Why you should know about Lamine Diane
Diane finds himself in Northridge by way of Senegal, and he has basketball in his blood. His father was a member of the Senegal National Team. As a junior in high school, the forward enrolled at one of the better prep schools in the country, Findlay Prep. While at Findlay his game blossomed, and he was able to field a large list of offers. The four-star recruit ended up choosing the Matadors. He was committed to the previous staff, and remained when Gottfried got the job.
The redshirt sophomore power forward is coming off a historic season. He is the only player in Big West basketball history to be named the Conference player of the year, Freshman of the year, and Newcomer of the year in the same season. Aside from his awards trifecta, the forward led the country in made field goals. His averages of 24.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, making him the only player in the country to average 24 points, 10 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. Diane was rewarded by the national media as an honorable mention All-American for his efforts at the end of the season.
To go along with his achievements on the national level, the big man set numerous school records. He is now the current Matador leader in points in a season (818), rebounds (368), made field goals (340), blocks (72), and double doubles (20). Diane also has the Northridge single season record for points and rebounds per game. It is important to note, that those records are only credited for as long as the school has been a member of the NCAA Division 1.
The reigning Big West Player of the Year was just recently honored with another award. This time it was from an independent basketball site College Basketball Central, and the founder of the site Kevin Sweeney, ranked Diane as the second-best mid-major power forward in the country. Judging by his accomplishments, that ranking is not unwarranted.