By Richard Tucker
Xavier University of Louisiana Institutional Advancement
NEW ORLEANS — As a young boy growing up in the West African nation of Cameroon, Olivier Siewe cut a deal with the owner of a local bar in his hometown of Douala, trading used soda and beer bottles in exchange for the privilege of watching U.S. college basketball on the television set there.
Oh man, what he wouldn't give to be one of those basketball players.
There were, of course, more than a few obstacles standing in the way of that American dream. First he was in Cameroon, where basketball as a sport ranked only slightly higher than tug-of-war. As a result he had received no formal training in the sport and had no immediate prospects of getting any; in fact, his "learning" of the game consisted of playing pick-up games with a soccer ball on a concrete court.
Then there were his parents, who disapproved of the sport anyway, noting — correctly — that his obsession with basketball was interfering with his education. Last but not least, he spoke no English, only some French and this tribal Batoit.
Incredibly, fate took him by the hand one day, taking him down a long, winding road and through a chain of unlikely events that not only gave him the opportunity to play his beloved basketball, but today puts him on the cusp of making his even his fearful parents proud: earning a college degree and setting up what promises to be a bright future.
He'll receive his undergraduate degree in business/management during Xavier's 2015 commencement (Saturday, May 9) at the Convocation Center.
"It's been hard for me," admits Siewe. "I've had to prove myself to many people: my parents, my teachers, my coaches, my teammates, and my classmates."
His improbable success owes much to his friendly demeanor, his unwavering determination, his unflappable enthusiasm, and his ability to overcome cultural, language, and other barriers that might have curtailed a lesser individual. That said, Siewe would be among the first to acknowledge a series of guardian angels that have helped him along the way.
The first of those was Gilles Bouwe, his physical education coach in Douala, who recognized Siewe's underdeveloped potential and brought him to the attention of Lemuel Jones, a former Northwestern State University athlete and then athletic director/head coach at Piney Woods High School in Mississippi. Jones saw hidden talent there as well and offered Siewe a chance (and a scholarship) to play on his team back in the states.
It took some doing — his parents had to be assured that his academics would remain a priority and the Cameroon Embassy had to be convinced that the offer was legitimate — but soon Siewe was on his way to a new life in America. That was 2007, and he has not seen his parents or his eight brothers and sisters since.
At Piney Woods (a small boarding school with only 230 students) — under the watchful and skillful eye of Jones — basketball came easy. He was so impressive in his three years at the school that he drew some interest from the likes of Ole Miss and Mississippi State University.
Academics came much harder — the obvious roadblock being the language barrier. Here Siewe credits Jones' then-5-year-old stepdaughter, Shelisa Sutton, who helped him learn conversational English and spent countless hours coaxing him to read from her own books. He also received lots of help from his fellow classmates and teammates — both at Piney Woods and in college.
Cognizant that he was not really ready for the rigors of major Division I competition, Jones steered Siewe to much smaller Campbell University in North Carolina. Even there he failed to make the team. No longer in school and facing deportation, he caught another break when one of the coach's colleagues recommended him to the coach at Southern University in Shreveport, La. (where he subsequently played for two years), and then again to Xavier coach Dannton Jackson.
Starting Xavier as a junior, Siewe played on two Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship teams in 2012 and 2013, starting 28 of 32 games in his senior year. He never really blossomed into the star everyone hoped he could be — averaging just under three points and three rebounds a game — but no one ever questioned his effort.
"Olivier was a joy to coach," said Jackson, who thought enough of Siewe to keep him around as an undergraduate assistant for this past year's squad. "He had a lot to overcome, but he was dedicated and hard-working. He was a real asset to the team, even as an undergraduate assistant.
"If there were ever a student who fit the mission of St. Katharine Drexel 's vision, it would be Olivier. He has really beaten the odds."
While his athletic career had sort of plateaued, his academics prospects soared to new heights at Xavier. Finding a comfortable niche in the Division of Business, the passion he had once reserved for basketball was soon focused on marketing, sales, and business management.
"He is one of the most dedicated, hard-working, loving individuals I have come across in my time at Xavier," said XU business/management professor Dr. Cary Caro. "When you consider how he came to America — not speaking English, leaving behind his family and everything he knew — you can't help but admire his maturity and courage. His is an amazing story."
It's a story that continues. Not content with just one degree, Siewe, now 25, plans to stay at Xavier after graduation Saturday. He is just 18 hours short of earning a second degree — this one in psychology — and he doesn't want to leave that additional career option on the table.
"Xavier has just been simply amazing for me," said Siewe. "I am grateful for all the support that I have received and will leave here feeling confident that I am prepared for anything that awaits me in the future, wherever that may take me."
Ultimately he hopes to find work in international trade and commerce, where he thinks he can best utilize his management skills and maximize his extrovert personality. And while he hopes to stay in America in the short term, he can see himself returning to Cameroon at some point in the future.
"I'd like to go back to Douala someday and be a role model to the young kids who are there," he said. "I would like them to see that their dreams are possible."
By Richard Tucker
Xavier University of Louisiana Institutional Advancement
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