Nathan Mensah
Nathan Mensah (born 9 April 1998) is a Ghanaian college basketball player for the San Diego State Aztecs of the Mountain West Conference (MWC).
 | |
| No. 31 – San Diego State Aztecs | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center / Power forward |
| League | Mountain West Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 9 April 1998 Accra, Ghana |
| Nationality | Ghanaian |
| Listed height | 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) |
| Listed weight | 104.5 kg (230 lb) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College | San Diego State (2018–present) |
Mensah is known for his immense wingspan of 7‘4 ft. (224 cm).[1]
High school career
Mensah grew up playing soccer in Ghana. At the age of 15, he began playing basketball after being recruited to play in a tournament. Mensah was spotted by Kwaku Amoaku and moved to the United States to attend Prolific Prep. In August 2017, he averaged 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for Team Africa in the Adidas Global Nations event. Mensah transferred to Findlay Prep before his senior season. Rated a four-star recruit, Mensah committed to San Diego State in October 2017, choosing the Aztecs over Oregon, Oregon State, USC, and Texas Tech.[3]
College career
As a freshman at San Diego State, Mensah averaged 5.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.[4] On December 28, 2019, Mensah requested to be substituted during the second half of a game against Cal Poly, due to shortness of breath. He was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season.[5] Mensah averaged 6.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore.[6]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | San Diego State | 34 | 20 | 18.9 | .541 | – | .708 | 5.5 | .6 | .3 | 1.1 | 5.6 |
| 2019–20 | San Diego State | 13 | 13 | 20.2 | .617 | – | .640 | 6.8 | .3 | .8 | 1.7 | 6.9 |
| Career | 47 | 33 | 19.3 | .565 | – | .689 | 5.9 | .5 | .4 | 1.3 | 6.0 | |
References
- Wilson, Bernie (9 March 2020). "No. 6 Aztecs hope for rest, not rust, during long layoff". USA Today. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- Zeigler, Mark (9 April 2020). "SDSU's Nathan Mensah remains on track to resume basketball career". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- Zeigler, Mark (4 October 2017). "SDSU lands another hoops recruit from Ghana". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- Mintah, Yaw (23 January 2020). "San Diego's Mensah diagnosed with blood clots". Basketball Ghana. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- Zeigler, Mark (17 January 2020). "Aztecs' Nathan Mensah has 'outside chance' of returning this season". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- Johnson, Tron (10 November 2020). "Countdown Of The Best Mountain West Basketball Players For 2020-21". Mountain West Wire. Retrieved 10 November 2020.