Ohio State basketball may be looking to add another top prospect to their 2019 recruiting class

The journey to college is never an easy one. Teenagers have to leave their friends and parents, their childhood homes, and head to a new place to live. For the first time in many of their lives, they are alone. For some individuals in particular, the journey to college for some is a little more difficult.

For Ibrahima Diallo, complex and difficult does not even begin to describe his journey. The Senegal born Diallo came to America to complete his secondary education with the eventual goal of earning a basketball scholarship for college. However, the transition was far from easy.

“My mom just started crying like every day because she knows I really want to do this and she wanted me to go follow my dream, but she was saying that’s going to be hard for them,” Diallo told Eleven Warriors.

The point is as true as it seems. Diallo had to pack up and cross the Atlantic to a country he had never been to and without the people he loved the most. Diallo said the transition was not easy and he would “cry every day” and wanted to just go back home and stop playing basketball.

As time went on and he continued to attend Victory Rock Prep in Bradenton, Florida and then at Prolific Prep, he learned to cope and how to channel his focus and hard work into his basketball talent. With offers from schools like USF, Florida State, Depaul and a recent visit to Pittsburgh, that hard work and focus is showing to have paid off.

The 7-foot, 220-pound center would be a great addition for the Buckeyes, who currently lack big man depth after the transfer of Micah Potter to Wisconsin. Currently, Ohio State has the No. 10 recruiting class in the country, according to 247sports, and adding Diallo would surely help that ranking. The class includes DJ Carton, Alonzo Gaffney and EJ Liddell, all of which are listed as four-stars by 247sports.

Diallo has a 7’9 wingspan and says he is most proud of his ability to run the floor and how hard he works on every possession. For a guy like Chris Holtmann, that is a characteristic that cannot be ignored. Diallo grew up watching LeBron James and but he also loves to watch Joel Embiid, another foreign born player.

Diallo has an incredible story and has said that Ohio State and Chris Holtmann has shown invested interest in him. He plans on signing his letter of intent in March so if the Buckeyes do offer him a scholarship, they will be high on his list. With him signing in March, Buckeye fans will not have to wait long to see what he decides.

Quick hit

• A fresh batch of rankings are out for the 2020 football class at 247sports. Ohio State targets are peppered throughout, including defensive tackle Bryan Bresee at No. 1, wide receiver Julian Fleming at No. 5 and offensive tackle (and commit) Paris Johnson Jr. at No. 7.