NCAA Basketball: Top 10 players to wear jersey No. 23 in 2023-24 season
By Joey Loose
9. Mohamed Diarra (NC State)
It’s been quite the journey for Diarra, the lanky forward originally from France who played high school ball in New York and has already been at three colleges. Following two years at Garden City Community College in Kansas, Diarra caught on at the D1 level at Missouri, serving as a backup as a junior. Let’s just say that senior year at NC State was quite a bit more productive and successful.
The numbers don’t jump off the page, but Diarra was effective with 6.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game with the Wolfpack. One of the ACC’s best rebounders, Diarra played a critical role in a season full of unexpected success. A starter by the end of the season, he helped guide NC State on surprising runs to the ACC Tournament title and Final Four, providing effective play in the paint.
His productive season began with 10 points and 14 rebounds against a weak foe in The Citadel, but Diarra was coming up big later on as well. He had 18 rebounds in a December road win at Boston College and played his most consistent ball during that March run of destiny. Diarra had five of his seven double-doubles during March, including 17 points and 12 rebounds against Texas Tech and a nice performance (11 points, 15 rebounds) in their upset win over Marquette in the Sweet Sixteen.