The Toronto Raptors STOLE Ulrich Chomche from the world

When the Toronto Raptors drafted Ulrich Chomche from Cameroon and the NBA Africa Academy with the 57th overall pick, trading a million dollars in cash to the Grizzlies to have the right to the pick, a lot of people ignored it, myself included. It was a raw kid who had years of development ahead.
If there were four people on the planet who knew that Ulrich was basically a lottery level prospect hiding in plain sight it was; Masai Ujiri, Rich Paul, Joakim Noah and Joe Touomou. This is the story of an African phenom from a village in Cameroon, a farmer, who was hidden by his agency, his academy, and the president of Giants of Africa -- a prospect who under a different situation might have been a top 5 pick, and why despite all of his rawness, I believe he has a chance to be the best player taken in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Ways to Support (outside of super stickers and superchats)
etransfers to: [e-mail]
Amazon Wishlist: www.amazon.ca/...
This live includes a lot of information gathered over the past 72 hours by a team of investigators and online sleuths, and includes a lot of information from a french interview given by Joe, the Technical Director at NBA Academy who found Ulrich in the mountains, made a promise to his family to keep him safe, and then guided him right to the Raptors.
Ulrich Chomche is a steal. How big a steal. You're about to find out.
Link to Joe Touomou Interview; • Entretien avec Joe Tou...
Thanks to Mickael Laviolle for conducting this interview which we'll be breaking down in French.
#Raptors #nba #Cameroon

[@MikeLaviolleRaps]

Thank you for sharing appreciate it! Second pronunciation of Laviolle is the right one 😉

[@pensarebasketball]

Thank you for doing this interview and leading that conversation in such an interesting way. Linked your video in the description and asked everyone to sub up. Thanks for covering our dinos.

[@michaelpester532]

@@pensarebasketballgood work men

[@GOATiology]

I have completely fallen in love with Ulrich. All thanks to the work you have done on him Rob! Thanks for this.

[@sugu8403]

Big fan of your channel man super cool to see you here! Shows me you dig deep and know your shit not that I doubted that haha Edit: Also… stay goated 🐐

[@GOATiology]

@@sugu8403 haha thanks man. I started making content because of Rob. Stay goated my friend!

[@law4327]

Rob has a very infectious enthusiasm which has a tendency to do this, making you fall in love with these underdog player. It’s truly amazing.

[@ronfisher8395]

As a Canadian living in New Zealand. I appreciate you and the love you have for our Ball club.

[@dylanchute8934]

If I didn't follow this channel I would have had no idea Chomche could be such a good player. Thx for the insight Rob.

[@SeanS98]

I think we all need to take a second and acknowledge how lucky we are as a fanbase to have a person as dedicated to the team and our entertainment as Rob is. I’m sure all teams have podcasters who are dedicated and consistent but I don’t think it would be a crazy take to say that Pensare might be the best fan-made podcast in the NBA if you enjoy real in-depth analysis.

[@pensarebasketball]

Damn. Dropped the mic on that one homie.

[@ExpatPropertAsia]

Just like you Rob i went to Africa 2x (S. Africa, Botswana, Zambia & Zimbabwe. Every penny i made there training future leaders, i gave back to Africa. The potential is huge.

[@Justfranktbh]

Africa is the future, I appreciate what Masai & the others are doing for the continent. Hopefully I get to do the same one day & give back to the continent, I swear all we need is opportunities man. Bro have you been looking into Khaman Maluach? Was teammates with Ulrich too. If it don’t go our way next yr forget cooper, thats who we should be looking into, looked good against USA last game

[@pensarebasketball]

Love him, love the upside, love the kid. He's solid.

[@daryl_s]

This video is absolute proof you are spot-on about the inner workings of the NBA and the role agents play. You posited that the Raptors were the Chomche camp's preferred landing spot and that it was no accident he ended up there. Some people might have been tempted to cry conspiracy theory and minimize it to simply Masai reaching for an African. But by the end of the video, there can be no shadow of a doubt that Ulrich Chomche was going to be a Raptor and all the people in positions to make that happen made it happen. And I couldn't be happier.

