Mali teenager Ladji Coulibaly still uncertain of his best path to the top after training with Perth Wildcats

Exciting teenager Ladji Coulibaly will wait to see what opportunities come his way before making a decision on his future after spending nearly three weeks training with the Perth Wildcats. The 209cm youngster from Mali has been training in Canberra with the NBA Global Academy but travelled to WA to work out with the Wildcats over Christmas. Having played in Spain during the 23-24 season, he is expected to receive offers to both play in US colleges or become a professional. Coulibaly said it was important to leave his options open. “I don’t know where see my future. It depends on the opportunity they give me,” he said. “My goal for the future is to work to be the best player possible. “I have enjoyed it a lot here in Perth, training with good players with lots of experience, coaching staff with lots of experience and many other things.” Coulibaly’s time at the club followed NBA star Dyson Daniels’ brother Dash also training in Perth as he considered his options. Daniels was making a decision between following the college path or becoming an NBL Next Star. He recently signed with Melbourne United. The Wildcats also hosted exciting Frenchman Nolan Traore last season. He remained in France and is expected to be a top-10 pick in this year’s NBA draft. Perth are keen to become a home for extreme young talent following the success of Next Star Alex Sarr last season. Washington Wizards selected him at pick two in the NBA Draft and he was named the competition’s Rookie of the Month in December. Wildcats pair Ben Henshall and Next Star Izan Almansa are among the contenders for the 2025 draft. Coulibaly made the most of his time with the Wildcats and worked out one-on-one with Keanu Pinder during his final days in WA as the club prepared for Sunday’s game against Tasmania at MyState Bank Arena. Wildcats coach John Rillie said he’d been impressed by the teenager’s efforts. “He’s a promising prospect, that’s for sure,” Rillie said. “You can just see his own confidence around our group. He’s an impressive guy with the way he’s handled himself. He’s a raw and heavy potential talent that is for sure. “What I actually liked the most for a young guy is that he’s just here and ready to jump in for an opportunity whenever it comes around. Some younger players can come in when there’s a situation like this and be very standoff-ish. But he’s jumped in during limited opportunities and when he’s jumped in it has been a great evaluation for us.”