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This wasn’t exactly the BOOM that we expected following Saturday’s Ohio State football spring game, but the Buckeyes got a huge commitment on Sunday, and I mean that literally as 7-foot center Ibrahima Diallo announced that he will play his college basketball at OSU beginning this fall.
After months of careful consideration I have decided to commit to Ohio State University @OhioStateHoops I want to thank all the coaches who have recruited me during the recruitment process. My Family and I are excited about the next chapter in my life. ️ pic.twitter.com/IWmZhpWHsi
— ibrahimadiallo (@ibrahimaa24) April 14, 2019
A native of Senegal, Diallo originally moved to Florida to work on his basketball game before playing his final season of high school basketball at Prolific Prep in Napa, CA. Though he also had offers from Florida State, DePaul and USF, Diallo’s decision came down to Ohio State and Pitt.
With the announcement earlier this month that former Ohio State assistant coach Mike Schrage would take the head coaching job at Elon University, many thought that this could push Diallo to pledge to play for the Panthers, as Schrage was his primary recruiter.
However, Diallo, who still has a decent amount of development to do as a player, decided to join the all-star 2019 class of D.J. Carton, E.J. Liddell, and Alonzo Gaffney at Ohio State. Diallo is ranked as a three-star prospect according to 247 Sports, but with his height and 200-pound frame, he has the potential to grow into a difference maker for the Buckeyes, especially as their first legit rim-protector in a number of years.