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.
You got to love Smith and Joiner. Top notch people that put in the hard work to accomplish an impressive turnaround season, despite yet again injuries to critical players plaguing the team. Tough to go out this way, but losing to a 6 seed in the NCAAT, a team that many say should have been even higher, isn’t something to hang you head over. Look at Purdue going down to a 16 seed, UVA getting beat, etc. Looking forward….I think KK will do a good job of re-stocking the shelves. Can we PLEEEEEASE have a year without decimating injuries? Imagine… Read more »
100%! And listening to Coach Keatts talk, I can see why a player would love him as a coach. That presser was something. Imagine too, if not only could we get a way without decimating injuries, but also hang onto DJ Burns and can you imagine… T Smith? I know that last one is in all likelihood a pipe dream, but holy heck, would Wolfpack Nation go crazy if T said he was returning.