Creative combo guard Musse headlines Griffins' 2026 recruiting class
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – With a coveted, creative skill set that allows him to open up opposing defences, the first player announced in Griffins head coach David Kapinga's 2026 recruiting class has great potential to produce at the U SPORTS level.
Abdi Musse will join the Griffins for the 2026-27 season, continuing a basketball career that progressed through Jasper Place high school and Western Canada Prep Academy.
The 6-foot-5 combo guard fits the mould of players Kapinga is scouting, those with the ability to attack and defend on the perimeter with the requisite length to also penetrate the paint.
"He's a very downhill player, he's a very creative player," said Kapinga. "He's still skinny, so we have to put some weight on that frame. But when it comes to that deterring him from getting to the paint, it doesn't. He gets there pretty easily based on his length and creativity.
"He can shoot with either his left or right hand. On his way (to the hoop), he's pretty great at making reads. He makes the right passes. That's something we struggled with last year and that's somewhere as a roster we've kind of pivoted towards."
Musse was a teammate at Jasper Place with current Griffin Quinn Boyington, playing for the Rebels in 2022 and 2023. In his final season at JP, he was tied for first in the league in assists.
Musse graduated from Vimy Ridge Academy in 2024, while playing for WCPA.
Not on a team last season, Musse was essentially scouted out of open gym sessions, put on Kapinga's radar by current Griffin Peter-Aluk Deng.
"We invited him in to some skills (sessions) and he fit right in," said Kapinga. "Super creative, great finisher, has great vision. For us, someone like him is a no-brainer – a hometown kid who has such a high ceiling.
"He's a good fit for us. I'm quite excited to have him on our team. He goes with our trend of picking up a lot of bigger guards – guys who can create advantages for our team. He's someone who can definitely do that for us next year."
Abdi Musse played for the Jasper Place Rebels in 2022 and 2023.
