NYC mentor put Diallo on path to hoops gem
LATE Saturday afternoon, Hamidou Diallo will end the speculation, and announce his college choice, picking among Kentucky, Connecticut, Syracuse, Indiana, Arizona or Kansas.
The 6-foot-6 shooting guard from Queens, a consensus top-10 prospect known for his athleticism and highlight reel dunks, will make one school and its fan base very happy. Somewhere in the back of the room at Our Lady of Angelus Catholic Academy, the place where Diallo got his start playing CYO basketball and where he will announce his decision, will be Rob Diaz, remaining in anonymity.
Few nationally know Diaz, a New York City detective who has run the NYC Finest basketball program going on 14 years. But when discussing how Diallo went from an unknown after two years at Flushing’s John Bowne High School to one of the most sought-after players in the country, the conversation must start with Diaz. He saw something unique in Diallo from the start.
“When I played him up in age groups, he would take on challenges. He rose to the occasion,” Diaz said in a phone interview. “You never knew how far he was going to get, but you knew he was going to be one of the special ones.”
Diaz is the man behind Diallo, the non family member he trusts the most, a mentor who uses the word “we,” when discussing everything Diallo, because in his mind, it is always about the kid.
After all, it was Diaz who took Diallo out of the city, suggested he attend prep school at Putnam (Conn.) Science Academy. There, while facing better competition and without distractions, he blossomed into a national recruit. Diallo’s high school coach wasn’t upset about the move because that man was Diaz, who still is an assistant at Bowne.
“At that point,” Diaz recalled, “his future was bigger than us thinking about our program. He would benefit in a place that could provide a more focused atmosphere. We were all excited for him.”
Diallo was in the eighth grade when he first met Diaz, who had coached his older brother. The Lefrak City native was just 5-foot-4 then, rail-thin Diallo joined NYC Finest, and had a solid first two seasons at Bowne. He grew to be 6-foot-1 by the end of his sophomore year and averaged 20 points per game that season.
One day, Diaz suggested a change, and Diallo trusted it.
“It was a big impact,” the highly recruited Diallo told The Post in August. “God knows where I would be [if I didn’t leave Bowne]. I probably wouldn’t be ranked.”
Diallo moved in with associate head coach Josh Scraba a month before school started at Putnam Science, determined to get off to a fast start. He had no offers at the time, but took off. Diallo became the alltime leading scorer in Putnam Science history.
The 18-year-old will enroll immediately at the school of his choice, but not play, sources say, determined to be prepared for the next level.
Diallo, who is eligible to enter the NBA Draft in June because he graduated from Putnam Science Academy last year, is not planning on anything but college right now. One NBA scout said Diallo is making the right move.
“It’s all potential [right now],” the scout said. “He should [become] a major league defender and rebounder [for his position].”