Kentucky Basketball: Hamidou Diallo Named SEC Freshman of the Week

Kentucky guard Hamidou Diallo was named the SEC Freshman of the Week.

University of Kentucky guard Hamidou Diallo was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week. Diallo had an outstanding performance Saturday against a high-octane Virginia Tech team. Diallo’s 20 points and clutch shooting were instrumental in helping the Wildcats defeat the Hokies 93-86.

Diallo’s last four games have produced amazing results. He has scored at least 19 points in that stretch and shot almost 42% from downtown. Diallo was averaging 11.8 points per game and 38% from beyond the arc in the first 6 games of the season. He exploded with 19 points against Illinois-Chicago and hasn’t looked back. For the season, Diallo is averaging 15.2 points per game, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

Diallo is a redshirt freshman. He reclassified last season and came to Kentucky in January. Diallo did not play a game for the Cats during the 2016-17 season and put his name into the 2017 NBA Draft. Big Blue Nation was nervous that Diallo would be a ‘None-and-Done’ at UK. However, Diallo removed his name from draft consideration. He returned to Kentucky to help improve his draft stock and hopefully help lead this year’s Wildcat squad to their ninth National Championship.

Diallo possesses amazing athletic ability that has NBA scouts drooling. One of the biggest knocks on Diallo is his inability to knock down perimeter shots. If the last few games are a sign of things to come, Diallo is going to become one of the most coveted players in next year’s NBA Draft.

Given John Calipari’s starting line-up consists of all freshmen, it’s highly likely that Kentucky will have another SEC Freshman of the Week very soon. The Cats suit up to play UCLA on Saturday in New Orleans.