Around seven months ago, Zoom Diallo announced a top-6 list of NCAA Basketball options. Most of them are from the west coast, where he hails from. Originally from Tacoma, Washington, Diallo is a 6’4 ball-handler that’s a consensus five-star prospect, ranked in the top-15 overall.
There are some rumors floating that a decision from Diallo could be coming in the next couple of weeks. And now, there’s a 7th team in the mix. Reportedly, Nate Oats and Alabama is now joining the recruitment. Where do they stand among all of the options? Here’s how I would power rank the seven contenders for Diallo’s services.
No. 7 Best option for Zoom Diallo – Florida State Seminoles
The good news is that Coach Leonard Hamilton said earlier this offseason that he’s not close to retirement and plans to be around for a couple of years, at least while Diallo would potentially around. That’s the only thing that has gone well for the program in the past few months.
Florida State picked a bad time to have its worse season since 2001, going 9-23 overall. And making matters worse, assistant Rjay Barsh, left for Gonzaga, another rival contender on this list. The team also will have Georgetown transfer Primp Spears on the roster who tends to be a bit ball-dominant in the backcourt.
The Seminoles are still a good option overall and Coach Hamilton remains one of the best in NCAA Basketball. But compared to the others on this list, FSU has a lot of ground to make up.
No. 6 Best option for Zoom Diallo – Washington Huskies
A while ago, I could’ve made the argument that Washington had a great chance to land Diallo. And on paper, there are some things that are appealing to the prospect. From a roster standpoint, the program is the only one that can promise the five-star guard that he’d have the keys to the offense without question.
The Huskies are going to lose its two point guard transfers, Sahvir Wheeler and Paul Mulcahy. With them gone, they can offer Diallo the starting point guard role and a huge role in the offense, since all of the current top players are extra-year seniors. That also works against the team as Diallo would be joining a depleted roster that needs a ton of work to be competitive.
And that goes into another issue, the fact that Washington is headed to the Big Ten. There are going to be some travel issues and from a competition standpoint, will be even tougher than at the Pac-12. And Coach Mike Hopkins isn’t fully safe and heading into a new league may want to start over.
The location would’ve been a big selling point but since Diallo is leaving the state of Washington to play for Prolific Prep in California, he’s clearly willing to play elsewhere. It’s a situation where now, the Huskies don’t look as appealing as other options.
No. 5 Best option for Zoom Diallo – Arizona Wildcats
Like Washington, Arizona is also set to leave the Pac-12, moving to the Big 12 instead. From a geographic standpoint, it’s not going to have as much of an impact compared to those going to the Big Ten. The Wildcats are already close to many of the new league’s current programs outside of UCF and West Virginia.
And it really doesn’t matter since Zona is one of the best programs in all of NCAA Basketball. They’ve won over 60 games in the first two years of the Tommy Lloyd era and have had some elite offensive units. They were led in the frontcourt by All-Pac 12 bigs, Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo. And they’ll be without both after next season, allowing all of the guards to really show out on offense.
That’s where the concern could come if you’re Diallo. They have a trio of key guards on the roster, including Alabama transfer Jaden Bradley and UNC transfer Caleb Love, who does have an additional year of eligibility. Plus, there’s Kylan Boswell, a potential breakout candidate that should get bigger minutes next season.
Bradley is the one to watch because he plays on the ball but can’t shoot. Bringing in Diallo could create some complicated lineups if none of the others move on and there will be an adjustment period for the Wildcats, going to arguably the toughest conference in NCAA Basketball. There’s a mix of pros and cons that’ll affect their odds, depending on which ones matter the most.
No. 4 Best option for Zoom Diallo – USC Trojans
Another Pac-12 program leaving a year from now, USC will be going to the Big Ten. So the disadvantages in regards to travel remain for the Trojans. However, the big differences include the fact that the Washington native now resides in California, while living in Los Angeles simply makes travel not as problematic.
