior to his arrival.
“Even though he played just one year in the United States, Boris was able to prove he could play on the biggest stage in the best state tournament last month,” Horn added. “Paul Childress deserves a lot of credit for giving Boris that opportunity.”
Siakam was named first-team all-state by the Louisville Courier-Journal and earned Associated Press honorable mention all-state accolades, and he was also selected first-team all-region and all-district. During the season, he was chosen the Most Valuable Player of the Fifth Region Tournament and earned all-tournament honors at the All “A” Classic.
Earlier this month Siakam was selected to the Kentucky All-Star team that will take on the Indiana All-Stars in a pair of games in June.
The Toppers’ entire 2004-05 list of newcomers follows:
Name Ht. Wt. Cl.-Exp. Pos. Hometown (Previous School) Courtney Lee 6-4 180 Fr.-HS G/F Indianapolis, Ind. (Pike HS) Ty Rogers 6-3 185 Fr.-HS G Eddyville, Ky. (Lyon County HS) Boris Siakam 6-7 215 Fr.-HS F Bouala, Cameroon (Caverna [Ky.] HS) Mike Walker 6-7 200 Fr.-HS F Macon, Ga. (Macon Southwest HS) Elgrace Wilborn 6-8 230 Jr.-TR F Springfield, Ohio (South HS / Tennessee)
