NEW YORK – Samba Diallo didn’t get much recruiting interest last season as a sophomore at North Jersey parochial power Pope John, but that soon changed.
A 6-foot-6 2018 Senegalese wing, Diallo put together a productive spring and summer on the Adidas circuit for the New York Jayhawks and now, the offers are coming.
Per Jayhawks program director Jay David, VCU, Iona, Hofstra, Stony Brook, Monmouth and Manhattan have all offered. American, Virginia, St. Joseph’s and Towson have been in touch recently, while Diallo noted that West Virginia has been calling, too.
“It’s a good feeling because when I first got here, all season, I wasn’t getting any offers,” Diallo told SNY.tv Friday afternoon after finishing up practice for Saturday night’s Big Strick Classic at Gauchos Gym in the Bronx. “I just had to get it going once AAU started. I knew I had to come out here with something to prove, so I now have some offers.”
As for which school is showing the most love, Diallo singled out Monmouth as the school working the hardest right now. The Hawks, last season’s MAAC regular-season champion, offered the rangy lefty on July 2 and he says assistant Sam Ferry has remained in constant contact.
Diallo figures to garner bigger offers down the line, but isn’t getting impatient.
“I figure that is just something that will happen along the way,” Diallo said. “As long as I play hard and do what I have to do, I think I can get an offer from any school. That’s just on me and how hard I play every time I go out there.”
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