[@carlribeiro7080]

I love your content but this has to be my favourite video yet. The kid is special and I love how passionate you are about it

[@okeedafiogho8324]

I was about to fall asleep when I saw this love, decided to watch it after the first minute I was wide awake till the end. Love this Rob all the other are gonna start jumping on the train now. In a couple years the Raptors will be a force.

[@joandavis9055]

Although I couldn't catch this live, I wanted to say fantastic reporting! Appreciate the hard work and dedication that goes into these videos. I'm also a big fan of the intro-keep up the excellent work!

[@vegangrass6606]

Prefer this intro over the music as sometimes I listen before bed. This one’s more calming 🤣

[@pimhoff]

Based on Summer League, he looked to me like the best of the draft picks in terms of upside. I think other players may help the team first, but this kid will be the really special one. I would like to see him developed as a four.

[@HosamuPlays]

Him and Koloko as the twin towers 😮

[@KarenLHall113]

Your excitement is contagious. Sometimes I wish we could fast forward to see how it all turns out. Guess we should just enjoy the journey, right?

[@pensarebasketball]

Always enjoy the journey 😊

[@robertbarnes2976]

Just love this kid. I hope he shows the same dedication to his craft as you do to yours

[@sportydude9337]

You gonna make me buy his jersey, huh? 😂 Good video bro! Love and blessings from Australia.

[@Lou-kl1dm]

Loved the intro bro. Sounded super pro

[@_kevrae]

NBA Africa is going to show so much...Ulrich leads the charge. His teamate Maulach is a top 5 pick 2025

[@TMoneyWave]

Great video. Very informative, This Raptors team rebuild is on point so far!

[@etgalaxy3439]

I enjoyed the intro at the beginning. Nice 😮

[@peterichard6071]

Wow! I truly enjoyed your presentation. Very intelligent research and presentation. You have found your niche. Keep being positive 👍

[@maximillianarturo3927]

Not only the talent is a Steal, but drafting him in the second rd gives u flexibility signing him long term...Lock him up, in few years will be saying omg we got this kid at 2 million per year, if it's clutch might b only 3 years thought..Masai does it again..

[@pensarebasketball]

@@maximillianarturo3927 agreed completely

[@mrf4891]

Definitely noticed scripting the intro.. but that’s because im aware of your background in film..but definitely loved it..kinda hyped up my expectations for your segment..love your work Rob..you are tireless in your research and which tempers my expectations ..look forward to your continued work🙏

[@Secretsauce4life]

Thank you for your reporting

[@Cameron_F]

I liked the intro. It was a nice overview of the topic of the video.

[@tmgee13]

Mickael is the French reporter who was always in the post games. Pascal used to love his questions.

[@FPPOD]

Another fantastic video! 💯 thanks for the high quality content once again

[@beawakening7323]

I just watched the videos you yalk about, and im telling this kidd is special he is fast, has a good ball handle, and is a defender

[@ryanbarr2718]

I think he’s 2 years away from being 2 years away

[@SeanS98]

Just a tip for anyone who’s about to watch the video Maybe im having an off day but I found the subtitles in the interview were a bit tough to follow at the speed he was talking. If you’re having trouble following along and you’re on the KZbin app you can hit the scroll icon in the top right corner and change the playback speed to .75 or .50 and it’s much easier to follow along. Maybe Im just baked and slow this morning 🤷‍♂️

[@academicmentorship-h6q]

Tank wont happen if Poetl in lineup. Just my take. The team is not as bad as it looks.

[@nichau9970]

Yeah he going to great! Idk how so many nba teams didn’t see his talent is crazy!

