Kentucky has landed another five-star recruit. Hamdiou Diallo, a 6’6 shooting guard from New York City, committed to the Wildcats over UConn, Arizona, Indiana and Syracuse. Diallo said he will enroll at the school next week.
5-star recruit Hamdiou Diallo picks Kentucky over UConn
Kentucky has grabbed a five-star wing out of New York.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Diallo’s unique situation made his recruitment even more compelling. As a prep school player who’s already graduated high school, Diallo had a few different options on the table. He’d likely be ruled eligible for the 2017 NBA Draft and could have made the same preps-to-pros jump Thon Maker made last year as the No. 10 pick in the 2016 draft. Diallo was also reportedly cleared by the NCAA to play college basketball right away, which made him the rare elite talent who could boost a team mid-season.
If Diallo does play this season, he’ll join a Kentucky team that’s already 12-2 and No. 6 in the polls. He’d provide athleticism and defense on the wing next to Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox and Isaiah Briscoe.
Update: Scout’s Evan Daniels says Diallo is not expected to play for Kentucky this season.
We’ll update this story as it develops.
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