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Back in 2002, University of California head football coach Jeff Tedford had a keen recruiting eye for a tight end named Garrett Cross, a standout at Butte College, located about three hours northeast of Berkeley. Cross eventually signed with Cal, and went on to catch 44 passes, including eight touchdowns, in a solid career for the Golden Bears. The story would have ended there, were it not for the virtually unknown Butte College quarterback who "jumped off the screen" at Tedford while he was watching Cross' film.

His name was Aaron Rodgers.

At the time, Rodgers had no other offers, and Tedford, as quietly as possible, brought him to Cal. The rest is history, but it's possible that one of the greatest quarterbacks we've ever seen wouldn't have even had an NFL career -- at least not the one we know -- were it not for his college coach recruiting his teammate.

While it's unlikely that Victor Wembanyama, the unquestioned first pick in Thursday's 2023 NBA Draft, will end up with as modest a career as Cross, his teammate with French club Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 has steadily risen up draft boards over the past few months, at least in part due to the attention being showered upon Wembanyama.

His name is Bilal Coulibaly.

For those who watch even a decent amount of basketball, it's immediately clear why scouts are salivating over the 18-year-old Coulibaly. Since he was still playing in France at the time of the Combine, Coulibaly sent NBA teams a video of his biometrics that showed him at 6-foot-8 with a condor-like 7-2 wingspan and 8-11 standing reach. About a foot shorter and completely off the draft radar just a couple of years ago, Coulibaly's growth spurt and subsequent performance with Metropolitans 92 have turned him into a bona fide first-round prospect heading into Thursday.

After barely playing in his first 15 games of the season, a couple of injuries opened up an opportunity for Coulibaly to get into the rotation and eventually the starting lineup. He scored in double figures just twice in the first six months of the season -- then did it seven times over the final two months, including playoffs.

Santa Cruz Warriors play-by-play commentator and voice of the NBA's "Wembycasts," Kevin Danna broadcasted more than 40 Metropolitans 92 games this season, and was blown away by Coulibaly's rapid growth.

"He steadily just kind of raised his profile this year -- just got better and better and better and better as the year went on," Danna told CBS Sports. "When I first saw him, I'm like, oh, this guy could be a prospect down the line. I didn't think when I first saw him, oh, this guy is going to be a first-round draft pick in a few months."

Coulibaly can be found anywhere from the high-20s to the top 10 in various mock drafts (I had him going No. 12 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are known for big swings on upside), and has received a ringing endorsement for the top five from Wembanyama himself.

In addition to his impressive measurables, Coulibaly's talent jumps off the screen in the same way that Rodgers' did for Tedford. The French wing's athleticism is off the charts, leading to plenty of impressive dunks off of lobs and offensive rebounds.

The slo-mo capture of this putback off Wembanyama's miss belongs in the Louvre.

He uses his length and athleticism on defense as well, where he profiles as the type of versatile, switchable wing that thrives in the modern NBA. Watch here as he fights over and under screens, recovering multiple times, before gliding laterally to stick with a much smaller guard on a drive. Coulibaly makes it look effortless, but this is not easy work.

The difference-maker will be his 3-point shot, which has looked good early in his career. He shot 38 percent from deep on very low volume over his final 25 games of the season and, while the mechanics may need some minor tweaks, the release is soft and consistent. Being a legitimate 3-point threat will cement his role, and from there it's up to him to make use of his myriad talents to develop into a more complete offensive player.

"He's done more creation offensively recently," Danna told CBS Sports. "He was strictly a stand-in-the-corner guy to start the year, but now he's taking guys off the dribble a little bit. He's finishing in traffic. And his athleticism pops, man."

Coulibaly averaged 8.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and a steal over his last 25 games of the season, which may seem underwhelming in comparison to some other prospects, but not when put beside young Europeans playing in top leagues against grown men. As a 19-year-old with Barcelona, recent Hall of Fame inductee Pau Gasol averaged 4.2 points and 2.6 rebounds. At 18, Kristaps Porzingis put up 6.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game for Cajasol. So, don't be swayed by the lack of gaudy stat lines.

What you can see with Coulibaly is a tailor-made role as a 3-and-D wing, with the upside to be much more. Think of Mikal Bridges, a prospect with a similar build and skill-set who blossomed from a solid rotation guy as a Suns rookie to averaging 26 points per game with the Brooklyn Nets last season. One huge difference, of course, is that Bridges spent three years at Villanova and entered the league at 22 years old. Coulibaly doesn't turn 19 until July, and will therefore require significantly more development -- and patience.

"For anyone who drafts him, they can't expect this guy to play 15-20 minutes a game next year. They can expect him to play 30 minutes a game for the G League team," Danna told CBS Sports. "I call him a half-Caboclo, like one year away from being one year away -- not two years away from being two years away.

"He's still raw, but down the line, he could be somebody for sure."