[@SP.007]

44:41 - since the G-league season doesn't start at the same time as the NBA season. I would give him minutes early on. Maybe the first off the bench if there's early foul trouble. ask him to play aggressively, and just see what happens. If there's a 7-0 by the opponent, and it's becasue of him. Take him out. Just give him those early reps, so the transition to the 905 becomes easier. It's sort like Pascal's path, but the 905 route starts Sooner.

[@pensarebasketball]

I think thats a very tough sell given how raw he is right now but let's see. If the Raptors don't bring back Koloko, I could see a clearer path to that happening.

[@ExpatPropertAsia]

Unfortunately Pascal never mentored Koloko; if Koloko makes it back to us, I know he will mentor Ulrich.

[@zachvoi1340]

Nice intro💪🏻

[@ThierryFont]

Since I know how you value pronouncing people's names de right way, it's pronounced "me-kah-elle". Awesome live btw, I'm hyped for Chomche 😤

[@terrancedavis4851]

Project pensare 🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@MikeLaviolleRaps]

1:00:01 I love the way you are so hyped about him I had the same feeling after my discussion with Joe.

[@pensarebasketball]

I just read my predraft report card for Bilal Coulibaly from 2023 and literally word for word every strength listed for Bilal is a strength for Ulrich. Just one is 6'7 and the other 6'11.

[@nathanshakura2573]

22:01 love the awareness about the last names re: growing up in the states lol😂

[@pensarebasketball]

lol

[@gregsaddie]

And the reason you know this is the same reason I called in on the first live ❤

[@ExpatPropertAsia]

Great story so far, if he hits, can make an interesting movie...

[@DanGolag]

905 are going to be fun to watch this year, and distinctly not fun to play against.

[@kemperthornberry4686]

oh yeah intro totally works.

[@michaeltodd9753]

@pensarebasketball , Manifest an interview with Joe Touomou, Rob. Guaranteed Joe has a great command of the english language too. FYI, your subscribers wish all success upon you as well. 🙂🏀

[@pensarebasketball]

Hey Michael, thanks for this. Did the interview with Joe.

[@SP.007]

in 2030 (or sooner) - Do you think the NBA could expand it's draft to 6-7 rounds, and introduce a 2nd division G-league (A-League) in Africa (it might become better than the G-Leauge). Allow Highschool seniors, from around the world, to enter the draft, and they can have their first season in the A-league. Teams can draft and stash players. Maybe have 2 different NBA teams (1 east, 1 west) represent 1 African city. The city have two teams they can root, or create rivals.

[@Secretsauce4life]

I don’t think he should stay in G league if we are tanking.

[@justinstewart8282]

I got em 10th or 11th last in the league. Bad, but not outright tanking bad.

[@DanGolag]

@@justinstewart8282 Agreed, they're not exciting atm, but a starting 5 of Quick, Brown, RJ, Scottie and Jak backed by Mitchell, Gradey, Ochai and Kelly (and Boucher if they play him) is way too good to out-tank the real bottom feeders in the league. Just going to have to hope for a really good trade and to strike gold with one or two of the prospects.

[@canadianbrotv1303]

This is what i am looking for

[@chirocket4791]

Major project.

[@imgeisbeast]

Scripted intro was awesome!

[@abouttime5000]

I have watched the African Basketball games as often as they are available and the conclusion is that despite tier flashes of athleticism the ball control and IQ is really bad. Most players are trying desperately to demonstrate their own personal skills without a team mentality as well. Sort of like a train out of control.

