Former Syracuse C Baye Moussa Keita helps create opportunity in Senagal

Four years ago, an idea popped into former Syracuse center Baye Moussa Keita's head while he was working for the Basketball Africa League.

While most of the attention on youth camps and outreach clinics were focused on his home country's (Sengal) capital of Dakar, Keita's hometown of St. Louis, roughly 250 miles away, didn't receive any attention whatsoever.

"'Why don't I create a camp for the local youth of my hometown?'" Keita said on this week's The Juice on the Cuse Podcast, presented by Rivals.com. "Growing up in my hometown, I was one of the few that made it out."

Keita said he was only able to make it out because he had been scouted as a potential high-major athlete.

"I'm going to provide the same support to these kids," Keita said. "They never had a camp."

And so the idea of the BMK Camp was formed in 2020. But because of the various rules behind working for the BAL at the time, Keita didn't have the support of the NBA infrastructure. Instead, he had to figure out all of the logistical issues on his own.

"That first year, they just had gravel," Keita said. "You dribbled the ball, it would go left or right."

Keita also realized he needed other more basic things to get the camp up and running.

The people who attended the BMK Camp lacked necessities for hygiene such as toothpaste, toothbrushes and deodorant. Women who attended his camp needed things like tampons.

While these were afterthoughts in America, they were not readily available when he first started, Keita said.

"(Hygiene items are) part of the sport," he said. "I had to do everything on my own. Everything from the grass roots."

Keita reached out to his network for help moving forward. He created a GoFundMe and leaned on the communities he had touched throughout his life, including Syracuse.

One friend he connected with from his time with the NBA donated 25 pairs of shoes. Another sent Keita 25 basketballs.

When Keita started the process of packing recently, he realized he needed more bags to take all of the donated items back to Africa.

"I'm overwhelmed with love for everyone who supported me in the Syracuse community and family and friends," he said.

The money generated from the GoFundMe this year will go toward items like installation of Plexiglas backboards, t-shirts, socks, and outdoor lights.

It should come as no surprise that Keita is involved in strengthening his community. Keita's altruistic nature was instilled in him at an early age. He credits his family and community for that.

"You always have to pay it forward," Keita said.

When growing up, Keita always understood that "if you have three kilos of rice, and you only need two, the third always goes to the neighbor."

Keita still remains in close contact with the Syracuse basketball team. He was in Syracuse in late 2022, and had an opportunity to meet the team and catch up with the coaches.

While Syracuse has struggled at various points this season, they're 16-11 on a roster that features several freshman contributors.

"I'm surprised how well they're playing," Keita said. "If some of these guys come back next year, we are going to be pretty good."

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