7-foot-4 Cherif Millogo boosts 'national prospect' label against No. 1 Sierra Canyon

St. Francis' Cherif Millogo was a standout against Sierra Canyon, which is the No. 1-ranked team in California with 4-and-5-star prospects.

St. Francis junior Cherif Millogo is one of the more intriguing 2027 prospects in the country at 7-foot-4. / Weston Hancock

CHATSWORTH, CALIFORNIA — It's rare to see a 7-foot-4 high school basketball player, let alone one that can move and play like St. Francis (CA) Cherif Millogo.

In today's basketball landscape, being 7-foot-4 will draw national college interest by default. But Millogo's play, especially against Sierra Canyon Wednesday night, may have solidified him as a legitimate national prospect — or for those that think he already is — it certainly boosted his stock.

"I was very impressed with him," Sierra Canyon coach Andre Chevalier said. "He clearly understands the game at a high level, and he seems to be one of those players that can slow things down in his mind. That's rare to see at his size, especially in high school."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's a top 10 prospect after this summer when he plays on the circuit," Chevalier added.

Millogo, a junior from Burkina Faso in Africa, seemingly dropped into the Southern California hoops scene from out of nowhere and raised the eyebrows of coaches, media members and pundits alike.

At first, the interest was stemmed from curiosity simply because of his height and length. Thoughts and questions like the following surfaced in mid-November: How does he move? ... Can he catch? ... Can he walk and chew gum? ... Can he impact winning in college? ...

Millogo is averaging 24.7 points, 13.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 5.3 blocks per game this season.

"He's the best player in the country, in my opinion," St. Francis coach Todd Wolfson said.

Those questions were answered within the opening week of the season as Millogo dominated nonleague teams on the Golden Knights schedule. He was altering and blocking shots, dunking everything, making jump shots, dishing passes out of double teams, and rotating well on defense.

MILLOGO'S BIGGEST TEST

St. Francis started the season 16-2 before Wednesday night's biggest test for Millogo at Sierra Canyon, the No. 1-ranked team in California led by 5-star guard Brandon McCoy and North Carolina commit Maxi Adams, in a Mission League opener.

St. Francis' Cherif Millogo playing against Orange Lutheran in UCLA's Pauley Pavilion earlier this season. / Greg Fiore

The next set of questions for Millogo came to mind in what presented itself a litmus test for how he might handle 'next-level' basketball: Can he handle the speed? ... How does he compete against blue chip prospects? ... Will he impact the game at this level? ...

The answer is without question, yes.

Millogo tallied 14 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks in a narrow 50-47 loss to Sierra Canyon and absolutely looked like he belonged. In fact — in stretches — he was arguably the best player on the floor. In the opening minutes he blocked Brandon McCoy at the rim. He later hit a 3-pointer. Made great passes out of pressure. But, most importantly, he never looked overwhelmed.

"There might be players that can shoot and score better than him, but the way he impacts the game on both sides of the floor. Don't think there's anyone like him at 7-foot-4. It's rare to see," Wolfson said.

MORE ON MILLOGO, RECRUITMENT

One of the reasons it seems Millogo is still on the upward trend as a national prospect is due to his recruiting profiles. As meaningless as it may seem, his profiles on 247Sports and On3 say he has no official offers. Yet, he's ranked among one of the top prospects for the 2027 class on both sites.

According to Wolfson, Millogo has offers to Alabama, Georgia, Nebraska, Syracuse and a few others.

St. Francis' Cherif Millogo shoots a jump shot against Sierra Canyon on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. / Weston Hancock

Millogo was originally spotted at a basketball camp in Africa before moving to Florida a few years ago. Last year, he was at Cambridge Arts, Technology and Science Academy in Boston, but didn't play due to a knee injury. Now, the 18-year-old is in Southern California with guardian Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, a former UCLA and NBA basketball player. Mbah a Moute is from Cameroon.

At St. Francis, under Todd Wolfson, Millogo will get a real high school experience. Navigating the basketball landscape beyond high school, like travel ball and college, will be handled by Mbah a Moute.

Millogo is in good hands, and is en route to being a first-round draft pick one day. Maybe, a lottery pick.

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