Rice Memorial guard鈥檚 hard work has paid off after a long road
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (BVM) — Michel Ndayishimiye鈥檚 success on the basketball court hasn’t always come easy. But the junior guard鈥檚 mindset to get better has helped him along the way.
鈥淗e just always wants to get better, he’s just one of those types of kids,鈥� Rice Memorial head boys basketball coach Paul Pecor said. 鈥淸He] found the game at a young age and he鈥檇 be the first to tell you, I couldn’t walk and chew gum, I couldn鈥檛 figure this out. He was like the only one in his family to play basketball, so that drive just kind of kept going and he wanted to be the best he possibly could be.鈥�
Ndayishimiye first started playing basketball in the fourth grade and it didn鈥檛 come naturally to him right away. He was born in Tanzania, but originates from Burundi, a country in East Africa. He came over to America when he was 6 years old, as his family looked to avoid wars that had broken out within the country.
Now, the 5-foot-10 guard is an elite scorer for Rice Memorial averaging 26.9 points, 4.9 assists, and 6.9 rebounds. Ndayishimiye has become a major piece in the success of the Green Knights, helping lead them to a 21-2 season this year. The hard work is starting to pay off for him, as Ndayishimiye鈥檚 time in the gym has been crucial down the stretch in games.
鈥淗e’s got that ability to find that extra gear,鈥� Pecor said. 鈥淭his kid finds another gear where he knows he’s got to take over the game, or a situation, and it could be late in the fourth quarter, and he finds it. His endurance is through the roof, it’s like he just doesn’t get tired. Everybody basically face-guards or they have a guy on him the entire time so you鈥檙e thinking, he’s going to wear down, he’s going to wear down and he just doesn鈥檛.鈥�
The Green Knights impressive 2019-20 season led them to a state championship game against St. Johnsbury. Ndayishimiye didn’t shy away from the moment as his baskets down the stretch aided a second half turn around. With his 20 points, Ndayishimiye helped Rice Memorial capture their first state championship since 2015, a 53-51 win against the Hilltoppers.
鈥淓verybody in the gym knew the last four minutes, Michel was going to be taking our shots,鈥� Pecor said. 鈥淪ometimes with Michel I have to really tell him to do that because he鈥檚 a team first kind of guy, he wants everybody involved. If I have another kid hit a three and it’s a big three, he’s the first guy going to that kid. He almost loves it more when another [teammate] hits a big shot. That’s the thing that makes him so great as well, his ability to have other guys step up.鈥�
With a state title under his belt, Ndayishimiye鈥檚 high school accomplishments are beginning to rack up and his competitive nature will keep him striving for more in the future.
鈥淗e鈥檚 not arrogant and he鈥檚 not cocky, he’s not that kid,鈥� Pecor said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 the kid that steps on the floor, and [says] you gotta play with me, let’s go, I’m going to try and beat you and compete, all the time. He wants to beat every single player he plays against, it doesn鈥檛 matter if it鈥檚 one-on-one or fooling around in the locker playing a stupid game, he wants to always win, it鈥檚 literally what he does. It鈥檚 that mindset.鈥�
