HUNTSVILLE — Sam Houston men's basketball coach Chris Mudge recently announced the addition of Utah State transfer Kalifa Sakho to the Bearkat roster. 

A 6-11 forward from Rouen, France, Sakho appeared in 33 games last season for Utah State, which won the Mountain West Conference. Sakho was also previously a Top 100 junior college recruit and was regarded as one of the top junior college forward prospects in the 2023 class. 

"Kalifa is, first of all, a great young man who will fit into our culture and our community perfectly," said Mudge. "He has NBA level athleticism and length, which will be a welcome addition to our already strong core. We are very excited to bring his budding skill set to Sam Houston so that he can thrive and grow like our last few impact transfer forwards."

In the 33 games he appeared in last season, Sakho scored 89 points and grabbed 56 rebounds, while shooting 66 percent from the field (35 of 53). He scored a career-high eight points against San Diego, logged a career-best five rebounds twice, and recorded multiple blocks in four games, including a career-high three against South Dakota. 

Sakho played a key role on the Utah State team that was an eighth seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, where the Aggies upset ninth-seeded TCU 88-72 in the first round. The Aggies would eventually fall in the second round to the national runners up, the Purdue Boilermakers. 

Prior to Utah State, Sakho spent two years at the junior college level at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas. He appeared in 62 games where he averaged 5.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. During the 2021-22 season, Sakho was named the Defensive Player of the Year in the prestigious WJCAC conference.