NC State Forward Mohamed Diarra will not be returning to NC State for his final season of eligibility. Rather, he will give 100% of his focus to pursuing his professional career.
Diarra is declaring for the NBA Draft, and will explore that possibility as far as it goes, but the likelihood of him playing professionally in his home country of France are high.
Diarra was a significant player for NC State all season long, averaging 6.3 points and 7.8 rebounds (team high), but his impact in March was tremendous, recording 10+ rebounds in 7 of the Wolfpack’s 10 postseason games, and five of those performances were double-doubles.
Wolfpack fans will always remember the grit and mental toughness that Diarra put on display in the NCAA Tournament, playing game-after-game while fasting for Ramadan.
The Wolfpack’s frontcourt just got a little bit thinner. In the past two weeks, NC State has lost Diarra and Ernest Ross. Ben Middlebrooks is returning, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield transferred in from Louisville. Dontrez Styles transferred in from Georgetown, and while he is more of a Small Forward, in certain lineups, he could play the Small 4 position. With all that being said, I fully expect NC State to try to find another post player in the Transfer Portal with Diarra’s exodus now official.
With Diarra not returning in 2024, NC State now has 2 scholarships available for next season.
i really hope nc state can win this game today. if we do we will lock a spot in the tournament. We dont even have to beat Duke tomorrow becuase no one is expecting us to beat them and we only need to win today. But my goal isnt just to win today but its to win it all!!! GOPACK
This is the kind of game that worries me. We are safely in the Dance and have been playing some of our best ball but we have some big games to look forward too, especially with Duke on the horizon and Pitt will be fighting for its life to win some big games down the stretch and find their way into the dance as well. I solid win here would go a long way in instilling confidence in me that this team is confident, and mature enough to make some noise going forward. Either way, Im too excited to work… Read more »