[@MRBp2024]

Thats unfair to just generalise like that. Your just lumping Chomche with guys who are just athletic & hustle guys with flashes. What about Chomche IQ, ability to see the next play, make split second decisions, seeing a pass early & excecuting it. This is high IQ from him. Guys in his position in NBA 4-5 years don't see it. Chomche needs to develop more just like any 18 year old in NBA Even when he's trying things its the right idea but maybe bad execution. But it was impressive how he saw that opening in the first place & brave enough to throw the pass. These are good signs for a growing prospect whose only played basketball 4 years. Chomche barely played last season. He played 3 games under NBA Academy Africa in qualifiers & didn't go out to one of there many affiliate teams like in Rwanda or Cameroon. Last season Chomche played in exhibition game in G-league showcase, played pre-Olympic qualifiers for Cameroon, played Nike hoop summit on World team against the best prospect in world. Chomche on Nike hoop summit played against the elites in his age range in Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper who will be top 3 picks in 2025. Chomche played with AJ DyBantsa on World team whose gonna go no.1 in 2026 & V.J Edgecombe who will likely go top 5 in 2025 draft. Chomche off the bench outplayed the starting Center on the World team he was on, outscored 2 of the starters & made 100% FG & made ridiculous 1 hand bounce pass assist to AJ. Chomche talent is unquestionable. If he went to college he would be a mid 1st round pick next year at the very least, who knows where he would go if he got drafted age 20 in 2026 draft. Chomche got drafted at 18 into NBA because of his talent, skill, ability to learn & his crazy ceiling. Chomche at age 18, with his raw talent & high potential was expected to go in the mid 40's of last draft. Chomche is 18 year old, doesn't turn 19 till almost New year 2025. Chomche started basketball similar age to Embiid & 3 years younger then when Siakam started. With Chomche having way more skilled/potential at same age. Siakam started at 17. Chomche drafted in NBA at 18. Siakam at 22, was going in the 40's range before Masai reached with 27th pick. Chomche at 18 was expected to go in the 40's range but fell to 57th pick, likely Klutch doing. Chomche drafted at age 18, 4 years after picking up basketball. Chomche is a mobile 6ft 11 Center, with passing instincts, ability to shoot 3's, ability to handle the ball, already a great shot blocker, rebounding and screen setter. He is way ahead of where most people thought. He is considered the best Cameroonian prospect since Joel Embiid. This with what Siakam, Koloko & Missi done in college. Those 3 drafted age 20, 22, 22. Even Joel Embiid who started basketball similar age to Chomche. Embiid got drafted at age 20 as 3rd pick after gaining experience. Embiid when he first arrived at Montverde was raw. If Embiid were drafted at age 18, he would also be high ceiling, raw prospect who could fall to 2nd round. This is with Embiid having gone highschool in US. Chomche got drafted 18 with him not turning 19 till have a year later. Also Klutch is his agent, they don't just pick up guys who they don't think is the real deal.

[@pensarebasketball]

This is an epic response

[@IvethFonsecaop-x5z]

Lee Eric Perez Larry Jones Patricia

[@WayWillow]

Weasel...

[@Johny-Supernova]

Love the scripted intro. Gripping.

[@Imarocketlamp]

Like the scripted intro!

[@irvingzeistman9828]

Who?

[@waverider2914]

Ok ok I realize it this guy is the steal of the draft, Masai found another gem, he’s the next Kareem and Jordan mixed with Lebron and magic. We get it. Blah blah blah…..

[@Foldz880]

bro really said "top 5" haha love the homerism!

[@pensarebasketball]

I'm pinning this comment for you. Let's come back to this in a year and see how it's looking. Cool? 😎

[@Foldz880]

sounds good to me bro, top 5 is crazy. He'll also only still be 19

[@pensarebasketball]

@@Foldz880 it's top 5 in this draft. Not top 5 in the NBA. He's gonna age at the same rate as the other 57 players drafted. Let's see how he keeps pace.

[@Foldz880]

@pensarebasketball yes I understand that but the chances of him playing any sort of meaningful minutes by this time next year are slim. He is in the Bruno Caboclo mold. I hope it works out and I agree he has serious untapped potential buy he is very raw.

[@mohamedelmi4539]

The Raptors didn't have their own G-League team when Bruno was drafted.

[@falsepositive4357]

Lol...ya ok.

[@michaelnewallo9234]

Scripted intro ❤

[@peterd.2963]

keep dreaming......until you fall asleep