Penn State Basketball Gets Big News from Abdou Tsimbila

The 6-8 forward will be eligible for the 2020-21 basketball season.

Penn State announced an important addition to the men's basketball team Monday, as 6-8 forward Abdou Tsimbila officially joined the roster. Tsimbila signed his grant-in-aid and will be eligible for the upcoming season, Penn State said in a release.

It has been a long road to Penn State for Tsimbila, who originally committed two years ago and signed his Letter of Intent for the Class of 2019. However, he did not enroll at University Park and instead attended Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, Pa., for the 2019-20 academic year.

Welcome to our new Nittany Lion Abdou Tsimbila (➡️@abdourachid56), a 6-8, 220-lb. forward from Yaoundé, Cameroon! 📰: https://t.co/KGTU4JWLOs 🔵🦁⚪ #ClimbWithUs pic.twitter.com/uKfodklsZk

— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) July 13, 2020

Tsimbila, who is from Yaoundé, Cameroon, will add size to a Lions' roster looking for it. Penn State returns just four players listed as forwards, with the tallest being 6-9 John Harrar.

Rivals.com rated Tsimbila as a 3-star prospect at St. Maria Goretti High School in Hagerstown, Md. He played there for two seasons, twice earning all-county honors. Tsimbila averaged 10.2 points and 8 rebounds per game as a senior.

Among his senior-year highlights, Tsimbila had 20 points and 16 rebounds in a victory over Mount Saint Joseph. He scored 15 points and added 12 rebounds in the 2019 Baltimore Catholic League title game.

Penn State went 21-10 season and was preparing for its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2011. The Lions also set a school record with eight consecutive Big Ten victories.

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