Brandon adds standout Vanier guard Sowadan

Didou Sowadan is joining the Brandon University Bobcats at a great time.

As one of the highest motor players the Brandon University Bobcats have ever rostered in Travis Hamberger moves on, the six-foot-two Vanier College transfer is certainly a welcome addition.

“Good athlete, the best skill he has right now is he can really get out in transition. He’s a dog on the ball,” said Bobcats head coach Gil Cheung.

“He’s competitive; he’ll pick up 94 feet and get after you, and he can influence the game on the defensive end.

“He’s a lot like (BU guard) Youri (Cange), and he really wants to get after it.”

The Togolese guard got into basketball late, growing up as a soccer player when he moved to Montreal at age five.

His start was during the COVID-19 pandemic when he said his soccer friends’ parents wouldn’t let them play with each other. So a buddy who played basketball started teaching him.

Sowadan was hooked and started watching the NBA at the tail end of Russell Westbrook’s run of averaging a triple-double in four of five seasons. The former Oklahoma City guard had been traded twice after 11 years with the Thunder and was past his prime. But Sowadan couldn’t help but draw inspiration from his high-energy play style.

“When you watch Russell Westbrook play, you just want to play basketball too. He puts so much energy into the game, and it’s contagious,” Sowadan said.

“My strength is my athleticism. I’m very athletic and I bring energy to the game when I’m on the court, off the court.”

It still took time for Sowadan to develop, of course. He entered his first year of CEGEP basketball at Montmorency. He admitted his mental game wasn’t ready for that step just yet.

“My first year, I was not ready to take advice from my teammates because I was feeling criticized,” Sowadan said. “When I opened my mind and started listening to my coach and my vets, I started doing better.”

He actually left the CEGEP system for a year of prep school at St-Jean-Vianney College, and then made the move to Vanier to play on the Cheetahs’ Division 2 squad in 2025-26.

Of course, Vanier has become a well-used pipeline to Brandon through assistant coach Mikee Dosado, a former Bobcat guard who just signed his first head coaching contract with the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference’s Keyano Huskies.

Sowadan was a massive part of the Cheetahs undefeated season, along with Bobcat recruit Yussef Jawad.

He was named provincial championship MVP as Vanier won the title.

Now, he feels more ready than ever for his next step, joining a rookie class that also includes Albertan guard Roman Jensen.

“I’m really excited. It’s the next step in my journey and I’m really excited about it,” Sowadan said. “I’ve always dreamed to play at the U Sports level and now I have the opportunity to play, so I’m very happy about it.”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com