Big West Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade ('13-23)

Big West Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

By Joey Loose | Jul 15, 2023

Mar 14, 2019; Anaheim, CA, USA;Cal State Northridge Matadors forward Lamine Diane (35) lets out a yell after scoring past UC Santa Barbara Gauchos forward Amadou Sow (12) and guard Ar'Mond Davis (1) during the first half of the quarterfinals of the Big West conference tournament at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /

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Big West Basketball UC Santa Barbara Gauchos forward Amadou Sow Andrew Nelles-USA TODAY Sports /

6. Amadou Sow

Sow is a 6’9 center from Bamako in Mali who took on a major role at UC Santa Barbara. He made his way to the Big West school back in 2018 after prep success here in the US. The next four years saw him become a major contributor for the Gauchos and a big reason why they’ve been one of the league’s winningest teams in recent years.

Sow was already good for 12 points and 6 rebounds a game as a freshman and started nearly every game while in Santa Barbara. He helped lead the Gauchos to a pair of 2nd place finishes in conference as an upperclassman and had a career-high 30-point outburst against Hawaii. His junior year saw the Gauchos win the Big West and make the NCAA Tournament, with Sow dropping a double-double in the championship game over UC Irvine. As a senior, he averaged 15.6 points and 8.4 rebounds in yet another winning season for the Gauchos.

He led the Big West in field goal percentage for three straight seasons and was named All-Big West for all four college campaigns, garnering First Team honors as both a junior and senior. By the end of his career, he was also the Big West’s best rebounders and had certainly come a long way with his offensive game. UC Santa Barbara won 82 games and made a trip to the NCAA Tournament during Sow’s impressive career; he clearly has a great legacy left in California.