Introduction
Hamidou Diallo (born July 31, 1998) is an American college basketball player for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was a consensus 5-star prospect, and one of the top rated basketball players in the class of 2017. He committed to play college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
High school career
Diallo attended John Bowne High School in Flushing, New York before transferring to Putnam Science Academy in Putnam, Connecticut prior to his Junior Year. Diallo participated in other events and camps such as, NBPA top 100 camp, Adidas Nations, and the Elite 24 Invitational.
Diallo played AAU basketball for the AAU team, New York Rens on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit. Diallo played 15 games for the Rens while averaging 18.6 points per game and 2.1 Assist on the EYBL Circuit.
Recruiting
Diallo is considered one of the top players in the 2017 recruiting class by Scout.com, Rivals.com and ESPN. Diallo was heavily recruited by six schools, University of Kentucky, University of Arizona, Indiana University, University of Kansas, Syracuse University, and University of Connecticut.
Personal life
Hamidou Diallo grew up in LeFrak City, New York, home of NBA players Kenny Smith and Kenny Anderson. He attended Ps.206, and JHS 157 Halsey. One of four siblings (two brothers and one sister). Both of his parents are from Guinea.
College career
On January 7, 2017, Diallo committed to the University of Kentucky. He would start participating with the team in practices, but would not play a single game that year due to his late entry into the program. Diallo was one of a record-high 182 players to declare for the 2017 NBA Draft, despite not having played a single college game in the process. On May 24, 2017, Diallo announced that he would return to Kentucky to play in their 2017-2018 season, despite draft scouts saying he could have been taken in the first round of the draft that year.
Accomplishments and awards
National team career
Diallo competed for the under-18 United States national basketball team that captured gold in the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship game in 2016. He won bronze at the 2017 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Egypt.