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Kentucky Basketball: What does Hamidou Diallo Bring to the table?

By Frank Spencer

Mar 24, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari speaks at a press conference after defeating the UCLA Bruins during the semifinals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum. Kentucky won 86-75. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari speaks at a press conference after defeating the UCLA Bruins during the semifinals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum. Kentucky won 86-75. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kentucky Basketball was gifted an unusual arrival of a five star player midseason in the form of Hamidou Diallo.

John Calipari has made his living recruiting the absolute best players in the country to come to Lexington. The man is a genius when it comes to bringing in top talent. Competing each year with freshman being the key to your success isn’t easy. Just take a look a other teams who have tried it. No one except Calipari and Kentucky Basketball has been able to do it consistently.

Hamidou Diallo enrolled early at Kentucky for the second half of the season. He was eligible to play right away. However, Diallo and Calipari came to a decision to redshirt the rest of the season and begin his career in the 2017-2018 campaign.

Diallo will be joined by at least five more top recruits in PJ Washington, Quade Green, Nick Richards, as well as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jarred Vanderbilt.

Who is Hamidou Diallo??

Hamidou Diallo is a 6-5 shooting guard that hails from Putnam Science Academy in Queens Village, New York. Diallo is the top rated shooting guard prospect in the class of 2017. Also, he is the eighth best player in the entire class.

Kentucky has loaded up the class once again with the addition of another top ranked recruiting class in the country. No one really knows who from the current team will depart to the NBA Draft or transfer. We do know one thing, there is some bounce in this recruiting class that can help put Kentucky in another great position to contend for a national championship.

Step up to the table

As Kentucky gears up for the 2017-18 season, the knock on this recruiting class is that they do not have any knock-down shooters. This is probably true, but as you can tell from the highlight video of Diallo, he can knock down some shots. When you pair Diallo with Quade Green, a dynamic point guard, you have a backcourt that is as lethal off the dribble as you can get. It’s not quite like the sharpshooting Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox combo.

Diallo brings a certain athleticism and killer instinct that you want from a backcourt player. A ball handler with the intent to drive is a dangerous formula for opposing teams. Look for the height of the new version of Wildcats revert back to the alley-oop as the surefire way of setting the tone in games.

Diallo enrolled early to get familiar with the college basketball atmosphere. He stated that he wanted to come to Lexington to work on his craft and then be ready to lead the team next season. Diallo has a leg up on the other recruits as he knows what to expect at practice. He has already felt the pressure of what it’s like to be a part of Kentucky Basketball. Look for Diallo to be the vocal leader and the glue that holds the next slew of Wildcats that call Lexington their home.

Just for good measure, here’s some more stuff you’ll see from Diallo Next season:

Next: Ranking The Top 10 Greatest Three Point Shots of All Time

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