Hamidou Diallo Picks Kentucky, Adds to Star-Studded 2017 Class
By CHRIS BARCA & ADAM ZAGORIA NEW YORK
By CHRIS BARCA & ADAM ZAGORIA NEW YORK
With high-flying shooting guard Hamidou Diallo set to announce his college choice on Saturday in New York, one of his AAU coaches is comparing him to some fellow high-flyers who starred in the NBA.
“I definitely see it with his athleticism, I think he’s really unique,” Chris Alesi of the NY Rens said on The 4 Quarters Podcast. “I don’t think that there’s one guy that you can really point to, just because his game is different. But I definitely see Vince Carter, Dwyane Wade, guys who are just freakishly athletic.
“But there’s a lot more to Hamidou Diallo. He can shoot the ball better than I’ve ever seen him shoot it. And I think the biggest thing with Hamidou, wherever he ends, he is a program-changer and I’ve seen that first-hand unfold with the Rens.”
The 6-foot-6, 190-pound Diallo is expected to decide between Kentucky and UConn, with Arizona, Syracuse, Indiana and Kansas also having been on his list.
Hamidou Diallo will announce his college decision on Saturday in his hometown of Queens, N.Y.
— Hamidou diallo (@Diallo1Hamidou) January 5, 2017
The 6-foot-5 shooting guard is expected to choose between Kentucky, which begins its second semester Jan. 11, Arizona (Jan. 11) and UConn (Jan. 17). He will enroll for the second semester.
He had also listed Indiana, Syracuse and Kansas on his original list of schools.
With 2016 behind us, it’s time to look ahead to 2017.
According to the 2017 ESPN 100, four of the top seven players in the class remain uncommitted, and eight of the top 20 have yet to announce their future plans.
Now as we look ahead to the spring signing period which runs April 12-May 17, here are the Top 10 Recruiting Storylines heading into 2017:
Washington-bound forward Michael Porter Jr. went for
Kentucky coach John Calipari and assistant Kenny Payne are the latest high-profile coaches to watch Kevin Knox.
The Kentucky coaches watched the 6-foot-8 Knox go for 22 points and five rebounds in a 77-60 loss to DeAndre Ayton and Hillcrest Prep (AZ) in the championship game of the John Wall Holiday Invitational on Friday night.
Ayton, the 7-1 Arizona signee, finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds en route to Most Valuable Player honors, while Knox, who was tasked with guarding Ayton, was named Most Outstanding Player.
“I think overall it was great for us to come up here and play against great talent,” Knox said, per USA Today. “I didn’t have my best game this game, but that’s something that I can work on. Hopefully we’ll all learn from this loss and go back to Tampa and win regionals and states.”
