Western Kentucky rising redshirt junior forward Moustapha Diagne (center) talks to students at a youth basketball clinic during his 10-day trip to Belize. Along with WKU teammate Jared Savage, Diagne took part in the cultural exchange trip through Sports Reach in May. (Photo Courtesy of Sports Reach)

Western Kentucky basketball has taken Moustapha Diagne and Jared Savage all over the world. The two Hilltoppers recently experienced another international trip that was more mission-focused with a side of basketball.

For 10 days in May, Savage and Diagne spent time in Belize with Sports Reach, a sports ministry program.

The duo reflected on their trip abroad, where they helped lead basketball camps and visited children’s homes and churches.

“Life is different over there,” said Diagne, a native of Senegal. “For me, I can relate myself, too. That’s the same type of environment I grew up with. To get a chance to go there and see those kids, visit their house or their schools, it was definitely a lifetime experience, and I get to share stories.

“It’s always beautiful to travel, but even more beautiful when you get a chance to meet people where you go and experience how they live and share stories with them. It was a great time and I learned a lot.”

Diagne and Savage were each on the trip the Hilltoppers took last August to Costa Rica, which held a similar focus with tying basketball into a foreign cultural experience.

In Belize, Savage and Diagne won six games playing against teams from the Belize National Elite Basketball League.

Savage, the former Warren Central star who sat out last season after transferring from Austin Peay, said the trip shed light on how basketball is perceived in other cultures.

“(It made me realize) just how bad people really have it in the world,” Savage said. “The United States, it’s pretty nice to be over here but when you go over there, it’s rough down there in some parts.

“Just in high school we did camps and over here we do camps. It’s different. They really love the game and they play it from sun up to sun down. They play outside and it’s 90 degrees out there and they play it all day long.”

Additional basketball in any form comes as a plus for two players expected to have key roles for the Hilltoppers next season. The 6-foot-5 guard/forward Savage sat out the entire season due to transfer rules. Diagne, a 6-foot-9 forward, wasn’t cleared to play by the NCAA until January.

Diagne played in 20 games last year, averaging six minutes per contest and scored 11 total points.

Per WKU, Savage averaged 14.4 points, four rebounds, 3.4 steals and two assists per game in the six contests in Belize. Diagne averaged nine points, eight rebounds and 1.3 blocks.

“Basketball is basketball no matter where you go, so it was good for me to get a lot of playing time and try to find myself back with my game,” Diagne said. “It was really good for me with the six games we played over there. It wasn’t really as good as I expected, but it was fun overall.”

Added Savage: “It’s been, what, a year since I’ve played? It’s nice to get back on the court and play against talent. It was pretty fun.”