NC State now has a gaping hole at power forward with junior Mohamed Diarra entering the NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-10, 215-pounder from France was a junior college standout at Dodge City C.C., and a backup for a year at Missouri. He entered the transfer portal a year ago and landed at NC State thanks to assistant coach Levi Watkins, and he exceeded expectations.
Diarra proved to be a key cog in powering NC State’s nine-game winning streak that helped the Wolfpack win the ACC Tournament and reach the Final Four. He had seven games of grabbing at least 10 rebounds over the last 10 contests, and five double-doubles. He also was NC State’s best interior defender and had 18 blocks during the streak.
Diarra finished starting 22 of 40 games, and averaged 6.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. He shot 47.7 percent from the field and made 21 of 68 three-pointers for 30.9 percent.
NC State has two scholarships available, with one earmarked for Bowling Green junior wing Marcus Hill. NCSU has landed Georgetown 6-6 senior forward Dontrez Styles, who combined with rising sophomore Dennis Parker could be small ball power forwards for the Wolfpack. However, with senior Ben Middlebrooks and Louisville center transfer Brandon Huntley-Hatfield as the lone post players on the roster, landing at least one more post player is crucial.
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