Springside Chestnut Hill’s Al Amadou struggled when he started basketball. Now he’s committed to Marquette.

As a 6-foot-3 eighth-grader, Al Amadou was the greenest of basketball talents. He never played competitively, only against his friends at the Quakertown YMCA. When handled the ball, Amadou couldn’t dribble and struggled to shoot, though he still loved to play.

“I wasn’t good at all,” Amadou said. “It definitely was a progression. I definitely had an addiction to basketball. I just couldn’t stop playing. I had to keep playing every day, but I wasn’t a natural talent.”

The senior to be at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy committed Thursday to play college basketball at Marquette as a member of the 2023 class. Despite the adversity of a late start, the loss of his father, and the pandemic, the power forward was determined to improve his game.

He did just that while also catching the attention of college scouts. Amadou racked up a list of suitors that included Miami, St. John’s, Georgia Tech, and San Diego. He said he had a close connection with each of those coaches throughout the recruiting process.

“My most important thing was definitely relationships,” Amadou said. “Will they let me play through my mistakes as long as I play hard, and how do I fit in at the school?”

Before the four-star recruit became a versatile 6-9, 185-pound prospect, Amadou had to learn the basics.

He grew up in West Philadelphia and moved to Quakertown with his mother in the sixth grade. In the summer after graduating from Strayer Middle School, Amadou spent most of his time at the YMCA in Quakertown.

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One day while shooting around with friends, Amadou met Jay Joseph, director of the PA Runnin’ Aces AAU program. Joseph was wrapping up a training session when he noticed Amadou. He asked the player to come back the next day to train. It became a daily session.

Amadou competed on Runnin’ Aces, his first AAU experience, going into his freshman year at Quakertown High School. He then transitioned to Philly Pride, which accelerated Amadou’s development. He started to learn to be aggressive and utilize his size without drawing a foul. He also became a better shooter.

“I see how good they were — I wasn’t as good as them,” Amadou said. “It just gave me motivation to become better. It was cool, and when I started playing Philly Pride it got even crazier. It definitely opened my eyes to a lot of things I probably would have never seen if I didn’t play basketball.”

His game started to grow, but it all came to halt on May 29, 2018. His mother, Assata Konate, received a phone call while she was driving and was told that Amadou’s father, Hamidou Amadou, had died of a heart attack. Amadou and his mother were stunned. In disbelief, they pulled to the side of the road and sat there as the tears fell.

Amadou, who was 15 at the time, was not the same following his father’s death. He didn’t want to talk about how he was feeling and suffered through the pain internally. He took a week off from school and basketball. When he came back to the court, Amadou realized that playing helped control his emotions and escape the sadness. He became more immersed in his game.

“It was just that one space I could lock in and just focus,” Amadou said. “My mom was just telling me about this, God will take something away from you, but then if you pass the test, it gives you something back, so I just thought I basically passed the test by just keep playing basketball.”

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With a renewed passion, Amadou thought about whether he could play Division I basketball. As he improved, that vision started to look like a reality. He then transferred to Bishop McDevitt in Wyncote for his sophomore year.

After McDevitt played against Roman Catholic that season, Amadou received his first college offer from Drexel. He went in during the first quarter, hitting two three-pointers and blocking the shot of Jalen Duren, who is now with the Detroit Pistons.

Amadou’s recruiting process was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic during his junior year. With few high school games and no AAU ball, he felt his exposure during a crucial time was limited.

“I didn’t have a good season because mentally I wasn’t there,” Amadou said. “[My coaches] thought it would be a good idea for me to [reclassify], and I’m glad I did because I had picked up major offers.”

After the Archdiocese of Philadelphia closed McDevitt because of declining enrollment, Amadou decided to transfer to Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, repeating his junior year.

“He’s really athletic,” coach Julian McFadden said. “He can shoot the ball at a high clip, given his size and being able to shoot pretty much from anywhere. Defensively, he’s one of the best, maybe the best in the tri-state. To be honest, he averaged about 4½ blocks as a junior, which is not normal. You don’t see that much in high school.”

With one more season to go, Amadou wants to build up his strength, preparing for the bigger forwards and guards at the college level, and of course he wants to help lead Springside Chestnut Hill to an Inter-Ac title.

“I’m getting in the weight room right now,” Amadou said. “Just getting my body reassured, getting ready for college at the same time and ready for my season.”