
Birmingham High School's Christian Koloko (35), in a 2018 Division II playoff game in San Diego, moved to the U.S. from Cameroon a year ago. He played high school ball with incoming UA guard Devonaire Doutrive.
LAS VEGAS — This week is Christian Koloko’s first experience with travel ball, and he’s doing it for the well-regarded Oakland Soldiers, too.
Yet in some ways it’s nothing.
This week is the one year anniversary of Koloko’s move from Cameroon to the United States, meaning he’s had to adapt to a new country, go to a new school and learn a new language. Both French and English are official languages in Cameroon but Koloko said he spoke French.

Christian Koloko (35) couldn't speak English when he moved to the U.S. from Cameroon last year.
“My first week of classes was pretty hard because I wasn’t speaking English,†Koloko said. “Even the system is very difficult.â€
But Koloko thrived anyway, recording a 3.8 GPA at Southern California’s Birmingham High School, where he played with incoming UA freshman Devonaire Doutrive.
Koloko is a 7-foot, 195-pound center in the class of 2019, drawing offers so far from ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Northwestern, Harvard and Princeton, .
While Koloko said he hasn’t given much thought at this point to his recruitment, he has been in touch with Doutrive about one place he could go.
“He said ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is a good school, it’s a good thing,†Koloko said.