Guiaka "Eric" Vianney (pronounced GEE-eck-Oh VIA-nay) has made a long journey to play for the Illinois State men's basketball team. The Yaoundé, Cameroon, Africa native, has found his place among his Redbird teammates playing on the court at Redbird Arena.
Coming from an international background, Vianney has learned how to speak five languages. While this has been an impressive task, Vianney admits that when he talks with friends they can become "lost in translation".
"Sometimes when I talk with some of my friends, I will speak with them in a particular language," said Vianney. "While we are talking, I sometimes will accidentally say words in another language and my friends won't understand what I'm saying."
Vianney has spent the past two years living and playing basketball in the United States. The 6-foot-2, 210 pound guard spent his senior year in high school playing for the Maroon Tide of Picayune (Miss.) High School. The Maroon Tide finished 31-4 and claimed the Class 5A South State Championship. Vianney averaged 13 points, four rebounds and eight assists per game, earning him an honorable mention all-state selection.
While Vianney is still adjusting to life in another country, he still gets the chance to talk to his family on a regular basis.
"I talk to my family on the phone when I get the chance," said Vianney. "It's a good way for me to keep in touch with them."
Vianney has been involved with basketball since he began playing when he was eight years old. When Vianney was choosing a college to continue his basketball career, the coaching staff made an impact on his decision to play for ISU.
"When I came to ISU for a visit, I was impressed with the coaching staff," said Vianney. "When you visit a school, you don't know if you can fit with the coaches, but I felt that I fit in well here."
Head coach Porter Moser was as equally impressed with Vianney's physical ability and work ethic. When Vianney began his Redbird workouts this past summer, it was the first strength and training experience in his career. Moser and the other coaches were obviously surprised that he was able to squat 545 pounds on a weight machine in a strength training session.
"Eric is unbelievably, physically strong," said Moser. "He is a strong combo guard. He has a great work ethic and he will be an asset to our team. He is just a powerful, explosive guard."
Guiaka "Eric" Vianney has continued his basketball career at Illinois State. While he is far from his home, he has begun to find out he has a new home with his teammates and coaches as a Redbird.
