Atiki Ally Atiki Joins New Mexico Basketball Program

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The New Mexico men’s basketball program announced Monday the addition of Atiki Ally Atiki, a transfer forward from BYU. The 6-10, 220-pound native of Mwanza, Tanzania will have one year of eligibility with the Lobos after playing the previous three seasons with the Cougars.

Last season at BYU, Atiki appeared in 23 games off the bench as BYU posted a 23-11 record and a 10-8 conference mark in their Big 12 debut. He averaged 4.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, shooting 62.1 percent from the floor in 11.0 minutes per game. He scored in double figures three times, highlighted by a career-high 14 points against Wyoming on 7-10 shooting from the floor.

“We are excited about the addition of Atiki to our program,” said head coach Richard Pitino. “He is an elite athlete and plays with tremendous energy on both sides of the court.”

Atiki appeared in 88 games over his three seasons at BYU, making four starts, averaging 3.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. He recorded 71 blocks over his three seasons, with his .798 blocks per game average during his career ranking 15th in BYU history. Atiki had seven double-figure scoring games as a Cougar, including a 5-of-5 FG performance against San Francisco as a freshman.

“I chose to transfer to New Mexico because it’s the perfect environment for me to improve as a player,” said Atiki. “The coaches showed how I can showcase my talent and help us win a lot of games next season. I can’t wait to play in The Pit.”

Atiki came to BYU after playing for the London Basketball Academy in London, Ont. He moved to Canada from his home country of Tanzania in November of 2018 to finish high school.