Mohamed Diarra was one of several late-season NC State basketball stock-risers as Kevin Keatts and his Cinderella 2023-24 Wolfpack returned to national prominence by cementing the program’s first ACC Tournament crown since 1987 and first Final Four trip since Jim Valvano’s 1982-83 treasures cut down April nets in epic upset fashion.
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Now, five games into his first season as a pro, the 24-year-old Diarra is emerging as a double-double force while enjoying a sudden uptick in minutes for the Betclic Elite League’s Limoges CSP in his home country of France.
On Saturday, Diarra’s 30 minutes matched his combined playing time in the club’s previous two outings. He responded to the opportunity by delivering a double-double with a season-high 14 points and 12 rebounds — shooting 4-for-6 from the field, 1-for-2 from three, and 3-for-4 at the line — as Limoges improved to 3-2 overall and 3-0 at home via a 92-90 double-overtime win over Le Mans.
The 6-foot-10, 215-pound forward, a one-year bench weapon at Missouri before transferring to NC State and earning a full-time starting job at the five-spot in late February, didn’t hear his name at the 2024 NBA Draft. Although he joined the Los Angeles Lakers for Summer League action in July, that’s where Mohamed Diarra’s on-court journey in America ended — for now.
He signed a two-year contract with Limoges in early August.
And there’s no doubt he’s well on his way to gaining even more favor in the eyes of the club’s director in 1991 Duke basketball national champion backup big man Crawford Palmer.
Diarra is currently averaging 7.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks across his 18.4 minutes per game. Again, though, his latest performance suggests those numbers are on the rise.
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