Maybe not the right time, but I have to know
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With everything going on right now, recruiting may be the least of our worries. But with all the talk about Zimmerman and Rabb, no one seems to have commented on recruit Cheick Diallo.
I love what he brings. He may not be a footer that we love, but he reminds of Acy for Baylor a few years ago.
Those with some kind of scoop, what do we think of him and where are the rumors have him landing?
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Recently the word was Iowa St.
KU has been to see him I think it was last week.
We know Kentucky & St Johns are still working him as well.
Really nothing new to report other than KU has been in contact recently and he’s been very tight lipped about where he might go. Roster turnover seems to be the key to his decision.
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@BeddieKU23 Thanks for the update! Makes me wonder why a player like Diallo would go play for a system like ISU. He doesn’t have much touch. He will be forced to get his own touches through offensive rebounds.
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They have a similar player in McKay who isn’t a jump shooter but is a run the floor shot-blocker and rebounder. That’s kind of Diallo’s game as he’s about 3 years away from really have a solid offensive arsenal. Early in his career he’s going to be a master at putbacks and assisted baskets near the hoop.
So they do have a shot with him, and they have apparently recruited him as well as everyone else if you take what people say to heart. St. Johns is the local sell, Kentucky & KU are the elite, and Iowa St is selling Hogue/McKay’s role to him. Because he’s basically said nothing we have not much to go on,
I honestly think it comes down to roster turnover with his decision. He is like everyone else and waiting to see what bigs leave UK. With Cliff’s situation uncertain or certainly to leave that has to be positive for KU landing him.
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If Diallo has been watching McKay at ISU this year, I can see exactly why he would love that system. You can’t double him because you can’t leave the shooters. You can’t pack it in. You have to respect Niang as an inside out threat.
Basically, Diallo can come in and do only the things he is very good at - rebound, block shots, run the floor - and none of the things he may struggle with - perimeter shooting, ballhandling, perimeter defense.
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I agree he could come in like Mckay right away and contribute. But will he not plateau if that’s all he’s supposed to do? He could either be Mckay for 3 years averaging a solid 10 and 10 and maybe be a lottery or be a Thomas Robinson type AFTER 3 years and get his 16 and 12 and be a top five. But of course I have my crimson and blue goggles on.
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I have heard that one of Diallo’s best attributes will be perimeter defense because of his quickness for his size. He’s an elite defender, has great instincts for blocking shots and has a quick 2nd jump like Wiggins does. Clearly his biggest improvement will be to learn how to score against guys his size and establish go-to moves. I thought he was the perfect big for Self’s system because he will be the perfect opposite to Bragg and 2 guys that don’t project to leave after 1 year… We will definitely see how this all turns out soon enough.
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@JhawkAlum but he would have to share playing time at ISU, w/'McKay and Niang.
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I think in time he will be a very good perimeter defender. However, as with many big men coming out of HS, he may struggle to deal with some of the better perimeter players because he hasn’t had to guard elite ball handling players 20 feet from the basket on a regular basis. He has the physical tools to do so, but whether he will get exposed a bit trying to do that is an open question.
At ISU, he won’t have to do that. He can just use his speed/athleticism to be a better version of what McKay is for them right now.
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Scary to think of ISU landing 5-star recruits.
It is the next step for the Mayor. I’m not certain we can maintain our conference streak when he starts landing big recruits.
I guess the hope has to be that he makes them so good their first year they go OAD. We need to send some of the sports media guys that convince our freshmen to go pro too soon over to Ames.
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Cheick Diallo has been my favorite prospect in this class since his sophomore year, when he first burst on the scene. He may be only 6’9", but he’s the best athlete in the class, even with Thon reclassifying, and his energy, effort, and toughness are off the charts too. He’s like what you’d get if you crossed TRob with JuJu: raw, but hard, quick, bouncy, and capable of dominating a game by sheer force of will.
I actually like our chances with him a lot, especially if Alexander doesn’t or can’t come back (although I’m counting on seeing him another year), because he’s been recruited by Norm, and Norm’s landed a lot of the biggest fish we’ve gotten lately (Selden, Oubre, Embiid, Greene). But if he doesn’t suit up for Kansas, I’m hoping he does for ISU because, with the Mayor at the helm, they can become the in-conference rival that KU fans deserve, and Self needs to get us to that next banner.
