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By ADAM ZAGORIA Hamidou Diallo spent part of
By ADAM ZAGORIA Hamidou Diallo spent part of
By ADAM ZAGORIA Hamidou Diallo, the Queens, N.Y.
Kentucky men's basketball freshman guard Hamidou Diallo announced Monday
By SEAN BOCK Kentucky freshman Hamidou Diallo still has not
CAMDEN, N.J. — With Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox and Isaiah Briscoe all now gone from Kentucky, Hamidou Diallo will be expected to play a major role during the 2017-18 season.
And Monk, for one, thinks Diallo is up for it.
“Yeah that’s my guy,” Monk told me Thursday after his workout with the Philadelphia 76ers. “I think he’ll take a humongous step. A lot of people have seen the player that he is…He’s a leader, just wants to win so I think they’ll be pretty good.”
The 6-foot-6 Diallo tested the NBA Draft waters, but opted to return to Kentucky after failing to get a first-round guarantee.
“I think he’s ready for [the NBA] but I think he wanted the experience of Kentucky,” Monk said. “You gotta have that experience.”
Diallo will begin training this weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo., with the USA U19 team for the upcoming FIBA World Championship in Cairo, Egypt.
It turns out Hamidou Diallo won’t be a “none-and-done” after all.
The 6-foot-6 Queens, N.Y., native officially withdrew from the NBA Draft on Wednesday and will return to Kentucky for his sophomore season.
Diallo, who hasn’t played a real five-on-five game since last December at Putnam Science Academy, will finally suit up for Kentucky to start the 2017-18 season with a chance to impress NBA scouts and basketball fans alike.
“First of all, I want to thank the Big Blue Nation for your support,” Diallo said. “I’ve only been a Wildcat for five months, but you have already made me one of your own. I know not everyone understood my original decision — but everyone has been supportive. Thank you for that.
“The one thing I’ve learned through this whole process is how grateful I am that I came to the University of Kentucky. Coach Cal and the staff have had my back throughout this entire journey. They were honest with me from the start, had my best interests at heart and walked me through every step. I couldn’t have asked for a better support system.
“I also want to thank the university for understanding how important this decision was to me. This is something I had to do for me and my family, and the school has been supportive of us the whole way. Just so everyone knows, I always planned to pay the school back for my spring tuition for allowing me to enroll last semester because I never thought I would be in this position. If I knew I was leaving after the semester, I would have played to help the team.
What should Hamidou Diallo do? ?
RT for NBA
LIKE for Kentucky #BBN pic.twitter.com/kkNmVrOjQ4— Overtime (@overtime) May 20, 2017
“Like I said when I submitted my name for the draft, playing in the NBA has always been my ultimate goal. When I enrolled in school in January, my plan was to come to Kentucky to work on my game and to focus on academics. At the end of the season, I knew I wanted to see where I was in the draft process so I could get a proper evaluation.
“That plan still hasn’t changed. I hope to play in the NBA one day — just not this season. Based on the information I received by testing the waters, I believe it’s in my best interests to return to school. Although I was a part of the team last season and trained with my teammates, I never fulfilled another one of my dreams, which was to play for a major college program and win a national title. I am excited about returning to Kentucky for the 2017-18 season. I can’t wait to play in a Kentucky jersey for the first time.”
While testing the waters without an agent, he had been projected as the No. 35 pick per DraftExpress.com and never got a first-round guarantee after working out for Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee and the Nets, the source said.
“Brooklyn and Utah were the two teams most serious about selecting him in the first round, but ultimately would not promise before midnight,” one source said.
Diallo also pulled out of a workout with the Knicks on Wednesday.
“He’s going back to Kentucky with the goal of being a Top 10 pick in next year’s draft,” the source said.
Kentucky coach John Calipari said he’s looking forward to coaching Diallo.
“I’m really proud of Hami,” Calipari said. “He took in all the information, asked a lot of questions, including questions to the NBA teams. I love the fact that he wants to put himself in a better position and help lead this new team to a championship. I can’t wait to get him on the court and have all of you fans see what I know. He’s a special player and a special person.”
As for Kentucky, they already had the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in 2017 per ESPN.com. Now their fans will get to see Diallo suit up alongside another loaded group that includes guards Quade Green, Jemarl Baker and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, forwards Kevin Knox, Jarred Vanderbilt and P.J. Washington and center Nick Richards.
Kentucky “none-and-done” Hamidou Diallo will likely go up against Wednesday’s deadline before deciding his immediate future.
“It’s going to the wire on Wednesday,” a source told ZAGSBLOG. “A decision could be made before Wednesday but right now it’s looking like Wednesday.”
Players have until midnight on Wednesday to withdraw from the NBA Draft and retain their college eligibility. Already this week, Arizona’s Rawle Alkins, Texas’ Andrew Jones, West Virginia’s Jevon Carter, St. Bonaventure’s Jaylen Adams and Seton Hall’s Angel Delgado have withdrawn.
The 6-foot-6 Diallo has gotten mixed feedback after working out for the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks and the Nets. DraftExpress.com still has Diallo projected as the No. 35 pick by the Orlando Magic, meaning he wouldn’t get guaranteed first-round money.
The Celtics pick at No. 1, the Bulls at No. 16, the Bucks at 17 and the Nets have two picks in the 20s, No. 22 and 27.
Meantime, the Nets, Miami Heat and Utah Jazz have reached out in recent days to Diallo’s AAU coach, Andy Borman of the NY Rens. The Jazz have two first-round and two second-round picks, while the Heat pick at 14.
Diallo had a 44 1/2-inch vertical leap at the NBA Draft Combine but did not play 5-on-5 there.
“I don’t think he helped or hurt himself,” DraftExpress.com analyst Jonathan Givony told the Herald-Leader. “There really wasn’t much to go on. So I don’t think it really affected anything either way.
