2016 Alpha Diallo Pledges to Providence

Ed Cooley had been on the hunt for talent to add to his roster for 2016-17 and beyond. On Tuesday, Cooley got a commitment from a top 100 wing player in Alpha Diallo. Diallo, a native of NYC, attended NEPSAC powerhouse Brewster Academy for his final year of high school. The news was first reported by Evan Daniels on Twitter. He will be the first Brewster Academy alumnus to commit to Providence directly from Brewster since Weyinmi Efejuku, another NYC native, donned a Friar uniform from 2005-2009. Former Friar Kyle Wright attended Brewster, but came to Providence via Monroe College. Diallo’s commitment also gives Cooley his first recruit ranked in ESPN’s Top 100 since he brought Paschal Chukwu and Jalen Lindsey to Providence in the recruiting class of 2014. Cooley has had at least one player ranked in ESPN’s Top 100 in every recruiting class at Providence except the first one in 2011 and the last one in 2015.

Diallo visited Friartown on April 8th and 9th with his family. They even attended Providence’s end of season banquet at the Omni Hotel. Diallo’s commitment fills the open scholarship vacated by the graduating Junior Lomomba, who stated his intention “to explore other opportunities that would benefit both my family and me.” Diallo chose Providence over Oklahoma State.

Here is what I wrote leading up to his campus visit:

Alpha Diallo spent his final year of high school at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, NH after he was forced to sit out his junior season at Abraham Lincoln HS in Denver, CO due to a Colorado High School Athletic Association rule violation — a silly rule that was enforced too harshly from what this writer can surmise. Diallo is ranked 121st nationally by 247Sports composite national ranking. ESPN has him ranked 94th [edit: 95th in the final release on 4/26/16] in the class, while Rivals has him 110th.

Diallo entered this time last year as an unheralded and largely unrecruited wing player. The only offer reported as of April 2015 by VerbalCommits.com was from Manhattan. Since then Diallo has blown up after a very good showing on the grassroots circuit in the spring and summer of 2015. He took a little time to get his feet wet in game action, but once he hit his stride, he quickly drew attention from high major programs. Diallo’s breakout performance came while playing for Team Africa in the adidas Nations tournament beginning on July 31st. His first two games had scoring totals of 14 points and 11 points, respectively. He really turned it on during the team’s final 4 games when he scored 20, 24, 24 and 30 points.

Diallo is a wing player at 6’6 who possesses guard skills and a high basketball IQ. He plays with a measured pace and doesn’t seem to ever get flustered with the ball. Diallo’s recruitment has been fairly deliberate and that’s intentional. He wanted to wait for the coaching carousel to spin before making any final determinations on a destination.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG4ocSv8N5Q]

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4 responses to “2016 Alpha Diallo Pledges to Providence”

  1. Bob Nunes Avatar
    Bob Nunes

    Great news Mike!

  2. Matt Johnson Avatar
    Matt Johnson

    Is Alpha Diallo a starter right away?

  3. Ed Avatar
    Ed

    Whats going on over on Jackson Avenue in Mineola with the Chaminade lacrosse team this year? I know you played ball for the famous Moran. Any insight as to what is going on?

    1. Ed Avatar
      Ed

      Nevermind no worries Flyers Fans. Big road win at Burns Park over Massapequa. Lets Go Flyers.

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