NC State Basketball
NC State’s Mohamed Diarra Will Not Return to NC State for Final Season
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 saw it coming. He has no access to NIL. He’s young. He needs to think about his future. Why wouldn’t someone take the opportunity to make money? That’s the goal, right? I get being a patriot for your team and doing what’s best for you team. But, there’s basketball, and then life. Nothing’s more important than those forty minutes playing basketball for the Wolfpack and focusing on winning the next, and then there’s life. And then there’s life, and life beyond college basketball. Two ideas that are actually less separable when it comes to one’s professional career. Oh… and… Read more »
Hopefully KK saw this coming and is prepared to go big. Dof87 says I shouldn’t advocate for anything, but I advocate now for two bigs.
This sucks for us. I don’t blame Mo. He was a great rebounder and defender. Hi offense really came on in run to the Final Four. Gotta get us another big, or two.