There are many great selling points for a top prospect playing here, which is why they were able to land Isaiah Collier, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2023 class. He’s very likely to be a “one and done” to the NBA Draft, paired with returning leading scoring guard, Boogie Ellis.
The odds are great that both of those guards will be gone, potentially clearing a path for Diallo to be the lead guard a year from now. There’s also the situation with Bronny James, who is recovering from a cardiac heart issue and may not play much this upcoming season. I say this with complete respect to James’ health but if he doesn’t go pro and stays with USC for an extra year, Diallo would get even more attention since all of the storylines and spotlight will remain on James.
Between the Big Ten move and roster projections, it’s not the greatest situation for Diallo. But again, his profile could be the highest at USC compared to almost any other option on this list.
No. 3 Best option for Zoom Diallo – Kansas Jayhawks
The Jayhawks are always going to be a top option for any five-star prospect. They recently won yet another national title, have a 20+ year streak of NCAA Tournament appearances, and have been at the top of the Big 12 for decades, the conference that Arizona is hoping to compete in.
Under Coach Bill Self, Kansas has had great success with point guards in the past. The latest example is Dajuan Harris Jr., the starting ball-handler coming off winning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He’s an elite passer and not much of a pure scorer, though he’s been much more of an offensive threat during the team’s foreign exhibition tour.
The question here is whether or not Harris comes back for a 5th year after next season. If Kansas makes a Final Four or even wins it all, he very well could go. And Texas transfer Arterio Morris also was impressive in the past week and could go pro. So outside of incoming top-30 freshman guard Elmarko Jackson, there would be plenty of room for Diallo to come in and have an impact.
The non-guarantee of what Harris and Jackson do slightly hurts Kansas but they’re a legit option to watch for Diallo. And honestly, they should be viewed as the safest option of the seven due to their constant success.
No. 2 Best option for Zoom Diallo – Gonzaga Bulldogs
Comparing the two state-of-Washington programs would be a tough sell since Gonzaga dominates them in all NCAA Basketball aspects. The Bulldogs have not only dominated the Huskies in each of their last several head-to-head matchups but also just as a program overall.
Gonzaga leads the entire sport with eight straight Sweet 16 appearances and in the WCC, is a near-guarantee that they’ll keep making it to the NCAA Tournament. And Coach Mark Few has had great success when it comes to the development of prospects, both local and even international.
There isn’t a ton of guard depth on the roster, with Creighton transfer Ryan Nembhard and returning guard Nolan Hickman being the projected starters. Neither are true NBA prospects at the moment so there’s a chance that both are back a year from now. But Hickman is on the chopping block after a poor overall performance in the NCAA Tournament. There isn’t anyone to push him now but if he struggles, Diallo could easily take his spot for 2024-25.
If Diallo is okay with playing in the WCC, Gonzaga is a great potential option. He can stay in the state and play close to home and be on a top-10 caliber roster. And considering the past success has had with two-PG lineups, look for him to play well alongside whichever guard is around.
No. 1 Best option for Zoom Diallo – Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama coming in late in the process could mean one of several things. Either Diallo is still fully open in the recruitment process and the current options haven’t solidified him yet or the Tide isn’t fully happy with where they stand with their top class of 2024 options.
After losing Jaden Bradley and Jahvon Quinerly to the transfer portal, the Crimson Tide got much older in the backcourt. Joining 5th-year starter Mark Sears are a pair of senior newcomers in Latreel Wrightsell Jr. and Aaron Estrada. Sears and Estrada have to leave after next season, leaving open a clear spot for a starting point guard.
Under coach Nate Oats, the Crimson Tide has been one of the best offensive units in all of NCAA Basketball. And they play in the SEC, one of the toughest leagues. And there are no realignment issues with them compared to half of this list.
Ideally, Alabama would have more time recruiting Diallo compared to the other options. Still, they’ve reached the point as a program where they can do this and still have a chance at landing a five-star prospect. From a roster standpoint, they can bring him in and allow him to run the offense, while still being good enough to compete in Diallo’s freshman campaign. The question is, did they come in too late?