UNLV Basketball: Cheikh Mbacke Diong set for breakout 2019-20 season

UNLV Basketball has undergone major roster turnover this offseason. That could set the stage for junior big man Cheikh Mbacke Diong to have a major campaign.

It was an up and down season overall for UNLV Basketball after losing arguably their best player Shakur Juiston to a knee injury. The team finished just over .500 overall and it eventually cost head coach Marvin Menzies his job. But there were some bright spots, including strong sophomore campaigns from both Amauri Hardy Cheikh Mbacke Diong.

These are the two best returning players for the Rebels after several others either graduated or transferred out. The frontcourt overall took the biggest blow, with Juiston, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua and Joel Ntambwe all electing to go. New head coach TJ Otzelberger has done a great job with bringing in players for the future but in regards to getting immediately eligible forwards was only able to land Vitaliy Shibel, a little-used stretch forward transfer from Arizona State.

Cheickna Dembélé and Djordjije Sljivancanin are also on the roster but they don’t have the experience Diong has, coming off a season where he averaged 6.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 1.5 bpg on 24 mpg and 22 starts. His defense was strong overall and when he wasn’t in foul trouble (which was a lot), Mbacke Diong was a viable defensive anchor for the Rebels. Considering that he came into last season projected for around 10 mpg off the bench, Mbacke Diong showed himself to be an asset going forward.

With arguably the best players for UNLV sitting out next season due to transfer rules, there’s not much talk about them as a team next year or the players who’ll be on the court. A recent article by analyst Eli Boettger from Mountain West Wire listed several players from the league most likely to breakout next season. It included guys such as Nathan Mensah of San Diego State, Kendle Moore of Colorado State and Brae Ivey of San Jose State (somebody has to produce).

In my opinion, Mbacke Diong was a slight snub, only because of the opportunity presented to be the best frontcourt option for UNLV next year. At the same time, I do understand the apprehension to assume that he’ll take a major leap. To paraphrase a line from Fran Fraschilla, Mbacke Diong’s offense is a year away from being a work in progress on the offensive end. He doesn’t stretch the floor and really doesn’t have many moves around the basket. This is the kind of player who does best as a defensive/rebounding center who cleans up down low for easy buckets. With likely more minutes afforded to him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he averaged close to a double-double next season.

Mbacke Diong nearly left the program this offseason as well but not has the opportunity to anchor a UNLV team who could be more competitive than expected. Coach Otzelberger is one of the better offensive minds in the game, so an offensive development from the 6’11 center isn’t out of the question. If Texas grad transfer Elijah Mitrou-Long and top JUCO commit Jonah Antonio has a big impact to help out Hardy in the backcourt and Mbacke Diong holding down the paint, the Rebels will be problematic for Mountain West opponents.

For this program in particular, all eyes are already on the 2020-21 roster for the Rebels, when quality transfers Moses Wood, David Jenkins and Donnie Tillman will boost the overall talent level possibly to the top of the league. But they’ll need a good center in the middle to balance everything out. If Mbacke Diong can take that next step this upcoming season, don’t be surprised if the Rebels have top-25 aspirations 12 months from now.