MyGen | Cheickh Niang, Aquila Trento
Basketball is a matter of time and space, yet it’s also the only Game capable of living, and adapting, in every time and every space. Generation after generation. To understand where the Game stands today, and where it’s headed, there’s no lens sharper than the voices of the LBA NextGen Cup, the highest expression of Italy’s youth basketball system.
They embody the quintessence of that so-called poetry in motion: the vocation of a sport that, by its very nature, leans forward, toward progress, toward evolution. In the shifting rhythms and expanding spaces shaped by this new wave, basketball becomes a mirror of contemporary culture: something to listen to, to explore, free from stereotypes and outdated frameworks. This is MyGen. A series of visions of the Game as it is, and as it will become.
Our guest: Cheickh Niang, class of 2008, Aquila Trento.
“I grew up in Mandello del Lario, Como lake, and as a kid my weeks were split in two: basketball on Monday, football on Tuesday, basketball again on Wednesday, football on Thursday. Those two sports shaped my childhood, but with time I understood one thing: in basketball, I was better. And that’s where I stayed.
I spent so many afternoons at the outdoor court, the local playground. In our tiny village, Rongio, it was always the same duo or trio: me, Saliou, and sometimes our brother Ibra. Just the two or three of us, alone on that court, like it belonged to us.
The local team meant a lot to the town. When they were in Serie D (6th Italian League) the atmosphere was incredible: everybody showed up. Then they reached Serie C, started charging for tickets, and suddenly people disappeared… all running back to football. I supposed that’s how it goes in small places.
When he first scouted me, Coach Marco Crespi told me I had music inside me. He uses that word a lot: music. For me, it’s just naturalness, pure instinct.
On the court things come out of me that, if I watched them from the outside, I’d probably think: how did I even do that? But when I’m playing, they just happen.
Trento has become my second home. Honestly, I don’t feel much homesickness. Of course I miss my parents, but not enough to feel lost. My friends come watch me, the club has always supported me, especially in my first year, which was tougher than the others. Here, people care. The fans love me, and I feel that. Trento embraced me.
Debuting in the senior world was a shock, in the best way. Playing EuroCup, stepping on the floor against Besiktas, hearing that chaos… It hits you. Then Budućnost in Montenegro: another level entirely. And my first Serie A1 game against Cantù is something I’ll never forget. It went really well, and it gave me confidence I still carry.
I stay in close contact with my family. They follow everything I do: even if they don’t perfectly understand basketball. My sister often comes to watch, and I’m always with my brothers when we can. They’re part of this journey. Outside basketball I play Fortnite with my brothers, especially with Saliou. And yes, I win.
Culturally, my roots are split. I was born and raised in Italy, so it’s not always easy to carry Senegal inside me the way someone born there would. But I will never forget that a part of me is Senegalese. And I’m proud of that: deeply proud.
Basketball shaped me entirely. Without it, I don’t know who I would be. I’m lively, a bit shy sometimes, quick to get emotional, but always smiling. Basketball brought all of that out of me. The moments when I feel best on the court are simple: when I score, and even more when I run back and play defense well. Defense makes everything sharper.
Like every kid who falls in love with the Game, the dream is the NBA.
But the goals right now are simpler: have a good season, help the first team stay solid, reach the playoffs, keep growing thanks to events like the NextGen.
Lately, I’ve been learning a lot more about the Game. In matches now I can feel it: defense is the most important thing. It’s what takes you higher. That’s the thought I carry onto the court: defend first. Offense is coming along, but finishing at the rim in Serie A1 is a different world. I’m still learning, still understanding the pace, the contact, the timing. Everything is new, but I’m growing into it day by day.”
