Recruiting Report: Mohammed Diallo
George Washington is a year removed from being runner’s up in the 5A state tournament, but with a revamped roster they look locked and loaded to give the state championship title another run. Losing Jervay Green and Calvin Fugett to graduation left a void in the Patriots offense, one that would quickly need to be filled if they were to remain a Top-10 team and a player that’s stepped up immensely is senior Mohammed Diallo. He’s having an impressive year and his play as of late has pushed the Patriots to Top-5 in the most recent 5a rankings.
Diallo’s play to start out the year is solid and not many could imagine the senior having a breakout season like this. For the last five games the 6-foot-6 wing has been averaging 12 points, six rebounds a game which included an 18 point & 12 rebound outing to secure an upset against Top-5 Chaparral.
After the Chaparral game I was able to catch up with Mo and discuss this season and plans for the future.
“I think it all starts with our bench,” said Mo when asked about the Patriots recent success before saying “I truly feel as if their energy helps motivate us and gives us confidence to keep pushing.”
George’s defense is one of the reasons they are so dangerous because they have talented and quick guards and also active bigs that aren’t afraid of contact and Mo is the perfect combination of the two.
He’s a high IQ player that doesn’t need plays ran for him to be effective. He knows how to put his stamp on the game and it starts with his high motor which impacts the game on both ends of the floor. He is a vocal leader for the Patriots and gets it done with his play, specifically on the defensive end of the floor.
Even with that, Mo knows that the team still has a lot to work on if they want to bring back a championship to a school that hasn’t won since Chauncey Billups played.
“As a team I think we need to work on our chemistry and just playing with more rhythm with each other.” If you’ve followed the Patriots this year you’ll see a team of two stories. To begin the year, they struggled connecting with each other offensively and defensively, but as of late they’ve been sharing the ball, defending and playing for each other which have had the senior blossom.
Mo says he’s sees himself at a mid-major when it’s all said and done and has received looks from Wyoming, UNLV and Lamar.
On the year he’s averaging 10.2pts, 6.1 rbs, 1.0 stl and 1.9 assist per game all while shooting 60% from the field. He’ll look to increase on those numbers as they get deeper into conference play. He’s having himself a great year and is a player to watch moving forward.