Cheick Diallo
 Diallo being honored as MVP of the 2015 McDonald's All-American Boys Game | |
| No. 13 – Kansas Jayhawks | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward |
| League | Big 12 Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 13, 1996 Kayes, Mali |
| Nationality | Malian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Our Savior New American (Centereach, New York) |
| College | Kansas (2015–present) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Cheick Diallo (born September 13, 1996) is a Malian basketball player who currently attends the University of Kansas. Diallo is a five-star recruit and was widely considered one of the top players in the Class of 2015. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 2015 McDonald's All-American Boys Game.
Early life
Diallo was born on September 13, 1996 and brought up in Kayes, Mali. It took approximately 15 hours to drive from his hometown to Bamako, the country's capital city. He was the youngest in his family and had five brothers. Diallo arrived in the John F. Kennedy International Airport in the United States on February 14, 2012 in pursuit of a basketball career. He was not fluent in the English language at the time. He recalled the time, "It was so tough. I left my parents, my friends, my brothers, everything, just to come here. At first, I was thinking, I just want to go back. But one day I said, 'No, not yet. I want to stay and work hard here before I go back to Mali.'"[1] Diallo began playing basketball in 2010.[1]
High school career
Through its international program, Diallo began attending Our Savior New American School in Centereach, New York. He played with Chris Obekpa in his freshman season and, at first, was dominated by the fellow African big man. Diallo said, "I didn't know what I was doing. I couldn't make a point. [Obekpa] blocked me every time."[1] In later seasons, he became more effective for his team and attracted attention through his shot-blocking, rebounding, and versatility. Diallo was invited to the NBPA Top 100 camp in 2013 and went on to become its first MVP from Africa.[1][2]
References
- ^ a b c d Calle, Franklyn. "Mali music". SlamOnline.com. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|website=(help) - ^ Braziller, Zach. "From Mali to L.I., Diallo leaps to top tier of HS hoopers". New York Post. Retrieved 20 April 2015.