Villanova added a 6-foot-8 forward with four seasons of Division I experience and a surgically repaired leg to its men's basketball roster this summer. Abdou Samb, who has played at three college programs since arriving in the United States from Senegal at age 11, signed with the Wildcats and wears No. 9 for head coach Kevin Willard's Big East squad.

Samb's path to Villanova traces back to a recruiter he already knew. Associate head coach David Cox first recruited Samb while coaching at the University of Rhode Island from 2018 to 2022, according to a Villanova athletics feature published Wednesday, Sept. 9. Cox was elevated to associate head coach at Villanova in August 2026.

"Coach Cox is so well known in the DMV," Samb said in the feature. "He recruited me for a while and he's someone who's always been a great coach and mentor to me."

Samb enrolled at URI, redshirted one season and appeared in 31 games during 2022-23, averaging 3.6 points and 2.7 rebounds. He then transferred to IU Indianapolis (formerly IUPUI) for 2023-24, starting 20 games, before moving closer to home at Towson University.

He played 32 games for the Tigers in 2024-25, shooting 48.8% from the field, according to Towson's roster page. Towson named him captain heading into 2025-26. Then came the setback. A leg injury ended his season after just seven games and required surgery.

Samb grew up in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. His mother had played basketball overseas and spoke several languages including English, helping him adjust to American life. He brought a soccer background from Senegal that sharpened his footwork on the court. By seventh grade he stood 6-1, and by eighth grade he had joined a local AAU team. Division I programs recruited him by his junior year at Frederick Douglass High School.

His recovery at Villanova has been deliberate. Samb has spent much of his time in the weight room with limited court work, supervised by head athletic trainer Dan Erickson and sports performance coach Kyle Tarp. The staff told him not to rush.

Samb said Cox and Willard share a philosophy of letting players play fast. He cited Villanova alumni Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, both NBA players who started their careers as Wildcats, as players he looks up to.