Recruiting Report: Momandou Diarra (2017)
Class of 2017 forward Momandou Diarra of St. Louis Christian Academy is ready to tackle The Gauntlet on the Adidas Uprising Summer Circuit. A native of Mali, West Africa, the 6’9″ Diarra came to the St. Louis area this past…
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Continue ReadingClass of 2017 forward Momandou Diarra of St. Louis Christian Academy is ready to tackle The Gauntlet on the Adidas Uprising Summer Circuit.
A native of Mali, West Africa, the 6’9″ Diarra came to the St. Louis area this past season to play at St. Louis Christian. He will be running with the Gateway Basketball Club 17U team during the grassroots season. A versatile combo forward, Diarra is a high major prospect with offers from Missouri and Cincinnati and interest from several other schools such as Iowa.
“I really like St. Louis so far,” Diarra said. “It has been a good experience. I like my team at Gateway. I fit in really well. I like my coaches and my teammates.”
Diarra gave a small taste of what is to come for the rest of the spring and summer this past weekend as he helped Gateway to the championship at the Adidas All-American Tournament in St. Louis. He is a skilled athlete with tremendous length and explosiveness. Diarra had the fans energized all weekend with several rim-rattling slam dunks. He is capable of playing all three front court positions.
“His athleticism and length are going to be huge for us,” said. Gateway coach Scott Schroepfer. “He has the ability to score at all three levels. The more playing time he gets, the more his basketball IQ is going to improve. He just needs to play.”
When Gateway goes big, Diarra plays the small forward spot along side 6’8″ Wyatt Yess and 6’8″ Levi Stockard up front. Diarra runs the court like a gazelle and he plays the top of Gateway’s 1-3-1 zone defense.
“When we put him at the three spot, our mismatches are unbelievable,” Schroepfer said. “People who haven’t seen Mamandou are going to crazy when they see him for the first time.”