Illini win sprint for Kabba's services
BATAVIA -- When Batavia graduate Bai Kabba tried to convince his mother, Bridgette Jones, to let him play football as a kid, she had only one concern.
"I said, 'What about your studies, Junior?,'" Jones said. "He told me they would not suffer, that he would get an education. And so far, he's lived up to it."
(Marianne Mather/Staff Photographer)
The following are the University of Illinois' top times in Kabba's events from this season and how he compared in the state meet:
It was not football, was a mixture of track and field and academics that landed Kabba an unlikely full scholarship to the University of Illinois. After winning the Class 3A state title in the 400 meters in May, Kabba, who was originally signed to play football and run track at St. Ambrose University, became a hot commodity.
Before he even left O'Brien Field in Charleston after the meet, college coaches were coming in droves to talk to Kabba after electrifying the crowd with his performance. Suddenly, Kabba had to make a huge decision. And when Illinois coach Wayne Angel came to visit Kabba at home, he laid out what life as a Fighting Illini would be like.
"He didn't try to sell the program," Kabba said. "They didn't even show pictures of the school. They didn't talk about fun stuff. All they talked about was academics. From that standpoint, when you're only talking academics, my mom's sold. That's all she cares about."
The final message delivered by Angel didn't hurt, either.
"He said, 'Mom, you can trust me with your son. I'll make sure he gets everything he needs,'" Jones said. "One important thing he said is that they weren't looking for an athlete. They were looking for a student-athlete. Then he said the magic words: 'Mom, you won't have to pay for anything.'"
Kabba has always considered himself a football player, running track at the behest of coach Dennis Piron to stay in shape for football season. Now, Kabba's football career comes to an end. The decision was made all the more difficult since his best friend, Alex Berg (who also attended Monday's signing), is committed to play football at St. Ambrose. They were slated to be roommates. And now Kabba is off to Champaign to run track in the Big Ten.
"One of the toughest decisions I've ever made," Kabba said. "A lot went into it. I had everything set up at St. Ambrose. We were finally going to have our next four years together to build our friendship. It's tough. It's one of those things that you take that deep breath every time you think about it."
Piron is excited to see what Kabba's career will hold, because he trained so little for speed during his prep career yet reached the state finals in the 100. The untapped potential Kabba brings to Champaign is what intrigued the six other Division I schools that pursued Kabba in the last month before he settled on U of I.
"He never, ever works on speed," Piron said. "He only really ran (the 100) in meets to score points for the team. I'm so happy for him. He's a hard worker, a great kid. He's going to go down there and I have no idea what will happen. I'm so excited to see what happens as he trains and does the things he's asked to do." Boys Track and Field
