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Madani Diarra transferring


moytoy12

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5 minutes ago, billikentim said:

Wish him the best 

Agree.  Seems like a terrific kid.  But given where he likely stands on the depth chart for next year, and Okoro in the wings, good time to move on.  He maybe wants to play.  Hope he has much success at his new school.

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I think this was known once Okoro signed, but for some reason it feels pretty strange. I was a lot higher on him than most, but coming off of a major knee injury it was always going to be tough for him here. Seems like a really great kid and teammate from everything we see publicly. I hope he gets a shot somewhere and gets his body right, because there certainly is a lot of talent and heart in Mandani. 

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While it's too bad we'll never get to see what Diarra could contribute to the Bills as an upperclassman, it seemed inevitable.  Diarra and Bell play the same position, and they were in the same recruiting class.  That doesn't seem like a situation conducive for both to thrive.

On top of that, Francis Okoro would be in the same class with both of them after he sits out 2020-21, and he's also a center.  Something would have had to give.  However, there's a chance or likelihood that Diarra's decision had been made (or agreed upon) before the staff decided to recruit Okoro.

I hope Diarra finds a great situation, gets healthy, and goes on to have a productive career (without managing to oust the Bills!).

SLU_Nick and almaman like this
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8 hours ago, Slufan10 said:

Sad to see him go. Feel like he was basically forced to leave.

That’s understandable but also look at it this way. He was a kid coming off an injury with not many collegiate options for basketball. He comes in to a Division 1 program, full athletic scholarship to a really nice private school for a really bright young man. He gets to rehab and strength train under Rob Hornett who a couple of years ago was working for the Warriors, improve his physical condition and his game and now he can go and explore options where he can thrive on the court. 

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He was a long-term project here for sure. He was encouraged by the coaching staff to take a redshirt season and opted not to do it. I really wish he would have. Because like 05 says, he got a year of training and practice and school to see how he measures up. He will still have a better idea of where he stands within the college game, except now with one less season of eligibility and a potential sit year after barely seeing game action. He seems like a really nice dude and I wish him the best wherever he ends up.

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Good luck Diarra. 
And for his sake, hope he can transfer and play right away. Should have redshirted.
And from memory, I recall most on this Board saying both Bell and Diarra are projects and likely only 1 will stay. Now we know.  

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I have absolutely no clue if this kid can play D1 basketball.  I think he can and wish we had seen more.  He always seemed the consummate teammate.  I wish him well.

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So is this a minor speed bump or a major crash with our DeSmet - Mali connection?

For informational purposes only, for now Ford's 5 teams-including next season-there have been an average of 3.4 scholarship players per year with eligibility remaining leave the program early.  Not connecting any dots, not doing any speculation, not making any statements, just providing information.

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30 minutes ago, wgstl said:

imo he and Ford had this figured out well before Okoro.

 

Sometimes losing good teammates feels like losing a star player.  

I don’t disagree. There were rumblings towards the end of the season that he might be gone, I just wish the timing were flipped. Looks better for all involved. 

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21 minutes ago, HoosierPal said:

So is this a minor speed bump or a major crash with our DeSmet - Mali connection?

For informational purposes only, for now Ford's 5 teams-including next season-there have been an average of 3.4 scholarship players per year with eligibility remaining leave the program early.  Not connecting any dots, not doing any speculation, not making any statements, just providing information.

Why would this have anything to do with DeSmet?

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