Pôle France wins again in NM1, with Meissa Faye setting a record
March 15, 2025
Gabriel Pantel-Jouve
Meissa Faye joins Ulm and starts his professional career in Germany
Meissa Faye, a young wing from Drôme, will begin his professional career in Germany with Ulm. He will join another French player, Mohamed Diakité, who also signed with the German team this week.
Photo Credit : EuroLeague
Meissa Faye (1.97m, 17 years old) continues his rise. After breaking through this season with Pôle France in Nationale 1, the wing from Drôme has chosen to sign with Ulm, one of Europe’s most renowned clubs for developing young players. At 17, he’s preparing to take an important step by launching his professional career in an environment designed for his development.
Ulm, a launching pad for Meissa Faye
A small forward with a feared shooting touch, Meissa Faye made a name for himself this season in NM1. In 35 games with Pôle France, he averaged 9.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. In mid-March, he even scored a career-high 29 points (7/11 from 3-point range) in 36 minutes during a victory at Avignon.
Despite his obvious talents and young age (born December 29, 2007, he could still be U17 by just two days), few French clubs tried to sign him. It was mainly American mid-major universities that showed interest, with higher financial offers than Ulm’s proposal. However, the strong connection between his agents, Théo Kossingou and Yann Balikouzou, and the German club was a deciding factor. This relationship has previously helped Killian Hayes, Noa Essengue, and Pacôme Dadiet showcase their talents with the Baden-Württemberg club, leading to their first-round NBA Draft selections.
A well-established French pipeline at Ulm
Meissa Faye won’t be a pioneer in joining the German club. Besides Killian Hayes, Noa Essengue, and Pacôme Dadiet, he follows other international prospects like Juan Nunez and recently Ben Saraf. Meissa Faye’s signing comes just days after another French player, Mohamed Diakite, and Italian Diego Garavaglia joined the team.
U18 EuroBasket in sight
Before settling in Germany, Meissa Faye will participate in the U18 EuroBasket, starting July 26. This is a great opportunity for the former Avant Garde Tain Tournon Basket player to shine in the national team colors and build more confidence before entering the professional world.
Gabriel Pantel-Jouve est le fondateur et rédacteur en chef de BeBasket, qu’il anime depuis 2010 (sous le nom de Catch & Shoot). Passé par l’Ecole Publique de Journaliste de Tours, puis deux universités en Amérique du Nord, il a pu développer son expertise sur le basket français, de la Ligue Nationale aux divisions amateurs, durant ces 20 dernières années. En parallèle, il est aussi engagé dans le développement de clubs du côté de Montpellier.
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