Nene Ndiaye, a junior transfer from Boston College, is set to join the Rutgers women’s basketball team this season. Ndiaye, originally from Senegal, has played basketball in several countries and will now compete for the Scarlet Knights while working toward her college degree.
During her time at Boston College, Ndiaye started 10 games last season and played in 30 overall. She averaged 4.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. Her top performance was a 16-point game with six rebounds against Pittsburgh. In her freshman year, she scored 10 points against Louisville.
After seeking more opportunities by entering the transfer portal following the 2024-25 season, Ndiaye was recruited by Rutgers head coach Coquese Washington. “I loved the vibes that Coach ‘Co’ was giving on my visit, and since I arrived on campus, so that has been very refreshing,” Ndiaye said. “She is very easy to talk to, is always smiling and for me that is very important because as an international student I don’t have any family here.”
Ndiaye also spoke about the support she receives from her new team: “The coaches and my teammates are actually my family here,” she said. “So it’s very important that we have that connection. And I haven’t had that with many of the coaches I’ve played for, so that has really stood out to me. The coaches are very, very nice, very welcoming and very honest, and that’s definitely the main reason that I came here.”
A two-time Academic All-ACC member at Boston College majoring in entrepreneurship at Rutgers, Ndiaye moved from Senegal to Spain at age 13 to pursue basketball under the guidance of her uncle. She speaks five languages: English, French, Spanish, Wolof (the national language of Senegal), and Serere-Sine (an indigenous language of Senegal and Gambia).
Ndiaye first drew attention from U.S. colleges after earning MVP honors with Spain’s U14 team before joining the Senegal National Team. Her journey led her through schools in California and Arizona before playing at Boston College.
Reflecting on differences between Spain and U.S. basketball environments she said: “The main reason I wanted to move from Spain was the basketball level. It was not as physical and challenging as I like it to be in Spain,” Ndiaye explained. “When I came to the U.S., that’s when I felt more of the challenge because just about everybody plays basketball and everybody is physical. In Spain I was always the tallest and most physical player so I was looking for more of a challenge.”
Ndiaye noted another adjustment moving between continents: “The biggest adjustment I had to make from Spain to the U.S. was mostly on the basketball side because I was already speaking English,” she said. “In the house in Spain we had to use English. The NCAA rules are a little different from FIBA which I was used to playing in Spain and in Senegal. Here in the U.S., it’s always go-go-go…it is way more intense.”
Ndiaye will begin playing for Rutgers at Jersey Mike’s Arena when their season starts November 3 against Wagner.
Looking ahead beyond college basketball, Ndiaye plans a professional career before returning home to work with her family’s construction business in Senegal: “I’ve always wanted to play professional basketball so that will be my main focus after I graduate from Rutgers either in the WNBA or Europe somewhere so I definitely want to experience playing as a pro,” she said.
She added about her interest in real estate: “I love real estate especially since my dad is in it as he works as a construction manager/real estate agent – building houses and selling them…I’m actually working with my dad now with building houses where I invest money in his business and help with some of the design details.”
Ndiaye credits basketball for providing opportunities throughout her life—a path she hopes continues during her time at Rutgers.
