Sheriff Millogo, wearing a size 17 shoe and standing 7 feet 3 inches tall, stands under the basket with his hands raised and touching the hoop without leaving the ground. The rest of the “tiny” people in the St. Francis School gym gawk in awe at his 7-9 wingspan.
That includes 6-8 head coach Todd Wolfson, a two-time basketball coaching lottery winner who posted his second seven-footer out of nowhere. The first was 7-0 Belgian exchange student Gilles Dierix when he coached Chaminade in 2017.
This time, in August, Wolfson received a call from an administrator at St. Francis Hospital.
“There’s a kid who’s 7-3 who wants to come to St. Francis,” the administrator said.
“I thought he was lying,” Wolfson said.
Millogo did not play last season while attending the Cambridge Academy of Arts, Technology and Sciences in Boston due to a torn knee ligament. He is from the tiny West African country of Burkina Faso. He was a soccer player until he suffered a growth spurt, participated in a basketball camp, and was seen playing in Togo, a country bordering Ghana. Two years ago he moved to Florida. He said he learned to shoot a basketball by watching Kevin Durant videos on YouTube.
At 6-foot-8, St. Francis coach Todd Wolfson is no longer the tallest man in the room. Sheriff Millogo, age 7-3, native of Burkina Faso.
(Eric Sondheimer/Los Angeles Times)
He speaks French, English and two tribal languages. He has an older brother who is 7 feet tall and his father is 6-8 years old. He turned 18 on September 27, which means he has two years left before graduating from high school. His guardian is former UCLA and NBA player Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who came here from Cameroon.
Millogo immediately won the recognition of St. Francis due to his charming and friendly character. During practice, listening to the music around Wolfson, he hugged his teammate as if they were lifelong friends.
“He made me a better person,” Wolfson said. “His values are amazing.”
Millogo said his parents taught him to be respectful and friendly.
“It comes naturally to me,” he said.
Sophomore guard Luke Paulus said the players were just as surprised as Wolfson to hear of Millogo's arrival.
“No way,” he said when he heard about the rumors. “On the first day of school I saw him. “Wow, that's a big man.” He's a funny guy.”
Millogo, a Muslim, says going to Catholic school is good. “I learn about new religions,” he said.
He can also show off his soccer skills if asked by juggling the ball with his feet.
Millo joins an already talent-laden Mission League along with top 2026 prospect Tyran Stokes of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and top five 2026 prospect Brandon McCoy of Sierra Canyon.
Sheriff Millogo towers over his new teammates at St. Francis.
(Eric Sondheimer/Los Angeles Times)
Millogo was asked if he knew about Stokes and McCoy.
“From social media,” he said.
See how having an Instagram account can help promote your school's basketball program? He said he saw a post on social media of St. Francis students cheering the game.
To say that St. Francis may have a lot of bad passes this season would be an understatement. Wolfson, who has used a zone defense at times during his coaching career, teases how it could return with Millogo at center. And he's already planning some new games off the field as he tries to take advantage of Millogo's growth.
Millogo looks to be a reliable free throw shooter and shot blocker. Then you can easily dip. He had nine dunks and scored 32 points in fall league play last weekend. He had 24 points in the previous game, including five dunks. He should be eligible as soon as next month when the season officially begins as he did not play last season, but St. Francis has yet to submit transfer paperwork.
One thing is for sure: the St. Francis student section and many other fans will be entertained watching Millogo pull off dunk after dunk.
